Jacqui Oatley

[WasStefan]

Agree entirely. McCoist is the best because, not only did he play at the top level and see things others don't see, but he also has a great personality. He is clever, incisive, funny, and can say things without offending fans.

Having said that, have you seen his film - a shot at glory! - more Nicolas Cage than Al Pacino.

Ally somehow gets 99% of offside calls right in real time. It amazes me

 

[Jonzy54]

Many of us from a certain generation will remember the magnificent Richie Benaud when on commentary.He would often go minutes without saying anything and having read his Autobiography he said he was taught to say what he could see and not what he thought the viewer wanted to hear.
Cramming in endless stats and facts are irrelevant to most fans because in the main it is hot air that goes in one ear and out the other and is often forgotten in an instant ,

 

[molinew]

Any argument that female commentators and pundits are not there on merit falls completely flat when you consider how many dreadful, male ex-pros have historically walked into cushy punditry and co-comms gigs down the years and been dreadful. Shearer is generally very good these days, but was famously wooden and boring when he started out and was given a long time in a prime seat to develop. Historically, and to a large extent still today, female and non-white contributors of all genders usually have to be better than their counterparts to even get a look in.

Also, not to go over old ground with respect to the OP, not least as @StefanWolves opening post put it perfectly, but it should be possible to praise Jacqui Oatley for being the excellent commentator and presenter she is without having to compare here to every woman in football that's gone before. Women can be brilliant at a job thousands of people across the world have been doing for decades, what a revelation......

 

[tamwolf]

Many of us from a certain generation will remember the magnificent Richie Benaud when on commentary.He would often go minutes without saying anything and having read his Autobiography he said he was taught to say what he could see and not what he thought the viewer wanted to hear.
Cramming in endless stats and facts are irrelevant to most fans because in the main it is hot air that goes in one ear and out the other and is often forgotten in an instant ,

I think you're getting him confused with Roy Walker from Catchphrase.

 

[WolfLing]

Any argument that female commentators and pundits are not there on merit falls completely flat when you consider how many dreadful, male ex-pros have historically walked into cushy punditry and co-comms gigs down the years and been dreadful. Shearer is generally very good these days, but was famously wooden and boring when he started out and was given a long time in a prime seat to develop. Historically, and to a large extent still today, female and non-white contributors of all genders usually have to be better than their counterparts to even get a look in.

Absolutely. Almost no male commentators are there on merit, just there based on who they played for.

Most (not all) of the best commentators in history never played the game professionally.

 

[steve vena]

On a side note on last night's comms, and I'll probably get pelters for it, but I do like Hendrie on co-comms

Seems to be fairly knowledgeable about us, probably because his son is a fan!

Yep fair play to Lee . His son supports us and he obviously didn't try to change that.

 

[WolfLing]

Also, not to go over old ground with respect to the OP, not least as @StefanWolves opening post put it perfectly, but it should be possible to praise Jacqui Oatley for being the excellent commentator and presenter she is without having to compare here to every woman in football that's gone before. Women can be brilliant at a job thousands of people across the world have been doing for decades, what a revelation......

And it should also be OK to say why maybe you don't like her commentary, if those reasons aren't anything to do with her given sex.

As brilliant as women can be, for balance and equality purposes, it's maybe also worth pointing out that much like their male counterparts, they can also be awful.

 

[TheConcourse]

She was pretty good tbf. Jobs should never be given out based on characteristics - that’s a real slippery slope.

But Jacqui is polished, very confident and knowledgable. She deserves the gig.

It’s a very competitive world. We really shouldn’t downplay the efforts for a woman to make it that far in a male-dominated industry.

Then again, it’s a very competitive industry, and we shouldn’t downplay the efforts of men making it to the top either.

 

[WasStefan]

And it should also be OK to say why maybe you don't like her commentary, if those reasons aren't anything to do with her given sex.

As brilliant as women can be, for balance and equality purposes, it's maybe also worth pointing out that much like their male counterparts, they can also be awful.

Absolutely agree with this. But the opening post of the thread was patronising beyond belief in my opinion, which is why I responded how i did!

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Absolutely. Almost no male commentators are there on merit, just there based on who they played for.

Most (not all) of the best commentators in history never played the game professionally.

You need both tbf
A commentator that can actually talk you through the game without sending you to sleep, or aggravating you endlessly
Plus you need an ex pro that actually knows the game and can be objective with his summaries,something Shearer has learned over the years to be good at
Most footballers arent good talkers,its not their trade to be so,some are introverts some are extroverts,i mean you couldnt see Kane taking up TV commentary could you? Someone will try though lol

 

[ombyman]

The guy on talk sport made the revelation that Kilman can play for ukraine or england (if only he knew the full story....Russia....england futsal block)

And danny mills seized every opportunity to say how hard he was as a player...'in my day I talked scalp high', 'that's not an injury, he still has another leg' etc

 

[WolfLing]

You need both tbf
A commentator that can actually talk you through the game without sending you to sleep, or aggravating you endlessly
Plus you need an ex pro that actually knows the game and can be objective with his summaries,something Shearer has learned over the years to be good at
Most footballers arent good talkers,its not their trade to be so,some are introverts some are extroverts,i mean you couldnt see Kane taking up TV commentary could you? Someone will try though lol

Yeah, agree that having both bouncing off each other works very well. McCoist and Tyldesley being a good example.

Kane commentating would cause all sorts of health and safety issues with the amount of saliva it would generate.

 

[steve vena]

Many of us from a certain generation will remember the magnificent Richie Benaud when on commentary.He would often go minutes without saying anything and having read his Autobiography he said he was taught to say what he could see and not what he thought the viewer wanted to hear.
Cramming in endless stats and facts are irrelevant to most fans because in the main it is hot air that goes in one ear and out the other and is often forgotten in an instant ,

The classic....." The bowlers Holding the batsmans Willey" .
Proper legend.

 

[Jonzy54]

Absolutely. Almost no male commentators are there on merit, just there based on who they played for.

Most (not all) of the best commentators in history never played the game professionally.

I like Rob Hawthorne on Sky .I remember he used to be on Beacon Radio aged about 14 summarising the previous day’s games .He was knowledgeable and it was obvious he would find a career in the media as he has subsequently done moving up from Local radio, National radio and ultimately SkySports
I don’t mind those that have done it the hard way as opposed to being parachuted in on their name alone .

 

[JR WAS KING]

Are there any other subjects you avoid listening to women talk about?

Doing jobs in the garden, doing jobs around the house, going shopping.

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

For those that somehow hate female commentators i have news for you
The next decade or so will be filled with ex Lionesses that will be pundits or commentators lol
To be fair several are already looking and sounding the part

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

There's a bit of confusion between co-commentators (who are supposed to provide expert comment, understanding the tactics more etc) and commentators, who are supposed to describe the action. One problem for me is comentators endlessly stating the obvious to a TV viewer. There are plenty of co-commentators who don't do their job properly, that's why people with a direct interest in the club tend to be better, so many of the common ones just rely on clichés, or worse tend to make jokes to cover not having anything useful to comment on.

 

[WolfLing]

For those that somehow hate female commentators i have news for you
The next decade or so will be filled with ex Lionesses that will be pundits or commentators lol
To be fair several are already looking and sounding the part

Having seen Jill Scott on I'm a Celebrity, she has all the attributes to be excellent in any media role.

 

[Jonzy54]

The classic....." The bowlers Holding the batsmans Willey" .
Proper legend.

Unfortunately over the years we have lost many legendary commentators and replaced them with reporters many of who sound very much the same .
We have lost the likes of Barry Davies,Brian Moore,Dave Lanning ,Richie Benaud.,Bill McClaren,David Vine,Dan Maskell,Harry Carpenter ,Peter Allis ,Ron Pickering and Peter’OSulliivan amongst others

 

[Sketchead]

I mean, she was decent, but you're only being so positive because she's a Wolves fan. Her bias was incredible, she spent the whole game talking about individual Wolves players, their previous games, club results from this season and the one before.

Barely mentioned Villa.

Didn't mind it but, if you were listening to a Villa commentator with exactly the same delivery in their favour, you'd be going mad.

Not sure why her being a female needs bringing up. It's 2023.

 

[Jonzy54]

Emma Hayes the Chelsea manager knows her stuff unlike many of her male counterparts who act as co-commentators

 

[Gedwolf]

Any argument that female commentators and pundits are not there on merit falls completely flat ........ Historically, and to a large extent still today, female and non-white contributors of all genders usually have to be better than their counterparts to even get a look in.

Well Clinton Morrison, Rio Ferdinand and Alex Scott blow that argument out of the water.

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

Absolutely agree with this. But the opening post of the thread was patronising beyond belief in my opinion, which is why I responded how i did!

That's your view, not fact. You read it as patronising, I didn't write it so.

For the record, I started by confessing that due to my experience, age, in built prejudices (with a small "p" before you jump on that word in particular an use it as a stick - we all have them by the way, I also don't like fish and won't try fish no matter what people tell me), I haven't been keen on women commentators (note I didn't say pundits).

I also stated that there are male commentators I'm not fond of as well.

My comments on Jacqui were not in comparison to other female commentators. rather to other commentators.

What I liked about her commentary was the way she actually showed she knew about this match, the teams, clubs, fans and locality, for a change, being a Wolves fan it was a refreshing change as was her style.

But you haven't bothered to ask about that and what your response has done is to take this thread away from the quality and merits of her commentary to a conversation of acceptance of women's commentators in the modern world by us old luddites. The irony of which shows how patronising and narrow-minded you can be.

Such a shame that the thread has gone this way

 

[WasStefan]

That's your view, not fact. You read it as patronising, I didn't write it so.

For the record, I started by confessing that due to my experience, age, in built prejudices (with a small "p" before you jump on that word in particular an use it as a stick - we all have them by the way, I also don't like fish and won't try fish no matter what people tell me), I haven't been keen on women commentators (note I didn't say pundits).

I also stated that there are male commentators I'm not fond of as well.

My comments on Jacqui were not in comparison to other female commentators. rather to other commentators.

What I liked about her commentary was the way she actually showed she knew about this match, the teams, clubs, fans and locality, for a change, being a Wolves fan it was a refreshing change as was her style.

But you haven't bothered to ask about that and what your response has done is to take this thread away from the quality and merits of her commentary to a conversation of acceptance of women's commentators in the modern world by us old luddites. The irony of which shows how patronising and narrow-minded you can be.

Such a shame that the thread has gone this way

What do you want, tea and sympathy? i said it’s not against you personally it’s more the generation you were brought up in.

I don’t think you intended the OP to be patronising but that’s the way it came across.

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Having seen Jill Scott on I'm a Celebrity, she has all the attributes to be excellent in any media role.

Leah Williamson is another that would drop in now plus a couple more

 

[Shergar]

That's your view, not fact. You read it as patronising, I didn't write it so.

For the record, I started by confessing that due to my experience, age, in built prejudices (with a small "p" before you jump on that word in particular an use it as a stick - we all have them by the way, I also don't like fish and won't try fish no matter what people tell me), I haven't been keen on women commentators (note I didn't say pundits).

I also stated that there are male commentators I'm not fond of as well.

My comments on Jacqui were not in comparison to other female commentators. rather to other commentators.

What I liked about her commentary was the way she actually showed she knew about this match, the teams, clubs, fans and locality, for a change, being a Wolves fan it was a refreshing change as was her style.

But you haven't bothered to ask about that and what your response has done is to take this thread away from the quality and merits of her commentary to a conversation of acceptance of women's commentators in the modern world by us old luddites. The irony of which shows how patronising and narrow-minded you can be.

Such a shame that the thread has gone this way

You can should know by now which posters are waiting to pounce and hissy fit over trendy issues.

 

[Bradstonian]

The worst commentator around for talking too much, droning on and on, is Martin Tyler. He doesn't stop. It distracts from the game and makes me want to saw my head off. He could learn from Rob Hawthorne, who by complete contrast is one of the best.

 

[WasStefan]

You can should know by now which posters are waiting to pounce and hissy fit over trendy issues.

Trendy issues?

Spoken like a true dinosaur.

This thread is going to go a similar way to the ‘how did these poor African people afford tickets for world cup games’ thread that was on here a few weeks back.

And it’s absolutely deserved.

 

[Wolf616]

If you are smart enough to realise that something is a prejudice then you should also be smart enough to realise that starting a thread framed in this way was gonna be poorly received. Why not just start a thread about how great Jacqui Oatley is and not even bring gender into it? What does saying "I hate women normally but this one's alright" actually add to the discussion?

Anyway otherwise I agree, thought she did a great job on the commentary last night - minus a couple of strange things she said "RAN great touch!" as the ball bounces 10 yards off his toe into Emi Martinez' grateful mitts

 

[Shergar]

Trendy issues?

Spoken like a true dinosaur.

This thread is going to go a similar way to the ‘how did these poor African people afford tickets for world cup games’ thread that was on here a few weeks back.

And it’s absolutely deserved.

Steve, you’re far far too angry. I never read the thread that you mention but you bring it up, why? Congrats if you get another thread closed.

 

[Aimless Balls]

I synced up Mikey when I heard who was on comms. I do that a lot, why settle. Mikey’s great. I think JO’s quite poor, my least favourite. But I think you can believe she does a poor job without being called sexist- no one seems to care when male comms and pundits get torn to pieces all day every day, I sure don’t, so if you’re leaping to the defence of a woman but not them then you may be an idiot posing as a hero.

 

[Adrian_Monk]

I can't stand her, not because she's female, but because she's Jacqui Oatley.

At least she didn't spend last night slagging us off the entire game or being Sellars' mouthpiece.

Could you imagine her and Don Goodman? Think I'd want to slit my wrists by half time, even if we were miraculously in a 3-0 lead

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

I don't know if it's the same person as on my stream (Fubo), but I found her totally annoying, equally was the guy with the Midlands accent also commentating.
A pair of vile echo chambers IMO.

 

[Aimless Balls]

I don't know if it's the same person as on my stream (Fubo), but I found her totally annoying, equally was the guy with the Midlands accent also commentating.
A pair of vile echo chambers IMO.

Yep that’s her.

 

[Matt]

Really like Jacqui and miss the podcast with Spiers.

 

[Wolf79]

That's your view, not fact. You read it as patronising, I didn't write it so.

For the record, I started by confessing that due to my experience, age, in built prejudices (with a small "p" before you jump on that word in particular an use it as a stick - we all have them by the way, I also don't like fish and won't try fish no matter what people tell me), I haven't been keen on women commentators (note I didn't say pundits).

I also stated that there are male commentators I'm not fond of as well.

My comments on Jacqui were not in comparison to other female commentators. rather to other commentators.

What I liked about her commentary was the way she actually showed she knew about this match, the teams, clubs, fans and locality, for a change, being a Wolves fan it was a refreshing change as was her style.

But you haven't bothered to ask about that and what your response has done is to take this thread away from the quality and merits of her commentary to a conversation of acceptance of women's commentators in the modern world by us old luddites. The irony of which shows how patronising and narrow-minded you can be.

Such a shame that the thread has gone this way

Don’t see a problem with your OP, some people just to over sensitive.

 

[WasStefan]

Really like Jacqui and miss the podcast with Spiers.

I miss the podcast with Judah. Judah isn’t great but is likeable, with Spiers being the knowledgable Wolves fan

 

[Aimless Balls]

Really like Jacqui and miss the podcast with Spiers.

I liked the pod.

 

[Matt]

I miss the podcast with Judah. Judah isn’t great but is likeable, with Spiers being the knowledgable Wolves fan

Yeah I like Judah. Him and Liam are good too I think.

 

[Mark Rankines Lovechild]

Keeping it on topic, Jacqui is an all round tremendous presenter, I am surprised that her skills aren't utilised more. I didn't realise how good Jacqui Oatley was until she was the lead compare at one of Wolves end of season dinners and it made me realise how amateurish the end of seasons dinners had been in the past.