- 25 Jun 08, 03:05 PM
Vienna
So, just three games to go, of which we have two live - tonight's semi between Germany and Turkey followed by Sunday's final - while ITV have one - tomorrow's semi between Spain and Russia.
This is my 10th major football tournament working in some capacity for the BBC and I think the standard of football is possibly the highest it's been in any of them.
The first tournament I worked on was Italia 90, as a junior assistant producer in London. While the English, in particular, remember the tournament fondly for Gazza and the two epic knockout games with Cameroon and Germany, it wasn't actually that great a football spectacle.
A far from vintage Argentina side somehow reached the final while most of the knockout games in particular were cagey and sterile. And, to be honest, for all that's written and said about modern footballers, there was far more cynicism and gamesmanhip on show in 1990 than there has been so far at this tournament.
Here in 2008, pretty much all the sides who've done well have done so by attacking. The Arshavin-inspired Russian displays against Sweden and the Dutch were the antithesis of how tournament football often used to be played.
Having entertained in their group, perhaps understandably, Italy opted to try to neutralise the Spanish threat and hit on the break, and an injury- and supension-ravaged Turkish side will almost certainly be forced to take a cautious approach tonight against Germany, but positive football has generally won the day.
The other thing which has changed beyond recognition since 1990 is the way football is covered. Then, as now, we're in the hands of a host broadcaster.
There are occasional moments when they wrongfoot our commentators by cutting away from the action, or running in an unexpected replay, but the number of fantastic close-ups and spectacular angles used for replays is a godsend to the guys and girls making montages in our videotape area.
In particular, the "spidercam", which has been operated remotely on wires above the pitch at this tournament, has provided some extraordinary images. We've generally not been keen on it being used in match coverage, but for replays and montages it can be stunning. The "spidercam" coverage of Wesley Sneijder's breakaway goal against Italy was so good we actually ran it in full at the end of our highlights show that night.
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Back in 1990, the host coverage, while seen as progressive for the times, was often covered in permanent captions, and technology had not evolved sufficiently to allow close-ups and replays of anything like the current quality.
I remember being asked to make a music item reviewing Paul Gascoigne's tournament which ran at half-time in the play-off for third place. At the time, we were pleased with it and it was reasonably well received, but when someone dug it out of the archives recently, it looked almost ludicrously old-fashioned.
Such isolated action and close-ups as there were largely came from the dedicated single camera the BBC was allowed to put amongst the stills photographers behind the goal at England games. The famous moment a tearful Gazza was booked against Germany in the semi was too far away for our dedicated camera to pick up properly, so then, and for ever more, we had to use the host images, which had captions over them.
These days, as I've mentioned before, every angle imaginable comes into the International Broadcast Centre in beautiful High Definition. A much higher level of ambition and creativity is consequently required - and achieved - by the current generation of producers and videotape editors.
To be honest, the montages of today knock spots off anything we were producing back in Italia 90, and veterans like me can only look on in admiration and be thankful that we've moved on to overseeing, rather than crafting, those items.
As in football itself, if anyone of a certain vintage in TV sport claims that things were much better in their day, they're probably deluding themselves!
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The best part of the TV coverage of Euro 08 has been the main camera's wide shot of the playing field so we can see what's happening off the ball. We get to see players making runs, chasing back etc. all off-the-ball stuff. It's great. Too many UK TV directors shoot close-ups of players on the ball so we've no clue which other players on the pitch are open or not. Hopefully, MOTD TV directors can learn from their Euro counterparts.
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Coverage has improved beyond all recognition since the 90 World Cup, and I am old enough to remember as far back as the 74 WC. My concern is that while pictures are of a better quality, and generally of a better standard, although not always (there is a current facination with managers, subs and the crowd whilst the game is in play), the listening public are being short-changed. The standard of commentary is nothing short of woeful, certain co-commentators sound as if being there is the last thing they want to be doing, and the non stop boring facts about the players is tedious to say the least. Interactive lets us choose between BBC TV and 5-Live, i'd rather have the option to have crowd noise only, ie NO COMMENTARY.
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Too bad the pundits and comentators haven't evolved, their lack of knowledge and use of sterotypes is diguisting. ITV and BCC have been very poor, Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer have been the worst offenders in terms of pundits, as has Harry Redknapp. They are completely belittling of most foreign nations and seem to forget than when they compare them to Englang they look like idiots as England aren't anywhere near the competition. John Motson, Mark Lawerensen, Clive Tynesly, and most of all David Pleat have been outstandingly bad. The constant wrong pronounciation's are so unbelievingly irratating, while they also continously bad-mouth the games and the non-stop mentioning of England. They don't even know who half the players are! So, no football coverage HASN'T evolving, because the personalities are ignorant and quite frankly pathetic!
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I don't mind Motson and Lawrenson when they're not together. ITV make all sport unwatchable anyway so I listen to 5 live. David Pleat is something else though, the man is deluded and I can't see how he ever managed a football team. The best commentators though between BBC and ITV are Steve Wilson and the guy who used to do Robot Wars - Pierce is it?
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I completely agree that TV coverage of Euro 2008 has been stunning, especially the ultra slo-mo shots.
But, yes, certain commentators have been very bad. The amount of times David Pleat called the Czechs 'Czechoslovakia' was outrageous. Is he going to call Germany 'Prussia' when they run out tonight? John Motson was equally bad during the Spain - Italy game, mistaking Villa for Silva at least 10 times.
But, the worst by far has been Mark Lawrenson . Yes, Croatia vs Turkey and Spain vs Italy were dull games but his constant moaning about it just made it all the worse. If he hates being at European Championsip quarter finals so much I will gladly take his place- no matter how bad the games are!
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The best commentator living today is a guy who works for Clyde 1 radio in glasgow. If you go onto youtube and type his name along with scotland france you will understand, he gets the blood going and to do that over the radio to great effect is difficult. Also i agree that english pundits are too stuck on their own country that it becomes almost arrogant, i think they have a right to love there country but when they compare everyone else to an england side that isnt their is plain stupidity.
Never will the BBC Accomodate properly for the scottish people.
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forgot to say that commentators name from clyde 1 the guys name is Peter Martin
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there are no pundits (experts)on bbc, all i have seen is a few guys talking about the games on tv, pointing the obvious and moan.
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When did the bbc tv coverage evolve? Still has john motson, no new commentators really.
Camera wise we have the slow mo, but still very slow on showing replays when nothing is happening and virtually no stats.
Hasnt evolved at all really.
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I personally like david pleat, he is funny with his mistakes and someone has complained about it, yet you have made a mistake yourself because he said "republic of czechslovakia"
So youve made a mistake yourself, will you now "hate" yourself?
Pleat is funny.
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Commentators aren't there to be funny. They're there to make a knowledge and informed analysis of the game, with a preferably unbiased approach. They should research the culture and history of the country and provided a reasonable amount of tactical analyisis and stats. They commentators at Euro 2008 have done none of this and have constantly complained and moaned about the competition, and always referring to a non-competitor, England. I even doubt it the pundits or comentators do any reseach for the matches they are so vastly paid for. At least they could pronounce the player names correctly. Quite frankly they are a DIAGRACE!
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Hey Paul, funny that you should put a blog on about how TV Coverage has evolved when the Germany-Turkey match broke during play.
I know that the BBC was not at any fault in what happened but the BBC were good in getting R5L on so we could hear and then see(Thanks Swiss!)
Can you find out why there wasnt a back-up IBC in Zurich, Paul?
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#12
Uefa have just released a statement which doesn't tell us much other than they are investigating what happened here at the IBC. If it's any consolation - and it may not be - lots of television stations around the world were affected, not just the BBC. There were lots of angry people from Italy, Russia, Japan etc running around trying to fix things and demanding answers. I'm sure when we get a clearer understandig of what happened, we'll let you know.
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I don't know about the BBC but here in Canada we had only one commentator per game - John Helm, and host of others, and it was wonderful because they didn't fill the air with crap - just gave us the game!
This is all in contrast to having to listen to the US TV of American football (fake rugby as someone called it) crap of 3 talking heads trying to say something intelligent and filling every second with sound. ESPN is as bad when it comes to their football (soccer) coverage.
The British guys carried on the networks here was a breath of fresh air when it came to football broadcasts.
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Overall the coverage of Euro 2008 has been pretty good, the only grumble I would make is about John Motson, who used to be excellent but is a pail shadow of his former self.
Hes constantly getting players names wrong and getting things mixed up, so much so that I have been using 5live commentary for BBC broadcasts.
Its a shame but I feel its time for Motty to retire!
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I agree with Paul on the great improvements in the technology and would like some aspects to help and augment (no replace) decision taking by the referee. It would be a shame if a great tournament was won by default, when the technology is now available instantly to ensure fairness. I add my agreement to the comments about presentation. It has not kept pace with other developments. I think some of us are tired of the 'personality' presenter. For sheer miserableness Lawrenson takes some beating. Gary Lineker should be told he is not funny, so don't try to be. Thankfully I can now 5Live the commentary when Lawro drops the mood.
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The networks should negotiate better deals with UEFA to avoid or hold them better liable for power shortages as happened during GER-TUR. UEFA amateurs have made a fortune with Euro 08. I hope that claims against them for the power shortages are highly successful. German networks are pursuing them, since they were forced completely rely on UEFA pictures and transmission systems this time for the first time...and that showed.
Re 12: Switzerland was the only country allowed its own (fiberglass) transmission system by UEFA...therefore no blackouts there.
BR gfc
PS: Apologies for the playing style of Germany this year...this Voeller-like style makes me a sad. Hoping for consolation with the final!!
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