Time for a Change - join the petition!

[frodo]

I like Phil and Paul. Yes they can be repetitive a times but seriously they have hours of commentary to fill in when nothing is really happening.

I like Matthew Keenans knowledge etc but he has a boring mono tone voice , he would need someone with him to "liven it up"

To me Phil and Paul are the voice of cycling. Like Murray walker was for FI,

[Baldy]

I like what Keenan has to say. But the way he says it annoys me no end. He is not monotone, I bloody wish he was! Its the upward infliction at the end of every second sentence that gets me. I say every second sentence because its in the middle of the every other one.

He cant talk that way in general conversation can he? Anyone spoken to him in person?

Its like he has a formulae for commentating and sticks to it no matter what the subject happens to be.

There is one positive, he is so bland and predictable its very easy to tune him out.

[open roader]

Why change when nothing is broken......

Viva Sherwin

Viva Liggett

Long may I hear their dulcet tones as I sit up late mid winter watching SBS.

Much like Julian Ryder and Denis Noyes were with world Superbike Championship commentary - British and the best at it...........

(also like Mike Tomalaris as a pre race host)

[Parrott]

There is no need to import talent onto Australian TV when when have more than capable people here ready and willing to perform the role themselves

Be VERY careful what you wish for. I am forever scarred by Big Darryl Eastlakes commentary of 500cc moto GPs.

How the hell Barry Sheene managed to avoid strangling him I will never know.
It is only the barely restrained frustration that was evident in Sheene's voice that made it watchable with the sound still on.

Be very hopeful C9 do not poach the TDF off SBS also and inflict some bogan Aussie commentary on us.

Start praying now, I know I am.

[Mulger bill]

NGH. Phil IS the voice of road racing.

[silentbutdeadly]

I don't support this. The TdF is quite frankly highly entertaining theatre that combines an idiotic sport with an enthusuastically quixotic set of countries which then is subject to a travelogue commentry that makes the call of horse racing sound like an episode of Four Corners. Without all these little moments it wouldn't be as half as entertaining as it is. Worse...we might actually start taking it seriously. That would be bad.

[gorilla monsoon]

Phil and Paul are fine by me, too, but what I want to see is more technical stuff.

Show things like new helmet designs and oval chain rings and explain them. Last night they talked of a new Trek aero rear brake design but without images it was hard to picture it.

Have some telematry happening so we can see what speeds they are doing, cadence rates, when they are braking and for how long, lean angles, incline and decline angles, topgraphy maps with an overlay of just where the breakaway and the peleton are. How about helmet cams fitted to a few of the riders?

There is a lot of stuff we are just not getting and I think it would be great for the sport. Cycle racing needs to catch up to other sports in this regard.

Petition SBS for something worthwhile, not something as meaningless as a change in the (very good) commentary team.

[HAKS]

If it ain't broke don't fix it!

If SBS were to get their own commentary team it would only take $$$ away from their other cycling programs. Phil, Paul & Matt all do a fine job by me so I would rather SBS concentrate on other worthwhile business (cycling) positions e.g. getting back the TDU coverage.

[Mulger bill]

Phil and Paul are fine by me, too, but what I want to see is more technical stuff.

Show things like new helmet designs and oval chain rings and explain them. Last night they talked of a new Trek aero rear brake design but without images it was hard to picture it.

Have some telematry happening so we can see what speeds they are doing, cadence rates, when they are braking and for how long, lean angles, incline and decline angles, topgraphy maps with an overlay of just where the breakaway and the peleton are. How about helmet cams fitted to a few of the riders?

There is a lot of stuff we are just not getting and I think it would be great for the sport. Cycle racing needs to catch up to other sports in this regard.

Petition SBS for something worthwhile, not something as meaningless as a change in the (very good) commentary team.

Damn that's brilliant!

Where's that plurry "like" button gone?

[norbs]

Phil and Paul are fine by me, too, but what I want to see is more technical stuff.

Show things like new helmet designs and oval chain rings and explain them. Last night they talked of a new Trek aero rear brake design but without images it was hard to picture it.

Have some telematry happening so we can see what speeds they are doing, cadence rates, when they are braking and for how long, lean angles, incline and decline angles, topgraphy maps with an overlay of just where the breakaway and the peleton are. How about helmet cams fitted to a few of the riders?

There is a lot of stuff we are just not getting and I think it would be great for the sport. Cycle racing needs to catch up to other sports in this regard.

Petition SBS for something worthwhile, not something as meaningless as a change in the (very good) commentary team.

Hang on a sec...

http://cycling.norbtech.com/2012/07/phi ... e-move-on/

[beauyboy]

This bit I love

Why do we need outside commentators, who fill each nights commentary with inaccuracies, imperial measurements (who cares if the bunch are travelling at 31 miles an hour and have 16 miles to go to the finish), and fluff

It's not the commentators fault just because some are incompetent of doing a simple conversation of imperial to metric. I was born in 1985 and can easily convert imperial to metric
1.6km = 1 mile
1m = 1 yard approx
etc etc

Donald

[CommuRider]

Last night Keenan was commenting as the copter passed St Valery. Did he talk about the town? Nope.

It is this lack of historical knowledge that would peeve me off if he took over P&P.

St Valery was the location of a horrific tragedy during WW2 when Scottish troops were left at after the fall of Dunkirk. A sombre song was composed after it.

The lack of knowledge by Keenan over these towns along the Normandy coast is what would bother me. Saw some WW2 bunkers and Keenan did not even mention them.

The places on the tour are richly full of history. Leave it to two knowledgeable Europeans who actually are interested in the places the tour passes by...maybe when Cadel is in his dotage he would make a good commentator as he lives in Euroland but the spectre of a stereotypically brutish ignorant Aussie commentator who couldn't be bothered learning history at school and where 'Australian culture is yoghurt' to be the TdF commentator would make me even subscribe to Eurosport.

Unless Keenan decides to study France, learn French and can translate some of the signs from the townsfolk, then he would be akin to that C9 commentator brought from rugby union/league to chat about the TdU.

Other sports have enough dumbed down talking heads. Can't I enjoy and derive some pleasure from being exposed to some culture from TDF?

PS The Benedictine liquer from Fecamp last night admired by P&P also means I am increasing my knowledge about different types of alcohol during the tour as well. So Keenan can go pi$$ off and talk about VB at an Irish pub in Marseille.

[Tim]

So Keenan can go pi$$ off and talk about VB at an Irish pub in Marseille.

Their's enuff igorant ozzies abrord allredy and on telly. Oy,Oy,Oy.

[HAKS]

Do people not realise all the facts they rabbit on about come from the organisers. Therefore if they don't talk about something its not necessarily because they don't know about it or are not interested, but more so cause they were not instructed by the organisers to do so. And obviously the same works in reverse where they rabbit on about something no one cares about. It's because the organisers are telling them too.

[CommuRider]

Yes, and Phil Sherwen's passable French and badly spoken Spatalian was also scripted by the organisers.

You cannot mask genuine interest and enthusiasm in describing the places the Tour passes by. Keenan had neither last night. The ignorant, culturally-bankrupt, monolingual Aussie on show.

[Patches]

Keenan would be better if he had someone to talk to, but as is he's not a patch on Liggett and Sherwin.

[HAKS]

You cannot mask genuine interest and enthusiasm in describing the places the Tour passes by. Keenan had neither last night. The ignorant, culturally-bankrupt, monolingual Aussie on show.

Then away you go, fire off a letter to ASO saying you are willing to replace him and do a better job

[jules21]

i love it the way it is. phil and paul, matt as well, and gabriel gate who grew up watching the Tour pass his house.

[Mrfenejeans]

Perhaps, now this may be being facetious but why not also start a petition to have the Tour De France held here in Australia with only Australians, Why the hell should we turn our Australian Televisions on and have to suffer watching endless hours of predominantly European riders travel the French country side.



Personally i get a great sense of relief when the commentary swaps over to Sherwen and Ligget, i love there style of commentary.

[roller]

i'm in france at the moment and have spent the last week watching the tour de france in french (i don't speak french)

it makes almost no difference to my enjoyment levels, infact i'm beginning to prefer it over english commentary.

on the subject of phil&paul, i would much rather have the eurosport guys, they seem to be a bit more accurate, when it gets down to the sprint they're not dithering around throwing names out there hoping they'll cross the line first.


i wish richie benaud would have a go at cycling.

[Shred931]

Blasphemy....

[DavidTomic]

i wish richie benaud would have a go at cycling.

I'm not sure that his knowledge of French châteaus would be quite up to standard?!?

(Yes ... I know that the Phil's are just reading straight from bits of paper ...)

[singlespeedscott]

Stick with what we got. Even Gabriel (combines my two interests of life food and cycling). Matt could definitely do with an offsides though. Also I agree with another post about having some more live info and some race tech.

As long as Paul and Phil aren't given a bloody magic screen pen like the channel 9 commentary team.

[Mulger bill]

As long as Paul and Phil aren't given a bloody magic screen pen like the channel 9 commentary team.

Sorry but it happened. Arrows and a focus balloon pointing out a prang

[jimsheedy]

Perhaps, now this may be being facetious but why not also start a petition to have the Tour De France held here in Australia with only Australian, Why the hell should we turn our Australian Televisions on and have to suffer watching endless hours of predominantly European riders travel the French country side.

I agree. Its down right un Australian.

We should have Ray Hadley and Alan Jones commentating with expert updates from tony Abbott. Gina Rinehart can do the cooking segment. Each night a different recipe for cooking refuge...oops Illegal immigrants.