NFR: US WC Coverage is…wretched

[McBrideOfFrankenstein]

Not sure who else has the misfortune of watching the tournament stateside but it's about the most dire sports coverage I've ever seen, and I tend to be pretty forgiving. Clint and Landon, bless their hearts, have the combined personality of a pile of broken rocks, and Lalas gets old quick. The play by play announcers, if anything, are worse: acid, boring, and vain (that last one is single worst quality a play by play announcer can have, imo — your ego needs to come second to the action).

Never thought I'd say this, but here's praying NBC has the rights next time.

[Forever Fulham]

I can't stand Alexi Lalas.  Insufferable. 

[RaySmith]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

[alfie]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

[Penfold]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

I find that the people who dislike Lineker, do so mainly due to his politics.

[filham]

Coverage in the UK has been magnificent with so many matches being shown across different channels. At time it is like wall to wall football.
I have been expecting complaints from those not interested in football because many other programmes are having to make way.

[jarv]

Liniker politics?  I have not picked up on that. I would be interested to hear. I think he is ok at what he does but grossly overpaid.

[Woolly Mammoth]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

Personally apart from his distasteful politics, Lineker is more Wooden than a Wooden Woodpecker trapped in a Timber Yard.
His drone of a voice coupled with his boring personality and completely bankrupt of any charisma or social skills, makes him one step up the evolutionary ladder from a Garden Gnome, when it comes to his only job is reading off an auto cue which is as bland as it gets.
He obviously has an associate in a high place at his place of work.
Money for old rope, it's not what you know it's who you know.
If the bbc had piles it would be Lineker.

[Bill2]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

His football punditry is not bad but he does tend to look down his nose at some clubs. Most people do t like him for his political comments as if he is some sort of expert on all things.

[alfie]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

His football punditry is not bad but he does tend to look down his nose at some clubs. Most people do t like him for his political comments as if he is some sort of expert on all things.

I'm not interested in his political comments, he does ok for me in the football world.

[Cambridge Away]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

Personally apart from his distasteful politics, Lineker is more Wooden than a Wooden Woodpecker trapped in a Timber Yard.
His drone of a voice coupled with his boring personality and completely bankrupt of any charisma or social skills, makes him one step up the evolutionary ladder from a Garden Gnome, when it comes to his only job is reading off an auto cue which is as bland as it gets.
He obviously has an associate in a high place at his place of work.
Money for old rope, it's not what you know it's who you know.
If the bbc had piles it would be Lineker.

Funnily enough, bland is what i thought when reading this.
Perhaps you are expecting too much from him?

[Holders]

He's a moderate, if that's what people don't like about him. My only beef with him would be for looking down his nose at Fulham. He can't help what the BBC is prepared to pay him.

[Cambridge Away]

One thing i preferred from the American commentators were their female commentators. They just sound like American women who watch football. I don't know if it's one woman or several we have here in England that try to sound like 'football geezer-birds' when they are commentating (or some kind of female equivalent of Jonathan Pearce - pushing something out when on the toilet).
Are 'football geezer-birds' considered more palatable for male football fans transitioning to having to hear women commenting on football? And is it because a softer sounding lady is considered distracting? If so, how can she be distracting if you can't even see her?

[St Eve]

Not sure who else has the misfortune of watching the tournament stateside but it's about the most dire sports coverage I've ever seen, and I tend to be pretty forgiving. Clint and Landon, bless their hearts, have the combined personality of a pile of broken rocks, and Lalas gets old quick. The play by play announcers, if anything, are worse: acid, boring, and vain (that last one is single worst quality a play by play announcer can have, imo — your ego needs to come second to the action).

Never thought I'd say this, but here's praying NBC has the rights next time.

It's terrible. Don't know if you noticed but they should the half time score as END 1 V SEN 0. Not sure who END is but at least they were winning!

[Woolly Mammoth]

We don't know how lucky we are here with Lineker etc.

Just out of curiosity why do people have a go at Lineker, I just don't see what the problem is, seems ok to me.

Personally apart from his distasteful politics, Lineker is more Wooden than a Wooden Woodpecker trapped in a Timber Yard.
His drone of a voice coupled with his boring personality and completely bankrupt of any charisma or social skills, makes him one step up the evolutionary ladder from a Garden Gnome, when it comes to his only job is reading off an auto cue which is as bland as it gets.
He obviously has an associate in a high place at his place of work.
Money for old rope, it's not what you know it's who you know.
If the bbc had piles it would be Lineker.

Funnily enough, bland is what i thought when reading this.
Perhaps you are expecting too much from him?

Wolves do not listen to sheep.

[love4ffc]

I can't stand Alexi Lalas.  Insufferable. 

This for me.  He makes everything about himself and puts almost everything and everyone down. 

[jarv]

Thanks wooly for enlightening me. I will take a fresh look (or listen) to his diatribe in future. As I said, grossly overpaid.

[jarv]

Title... WC coverage wretched....how about the football, worse than wretched.  How many 0-0 games can we put up with (I stopped watching, if h-t was 0-0, no reason to switch it on.

England, yes very good, opposition so far, 3rd division level. Three good teams, England France and Brazil. I think we can all guess which 2 will be in the final. Despite being Scottish, I hope it is England v Brazil. 

I am a fan of Southgate, a Crawley boy, where I went to school.

[WindyCity]

Yep, have to agree with the TO.  Dempsey and Donovan are very weak, uninteresting.  And Lalas, as one poster mentioned, is insufferable.  Time he moves on from soccer/football commentary.  Can't stand him.

As far as the live play by play broadcasting, largely not very good at all.  Disappointing, but not totally terrible.  It is what it is....

[Chi_FFC]

And what makes the poor Fox product particularly tough to take is that ESPN (who had the US WC rights prior to 2018) did an excellent job with their WC coverage.