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Betfair Great Posts
jonjo 22 Dec 2007 21:04
Thought it might be fun to review the 'performance' of the select
band of people who get paid to spout sh!te at us all day long.....
For what it's worth, here are my thoughts on the main
protagonists.....
Lydia Hislop Rapidly earning
herself the title ‘The Punters Pal’ (unlike Mr Duval who just
seemed to invent the moniker for himself?) Lydia is not afraid to
ask awkward questions & take an objective view of those who make
a living from the industry. In 2008 I would like to see more of the
same, plus a few articles on nepotism in racing & something
around racing insiders continued support of serial miscreants. She
is one of the few people capable of tackling these subjects (rating:
9/10)
Richard Hoiles Always comes
across as well briefed (studies hard?) & affable. Really good
race caller & always raises interesting/pertinent points. Would
prefer it personally, if sometimes he were a little less ‘affable’
& really got stuck into a few people in racing (& a few
forumites) Overall a pleasing 2007 from Mr Hoiles (rating : 8/10)
Steve Mellish ‘Hellish’
Mellish has done himself no harm with his performances this year, in
fact I would say he has probably enhanced his reputation on here.
Still wants to get to the end of a sentence before he’s started
it, but those who aren’t put off by that can glean a few gems from
him during the course of an afternoon. Usually tells it as he sees
it imo (rating 8/10)
Eddie Fremantle Eddie comes
across as extremely knowledgeable about his subject (as you would
expect a PROPUNTER to) He has some interesting thoughts/angles on
races & often shows a quite acerbic sense of humour. Sometimes
get the impression he keeps a little in reserve though & would
like to see him really get stuck into a few ‘performances/performers’
(rating 7/10)
James Willoughby Bit like
Marmite this lad, you either love him or hate him. Personally I
think his presence enhances the coverage on RUK, despite his
tendency to want to overcomplicate the most straightforward of
races. Does not criticise performers enough, everyone is either ’shrewd’
or ’masters of their profession’ Surely James there are one or
two people in the game that you don’t think are all that much cop?
(rating 6.5/10)
Sam Turner Shrewd enough form
judge, comes across as likeable on the telly. Get the impression he
does not always let fly when he might & would like to see him
loosen up a bit. Promising, but room for improvement in 2008 (rating
6/10)
Simon Holt ‘Languid’
remains near the top of the tree amongst race callers for me.
Usually unerringly accurate & does what it says on the tin
(rating 8.5/10)
Jim McGrath (channel4) Not a
good year for ‘Jimbo’ who has looked increasingly ‘jaded’
with the Channel4 ‘circus’ approach to covering racing. Still
makes pertinent points on occasion, but despite being as
knowledgeable as anyone in the game he gives the impression a change
of ‘stable’ would revitalise his performances as a pundit,
perhaps to somewhere like RUK where the subject matter would allow
him extra gravitas? (rating: 6.5/10)
Peter Harris Laid back member
of the WELSH contingent in racing & constant thorn in the side
of those on here who don’t like him. I like him myself & would
like to see more of his ‘sideways view’ of the sport on RUK. Not
a great ‘form’ analyst, but light relief pundits are in short
supply on the telly, especially ones with a rich line in sarcasm
& wit (rating: 7/10)
Gareth O'Brien Serious
workhorse on ATR’s Irish Coverage, always professional &
appears very personable. Does exactly what he is paid to do without
any airs/graces (rating 8.5/10)
Matt Chapman Matt’s a good
lad, make no mistake about that. If the producers didn’t want the
‘yeee has’ etc he would not be doing them. Fights the corner of
punters unless the Dazzler has ridden his usual stinker & his
enthusiasm for the sport shines through, even on stinking Mondays
from Folkestone (rating: 7.5/10)
Dave Nevison Likeable pundit,
puts in the work/miles. Overplays the PROPUNTER angle imo which
automatically has people asking why he needs to earn by appearing on
the telly… Usually worth listening to & wears his heart on his
sleeve to the extent that you know when he’s had a stinker of a
day (rating 6.5/10)
Lorna Bradbourne Infrequent
ATR ‘token bird’ who is slightly better than the average for
this genre. Not a great orator or form judge. Doubt she’d be
missed if she ‘retired’ from pundity (rating: a token 3/10)
Ian Bartlett Capable of much
better than he shows now he is handcuffed to the lamentable BBC
coverage of racing. Could be a useful solo analyst, but suffers from
working with Cochrane & as a result I get the impression he’s
always hanging fire on the objective criticism. Should be given the
role of senior racing presenter at the Beeb (rating 6/10)
John Francome Very lazy
pundit/paddock judge. Never seems to have researched his subject
formwise & his paddock thoughts appear to be limited to spotting
the biggest horse in the field & saying ‘that ones got
improvement in it’ Very poor & capable of much better. (rating
4.5/10)
Tanya Stephenson Hard grafter
& enthusiastic about her subject matter. Would be more ‘objective’
away from Channel4 imo where the influence of McRirick et al can
only be a negative (rating 5.5/10)
TOM LEE ‘Journeyman’
presenter/betting analyst who pops up when Tanya is not at work.
Pleasant enough but seems terrified to say anything that will bring
about ‘debate’? (rating 4/10)
Lee Mottershead Occasionally
appears on ATR as a ‘presenter/link man’ to supplement his
earnings as the chief ‘love letter writer’ for the Racing Post.
Lee is quite frankly the sort of ‘enthusiast’ who sets my teeth
on edge, seeing (or lacking the bottle to say what he really sees?)
nothing wrong in this institutionally korrupt sport. He would not be
missed if he made no further contribution with pen or voice (rating
3/10)
Alistair Down One time
capable writer, now marking time trotting out cliches till the
pension kicks in. Some poor efforts on the Morning Line recently
which ought to have told the producers what we have been saying for
five years (rating 4.5/10)
Peter Scudamore Good analyst,
but dreadful orator. Walter Swinburn was similar & he had the
sense to bail out. Scu doesn’t seem to get on all that well with
his co-paddock man Richard Pitman so deserves some kudos for that at
least (rating 5/10)
Matt Doyle Always get the
impression Matt enjoys it a little too much when they are referring
to him as ‘the pharaoh of the formbook’ etc & his monotone
voice doesn’t really for it for me. Fair enough grasp of the
sport/form, but another one that seems too keen on HIS image for my
liking (rating 5.5/10)
Jason Weaver This lad has
improved a lot & continues to do so. Hardly likeable as a
jockey, he comes across differently on the telly & is not afraid
to call a bad ride a bad ride. Poor grasp of betting (unusual for a
jockey) but those who can judge if his selections offer true value
wont worry about this (rating 7/10)
Bob Cooper Poor old Bob has
fallen into the trap of believing all the ‘Sir Bob’ cr@p posted
on here over the years & is sadly now becoming a parody of
himself when he appears on telly. The joke has now worn thin I am
sorry to say (rating 4.5/10)
Ray Cochrane Stereotypical
ex-jockey. Brings nothing new/interesting to the table & is
there purely for the fee imo Another who would not be missed (rating
4/10)
Claire Balding Very full of
her own importance since she attained the mantle of ‘senior’
racing presenter. Seldom says anything of interest to anyone above
the age of five & is too much beholding to her BBC paymasters
who are broadening her career all the time, to do anything about the
shambolic BBC racing coverage. Key player in the dumbing down of BBC
coverage & that should be a damning indictment of her career in
racing broadcasting (rating 3/10)
Willie Carson Hopeless orator
totally unsuited to television. Unrivalled shambles of a performance
on Arc day & should have been ‘let go’ a long time ago. Can
only think he retains his job due to several old grannies emailing
the BBC about ‘little willies’ (rating 2/10)
Richard Pitman Dreadful
orator, and full of his own self importance when ‘on air’ I am
told he’s a lovely fellah when not on the telly, so he should be
given more chance to be that lovely fellah & taken off air
forthwith (rating 4/10)
Derek Thompson Hard to know
where to start with probably THE most nauseating man working in the
entire sport. False, rude, spivvy, etc, all these words readily
spring to mind when the viewer is confronted by ‘Thommo’ as he
cretinously refers to himself as…. I know no one who follows this
sport that has any liking or time for him either as a commentator,
presenter or god forbid, a pundit. His links to Talksport & his
tipping line are more minuses on a very moderate career which
illustrates that any sh!te can get on in racing if they smooch
enough buttocks (rating NA)
David Duggan Irish version of
Matt Doyle, bit of a spoofer who believes his own publicity.
Likeable enough but plays along with’Thommo’ too much on a
Sunday for my liking (rating 4.5/10)
Claude Duval Cliché-ridden
old has been, who actually 'never was'… How any show (that it’s
own producers actually watch) can employ this sickening dinosaur is
beyond belief. (rating 1/10 cos he’s not Thommo)
Zoe Bird Zoe made a good
start, looking interested & as though she wanted to learn about
the sport. However she has fallen down the easy living if you just
spout cliché’d drivel hole & will not be getting out. Her ‘tipping
line’ is the sickest of sick jokes that the racing media could
ever have played on the public (rating 2/10)
Alice Plunkett No empathy
with serious race goers/punters, Alice is there purely because it’s
a good fee & she’d rather by at some polo match or horse
trials. Brings NOTHING to any discussion on this sport ( rating
2/10)
Emma Ramsden Proves every
time she appears that nepotism is alive & well in racing, as
this expert ‘reader aloud’ of the Racing Post spotlight
continues to earn a tasty living while other, much more capable
people are sidelined. Doesn’t come across well & most people
realise if she knew something worthwhile, her dad would hear about
it before the viewers (rating 1/10)
Mike Cattermole Oil slick of
a man who never misses an opportunity to praise the executive of any
racecourse stupid enough (& there are plenty) to employ him as
in house race caller. His performance at the Ebor (including the big
race - Pevency as Purple Moon ffs) was lamentable. Way too smug for
what he has actually achieved (rating 3/10)
John McRirick High time he
was gone, simple as that. Shouting & arm waving are past their
sell by date now & the betting jungle is best left to Tanya for
all our sakes. It’s a myth he’s a punters pal because he backs
down whenever seriously confronted (rating 4/10)
Graham Goode Has never been
one of my favourite race callers & seems to be getting worse
& worse ever year. Comes over very smug as a pundit & really
ought not to be making a living doing what he does. It reflects
badly on the sport in general. (rating 3/10)
Jim McGrath (Aus) Was like a
breath of fresh air when he first came over in the mid eighties, now
he’s completely gone at the game & is just seeing how long
they will pay him for his cliches. The Aussie bias in the Ascot
sprint this year was particularly squalid (rating 3/10)
Alex Hammond Probably the ‘pick’
of the women employed by ATR but that is not saying much. Often
gives the impression she thinks that people actually take her ‘tips’
seriously & for that reason alone she loses marks for
intelligence (rating 3/10)
Johnathon Neesom Not a bad
lad at all this fellah, often taking a swipe at the sport or more
especially those running it. Would prefer him to look as though he
takes some things seriously on occasion, but overall a likeable tv
persona & a fair analyst (rating 7/10)
Graham Cunningham
Broadcasting career hit an all-time low when taken to task by Inside
Scoop for eating an ice cream on air in the summer but redeemed
himself admirably by challenging the same forumite to a fist fight
at Chester races. Can come across as a bit prickly, but takes his
racing seriously & doesn’t treat viewers/listeners like five
year olds. Overall a good year from him (rating 7.5/10)
Mark Howard Has books to
write & I sometimes think his punditry suffers on the back of
him not wanting to upset people he may one day rely on for quotes
for a book upcoming? Fair form judge & easy on the ear (rating
6.5/10)
Peter Naughton Flacid
broadcaster who brings nothing to the table other than sycophancy.
Poor interviewer & dreadful grasp of form. Supplements his
broadcasting ‘income’ with a dreadful piece in Raceform called
‘connections’ where he merely regurgitates a few quotes, as all
spoofers who don’t want to do the hard work will do.. (rating
3/10)
Tom O'Ryan Likeable enough
front man who tend to overdo the smiles to camera. Another ‘insider’
who gets excruciating stomach cramps that prevent him from being
critical of any racing ‘personality’ (rating 4.5/10)
Mark Johnson A very shouty
man who’s commentaries would benefit from being turned down to ‘eight’
occasionally as no one can listen with the dial on ‘ten’ all the
time (rating 5/10)
Stuart Machin Pure, pure
journeyman. Never going to say anything to make anyones ears *****
up. He’s probably only there because he couldn’t get work
carrying a briefcase for a bloodstock agent or something (rating
4/10)
Andrew Barr Likeable enough,
decent orator, if a bit boring. Needs to lighten up & have a
swipe at one or two insiders (rating a ‘so what’ figure of 5/10)
Rob Wright Is it in his
contract that he can only appear when Emma Ramsden is there to bull
him up? Very moderate imo & says little of interest (rating
4/10)
Ken Pitterson Bag of nerves
whenever he’s on tv & that’s a shame because he is an above
average paddock judge. Does his homework & puts the mileage in.
Nice fellah & will be a big hit if he can get over the nerves
& let more of himself come through on the box (rating 6.5/10)
Angus Loughran Total spoofer,
making a living out of playing ‘spot the favourite’ on the BBC
in house monitor. Clearly likes the sound of his own voice &
regards himself as a celebrity pundit. If you sould make it pay, you
would not go anywhere near a camera with those teeth (rating 3/100
Simon Mapletoft Seems to pop
up here, there & everywhere, anywhere there’s a fee in fact.
Never misses a chance to promote himself, or ‘his’ horses &
is keen to make out that he is an ‘all weather expert’ No time
for his cliches (rating 4/10)
Matt Williams Doesn’t
appear very often but usually fair value when he does (Haydock
usually) Relaxed manner in front of the camera & doesn’t talk
down to the viewers (rating 6/10)
Brian Gleeson Hilarious,
spits out the results if he’s having a bad day (you can always
tell with him) (rating 5/10)
Ted Walsh Some cracking ‘blarney’
from Ted when he’s on the box, despite being a little too biased
about his family when they take part. Likeable fellah from the look
of things (6.5/10)
Robert Hall As good a front
man as you will get, needs to up the criticism a bit, but overall a
solid performer (rating 6.5/10)
Dale McKeown Will never
forgive him for making an un-raced Channon 2yo his ‘nap’ on a
Bank Holiday Monday a few years back. Clearly doesn’t put the work
in, but has an easy living doing what he does, so he doesn’t have
to. Holds the Betfair forum in utter contempt, but it’s always
amusing to know the loathing is completely mutual (rating 1/10)
Richard Perham I’m sure
this lad tries harder than Dale, but that said he is just as
useless. Cannot listen to his tripe for much more than five minutes
at a time. (rating 3/10)
Gordon Brown Affable &
keen not to offend anyone, the only people he offends are the
serious minded racing viewers who wish he would (just once) offer an
objective view on something/someone in racing. Unlikely to happen
while he can get paid for spouting bilge though (rating 4/10)
Dave Compton Shows the
worthless Duval way too much respect whenever he works with him
& generally takes sycophancy to whole new levels. Average
knowledge of the game & brings nothing new to the table, another
one we would not miss (rating: 4/10)
Rishi Persad Seems to be the
BBC’s man for all sports these days & usually just looks
grateful to be working. Will never get over his paddock negative
winning at huge odds at Goodwood & will hopefully continue to
spend more time on ‘other sports’ at the BBC (rating 3/10)
Paul Morrison 'Dead Air'
filler used by RUK when their better pundits can't be @rsed to drive
to Yorkshire tracks. Reckoned to be a 'bloodstock agent' but you
could write what he knows about stallions traits on the back of a
stamp & still have room for his entire life story. Never one to
provide insight when sixty cliches will do. Not a 'good sort'
(rating 3.5/10)
Apologies to anyone I've left out & a 'v' for victory sign to
any who think they are above criticism (valid or otherwise)
Merry Christmas!!!!
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