Carlton kirby - has to go !!

[Mambo95]

Team Sky Fan - i was being serious - thanks so much for posting my tweets. I would have done it myself if i had thought.....well done and thanks again !!

You seem rather proud of your unpleasant outbursts.

Here's the thing. While Kirby may not be a particularly great commentator, he does come across as a pretty decent guy. During the Tour, I quite enjoy him in his role as the 'third man'.

You on the other hand seem a little spiteful at the very least. Given the choice of spending some time in the company of one of you, Kirby's getting my vote every time.

I don't know if you saw BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning. They read out some of the abuse that people e-mailed in about the newsreaders. There was one woman just like you. They called her bluff and brought her into the studio to have a go herself. She was utter dog poo. She eventually collapsed into a fit of giggles at her own incompetence. These things are much harder than they seem.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Kirby is all right. Ok he knows little about cycling but I feel sorry for him. Just look at him

He tries. He really does, and he seems to like cycling and is enthusiastic about it even if he doesnt know much about the riders (eg saying Purito did well in Flanders).

His commentary during some stages of Cali was quite good. During the sprints i had to turn my volume down so as not to wake the neighbourhood because he was shouting so loud with excitemend without pausing for breath from about 3k.

And you also have to feel sorry when he makes poor jokes to himself and then laughs afterwards, usualy to conceal a mistake he has made when the other commentator has corrected him.

As for Harmoon, hes not perfect and there are lots of moments when i think hes bad, but I dont mind him.

I dont agree with those who say he knows nothing. His knowledge about lesser riders is quite good. I feel especially Eastern European ones.

He often has a story in his pocker about those riders like Vaitkus, Grabowsky, Paterski, or can describe their careers.

His memory is perhaps not the best sometimes with results for example, like when he said Aprica was last used in 09, and forgets results, or agreeing with Backsted that Pais Vasco is in Vuelta every year, and sometimes doesnt recognise riders correctly but actually he often can tell a rider by their style.

My main difference with him is doping as he goes so far as to declare riders he likes as clean and is relatively impartial in cases like Piti, Basso, Scarponi and Lance where it is patentively obvious someone doped but didnt test positve, while being very antagonistic towards that did test positive especially Vino.

Its the way he says it sometimes like for example during the WW memorial stage "please try to put your feelings about Di Luca to one side" as if it was the fans and not him who were thinking about Danilos doping at that particular time.

But that is just a difference of opinion, I respect it.

Yes he has favourites, especially Gilbert and I didnt like that that 2010 in review programme spent 3 times as much time on Gilberts AGR win as on VInos epic LBL comeback but everyone has favourites.

Sure a lot of people on here know more about cycling but hes not that bad. Perhaps everyone if they spent as much time commentating on cycling as he does, would know their stuff, but the fact is Ligget and Sherwen and Kirby dont.

Harmonn does.

Very good post. Even handed and fair. Harmon has his positive and negative points, but he's often pretty good. Certainly much better than Liggett and Sherwen, who've descended into self-parody.

The thing with di Luca isn't too incorrect though. There were people saying they didn't enjoy Kiryienka's stage win at the Giro because it was too Landis-like to win from the break like that, but some of us just didn't care because of the significance of the win. Same as how I don't like Armstrong and love to see the guy get beaten - but that stage for Casartelli I can watch over and over again and enjoy every time. Yes, there was probably little need to bring it up at the time, but they had to find ways to talk over several hours of coverage of the occasion. It was probably a very difficult time for them to do their job, so I'm willing to give him a free pass there.

 

[The Hitch]

Why thank you Libertine

 

[Ferminal]

**** me, the occasional posters really do come out of the woodwork when theres a **** storm brewing dont they

Just wait for July!

I don't enjoy Kirby, and the same goes for most English commentary. Most days I prefer watching a foreign feed of speculative quality in a language I understand nothing of, than watch Eurosport or SBS on TV.

I am not a Wiggins fan, so listening to him today not being able to talk about anything else, did get on my nerves quite a bit. Same story with Evans e.g. during the final stages of T-A.

It is very easy to call when someone like that is doing well, because you are most familiar with them. It would be completely different if Peraud or Coppel were in Yellow. Kirby is poor with rider recognition, that and the lack of broader knowledge are the most annoying. When you can't think of anything else to say, just revert back to the lowest common denominator of the most prominent Anglo rider/team.

I think Kirby calls action fairly well, and is probably a better voice than Harmon. If the main caller doesn't have the best knowledge of the sport, then the support comments man needs to be allowed to speak and there needs to be an understanding that they are the expert whilst the other is the caller.

Phil and Paul will be good for a laugh in July........ for about the first three "a great man by the name of..."

I'm not sure why Eurosport don't endeavour to sign Keenan, even if it only were only for a couple of blocks of racing.

 

[Parrulo]

bullying some1 over twitter is insane and most of all cruel. instead of insulting the poor man prolly making him nervous and anxious about his comments you could just twit some corrections and tips about what is happening and with some luck he will see them and make the correction. P-N this year on portuguese eurosport was commentated by the second tier commentators (not that the first tier ones are amazing) and they made some mistakes so i went to facebook and posted some corrections and personal opinions there, and you know what? they read like 5 or 6 of them and thanked me every time for my contribution.

 

[movingtarget]

I am sure that the Evans, Wiggins fans are lapping it up.........maybe. But according to him he has watched Evans racing since his first race in Europe, and obviously is excited for the Brit riders that are doing well.

He is one commentator who finds it hard to stop being a fan while he is commentating. I like the way he gets excited at the finishes. I cannot imagine Sean Kelly calling a finish in his grave digger monotone even though I like his general commentary and admired him as a rider.

Kirby makes a lot of mistakes but at least he realises it most of the time and corrects himself unlike others.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

bullying some1 over twitter is insane and most of all cruel. instead of insulting the poor man prolly making him nervous and anxious about his comments you could just twit some corrections and tips about what is happening and with some luck he will see them and make the correction. P-N this year on portuguese eurosport was commentated by the second tier commentators (not that the first tier ones are amazing) and they made some mistakes so i went to facebook and posted some corrections and personal opinions there, and you know what? they read like 5 or 6 of them and thanked me every time for my contribution.

Well done parrulo, I am proud of you

That's exactly the way one should react

 

[Siriuscat]

If Carlton is poor with cycling...you want hear him at Ice Hockey. He covered the World Juniors over the Christmas period and it's dire, no knowledge whatsoever of anything that's going on on the ice, it's an insult to the sport!

 

[canyonball]

P-N this year on portuguese eurosport was commentated by the second tier commentators (not that the first tier ones are amazing) and they made some mistakes so i went to facebook and posted some corrections and personal opinions there, and you know what? they read like 5 or 6 of them and thanked me every time for my contribution.

What's your opinion on him? I can't recall his name but I thought that overall he did a good job when compared to Luis Piçarra. Sometimes you could see he had done some homework and brought some interesting topics to discussion, even though it clearly was out of his commentary environment.


Regarding the OP, one of the things I hate about internet is how it allows someone to get agressive for no reason. You can say **** you and then run for cover on the confort of your couch. I'm against bullying, but if you want to do it, don't hide behind a pc sreen. It's sad. Personal opinion.

 

[Simply The Best]

KIrby certaintly is the best commentator around especially with his bias towards evans and wiggans, but atleast he has the balls to admit that he is bias towards these riders.

His lack of knowledge is certainly annoying like when he gets his facts about certain riders or results wrong. If I was to name my favourite commentator it would certainly be matthew keenan his knowledge of riders, races and history not just on cycling but the areas where the race is going through is first class I am hoping that in a couple of years he will get to call the the tour for australian SBS, he's already been given the classics and giro so hears hoping

 

[just some guy]

If dont like the colour guys and you know cycling turn the sound off - have music on works for me.

people who what a little cycling a watch want to hear about riders from their country and so of the favs.

Swedish Eurosport guys are quite good but love a scando rider. I dont see the issue.

Kirby does go on but turn the sound off.

A problem is the wrong name for riders good reason for a rider have the same number all year.

 

[lanternrouge]

Yes Kirby is bad but he is thrust into a difficult job when Harmon is not around and he is struggling. I feel sorry for the bloke. He is much better suited to the occasional comment and story like he does in the tour. The one he said about trying on his new wet suit in his hotel room whilst drunk and getting stuck in it was very amusing and very much his forte.
As for Harmon having met him he was an knob, his constant name dropping and mentioning his own cycling drives me mad. His references to his mate Jez (also met and the two are well suited) and his tandem record attempts are something I really do not want to know. just commentate man that's what you are paid for.

 

[Andy99]

So, in conclusion; some people don't like some commentators.

Life goes on.

 

[Anonymous]

So, in conclusion; some people don't like some commentators.

Life goes on.

+1
and the natives are getting restless.

 

[orbeas]

Carlton Kirby

The problem with Kirby is that as he does not know anything about cycling, he cannot let the race do the talking so comes out with just crap.
Better to keep quiet and speak when he needs too, plus he needs to do some research into the daily news by reading all the various web-sites relating to cycling.
For instance he made some really inaccurate comments about Contador at the Giro. saying how all the fans booed him and did not want him at the race and it would be the same at the Tour de France and better to stay away.
Why did eurosport get rid of Mike Smith and substitute Kirby???? as Mike is still on eurosport as a commentator, as least he is a cyclist.
if you check out
http://www.carltonkirby.com/
there is no mention of his cycling history just a load of hot air !!!!!
you can also mail him at his web site.
whats the bet his Twitter is off today ???
Brian Smith must wonder why he has to put up with his drivell !!!!!

 

[thehog]

I often moan about Kirby myself, but I don't really want anyone to lose their job, particularly as I don't even buy Eurosport. He is annoying though, like when he interrupts Brian Smith talking sense to talk crap.

Harmon - I don't mind him, genuinely.

Harmon is excellent compared to the rest. Harmon speaks 4 languages and is often performing translations.

Kirby is poor. The biggest problem is not watching the race. Kirby often misses key parts in stages/races. When Wiggins was tailing off yesterday there was no mention as he was rabbiting on about something else. Then he kept pumping Brad's tyres even he he was losing time. Kelly is also prone to faux pas as well.

Now on this note....

This is the very thing Vaughters is trying to change..... arm the commentators with a myriad of stats on power, heart rates etc. and then they'll be lots go talk about. Cricket has done a wonderful job in this respect.

The commentators suffer from boredom. They can't keep it up for 3 hours.

 

[Anonymous]

Now on this note....

This is the very thing Vaughters is trying to change..... arm the commentators with a myriad of stats on power, heart rates etc. and then they'll be lots go talk about. Cricket has done a wonderful job in this respect.

The commentators suffer from boredom. They can't keep it up for 3 hours.

And this is where the new OPTA ratings might come in useful. If the commentators have a laptop in front of them, with the opta rankings, they can immediately find out every little bit of information they need to know at the touch of a button.

 

[orbeas]

Carlton Kirby

If you remember a few years ago, Eurosport had a lady called Crissy Anderson who was a really great asset to the Tour coverage.
I think that she was not liked by Harmon and she was replaced by a friend of Harmon-Emma Davies who was worse than Kirby.
and lets not discus Anthony McCrosen !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

bullying some1 over twitter is insane and most of all cruel. instead of insulting the poor man prolly making him nervous and anxious about his comments you could just twit some corrections and tips about what is happening and with some luck he will see them and make the correction. P-N this year on portuguese eurosport was commentated by the second tier commentators (not that the first tier ones are amazing) and they made some mistakes so i went to facebook and posted some corrections and personal opinions there, and you know what? they read like 5 or 6 of them and thanked me every time for my contribution.

well said.

I think it is fine being frustrated, I too get frustrated, but they mean no harm.

 

[Anonymous]

And this is where the new OPTA ratings might come in useful. If the commentators have a laptop in front of them, with the opta rankings, they can immediately find out every little bit of information they need to know at the touch of a button.

i was thinking of bringing OPTA into the discussion..... but hey, thank you. In football OPTA is really useful for commentators and football writers like jonathan wilson and michael cox of zonalmarking.net.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Everytime I listen to the English audio I want to shoot myself in the ears. Both Harmon and Kirby are bad, even by the standards i'm used to (some of the dutch commentators are absolutely terrible)

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Essentially this is down to money isn't it ?

Eurosport would rather pay Kirby to commentate on several sports than hire several specialists. If it's any consolation Kirby isn't quite as bad as the bloke he replaced (Mike Smith)

What I've always thought would be a better solution would be for Eurosport to pay 20 quid an hour for a statto kid with a pc and a digital tv recorder to do nothing except keep track of what is going on in the race

 

[movingtarget]

Harmon is excellent compared to the rest. Harmon speaks 4 languages and is often performing translations.

Kirby is poor. The biggest problem is not watching the race. Kirby often misses key parts in stages/races. When Wiggins was tailing off yesterday there was no mention as he was rabbiting on about something else. Then he kept pumping Brad's tyres even he he was losing time. Kelly is also prone to faux pas as well.

Now on this note....

This is the very thing Vaughters is trying to change..... arm the commentators with a myriad of stats on power, heart rates etc. and then they'll be lots go talk about. Cricket has done a wonderful job in this respect.

The commentators suffer from boredom. They can't keep it up for 3 hours.

My God that would be worse ! Let the pictures tell the story. They don't have to talk all the time. Endless stats babble would be terrible even if the info was more accurate than usual. As for the cricket, even that goes too far. At least they don't have the seagull count anymore ........

 

[thehog]

My God that would be worse ! Let the pictures tell the story. They don't have to talk all the time. Endless stats babble would be terrible even if the info was more accurate than usual. As for the cricket, even that goes too far. At least they don't have the seagull count anymore ........

That's because you watch the highlights package. If you watch the full stage you need to "fill" the first 3.5 hours of the coverage.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Everytime I listen to the English audio I want to shoot myself in the ears. Both Harmon and Kirby are bad, even by the standards i'm used to (some of the dutch commentators are absolutely terrible)

are they really worse than Mart 'OOOOH I LOVE YOU LANCE' Smeets?