Post a reply

Who is the best current Snooker commentator?

Poll ended at 22 Apr 2022

John Virgo
5
5%
Dennis Taylor
3
3%
Stephen Hendry
9
10%
Steve Davis
3
3%
Ken Doherty
1
1%
John Parrott
3
3%
Alan McManus
12
13%
David Hendon
7
7%
Neal Foulds
31
33%
Joe Johnson
7
7%
Phil Studd
0
No votes
Dominic Dale
9
10%
Phil Yates
4
4%
 
Total votes : 94

Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Juddernaut88

I've decided to just include current commentators, I've ignored the likes of Joe Perry, Lines and Rob Walker as they haven't been doing it long and not really regulars.
Last edited by Juddernaut88 on 10 Dec 2020, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Iranu

I’m not sure if I can narrow it down to three! My favourites are:

Hendry
Angles
Fouldsy
Dom

If I have to get rid of one it’ll probably be either Dom or Angles as they have a pretty similar style, i.e. a focus on the technical side of the game, stances, equipment etc, and discussing the merits of shot selection. Angles has a tendency to talk a bit much lately, which I wonder if he’s picked up from his BBC colleagues but he’s better than Dom at explaining to viewers why a particular shot is the right one.

Foulds is essentially a journalistic commentator but with the mind of a player. He remembers the history of players and tournaments better than any other player commentator but can also discuss things from a player perspective which makes him kind of unique. Has a tendency to blabber on about an incident throughout a match which can be a bit annoying.

Hendry’s main strength is economy of language. While he’s not quite a throwback to the 80s era of long silence, he’s not far from it. He says what he means and he means what he says, and he says it bluntly because he’s arguably the greatest player ever and he doesn’t need to mince his words or soften blows. He urges players to be positive, is increasingly enthusiastic about safety bouts and of course his breakbuilding commentary is top-notch. Major downside: lack of tour knowledge. Doesn’t watch enough snooker to know about players he hasn’t seen while commentating.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby McManusFan

Big Al, then Foulds and Virgo tied. Alan has got both the knowledge of the game and tour, as well as the delivery that can add so much drama to an otherwise flat match.

Foulds again has outstanding knowledge but he lacks that special something. He's best suited as a studio pundit, where I think he's probably the best in the buisness.

Virgo in many ways is the opposite to Foulds, not so good on the knowledge of the tour (although he obviously knows how to play the game), but his delivery really has that magical quality. It's also worth mentioning how good Virgo is for people getting into the game, he's warm and welcoming and really helps you pick up how the game works - what shots to look for and so forth.

Hendry is probably next on the list, along with Clive (why isn't he in the poll? Scandalous).

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby SnookerEd25

Hendry head & shoulders above the field for me.

Knows when to speak, and when not to and often manages to have the same effect on whoever’s in the box with him which helps. Also knows what he’s talking about, unlike some.

Foulds and Angles can both be very good, but sometimes fall into the too much naff chat syndrome.

Got a soft spot for Hendon too.

Parrott & Dennis Taylor are far and away the worst, have to watch on mute (or another table) if they’re on together. It’s actually become painful for me.

Largely indifferent toward Studd, though, and can’t quite see how he’s become Public Enemy no.1 on this forum :chin:

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby SnookerEd25

Juddernaut88 wrote:Devastated John Virgo not getting enough votes :(


WHERE'S THE VOTE GOING???

Not in Virgo's box, I'm afraid :chuckle:

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Empire State Human

Same as McManusFan, with McManus and Foulds in that order, although I was tempted to switch Joe Johnson for Virgo, for similar reasons. Johnson really struggles when telling if balls go or not, but he does have a genuine enthusiasm for the game and I think he's good at explaining the overall feel of a match, important shots, etc., rather like Virgo.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Prop

I voted Hendry, Foulds and Dom. Clear 3 over the rest for me.

Edit: JV would be 4th.
Last edited by Prop on 09 Dec 2020, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Prop

Empire State Human wrote:Same as McManusFan, with McManus and Foulds in that order, although I was tempted to switch Joe Johnson for Virgo, for similar reasons. Johnson really struggles when telling if balls go or not, but he does have a genuine enthusiasm for the game and I think he's good at explaining the overall feel of a match, important shots, etc., rather like Virgo.


I think JV has the edge over JJ in terms of being a bit more descriptive of situations.

For example, if there’s a cannon on JV would say something like “he just needs to catch the red on the far left as we look, full ball”, whereas JJ says something like “and if he can cannon that red, he’s got a great chance!”

Which red, Joe?!

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby SnookerEd25

Prop wrote:
Empire State Human wrote:Same as McManusFan, with McManus and Foulds in that order, although I was tempted to switch Joe Johnson for Virgo, for similar reasons. Johnson really struggles when telling if balls go or not, but he does have a genuine enthusiasm for the game and I think he's good at explaining the overall feel of a match, important shots, etc., rather like Virgo.


I think JV has the edge over JJ in terms of being a bit more descriptive of situations.

For example, if there’s a cannon on JV would say something like “he just needs to catch the red on the far left as we look, full ball”, whereas JJ says something like “and if he can cannon that red, he’s got a great chance!”

Which red, Joe?!


That would suggest to me Joe is catering for the knowledgable fan (who is more likely to be watching on Quest/Eurosport) who can probably work out for themself which red, while Virgo is aiming his commentary at the casual BBC viewer

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby Prop

SnookerEd25 wrote:
Prop wrote:
Empire State Human wrote:Same as McManusFan, with McManus and Foulds in that order, although I was tempted to switch Joe Johnson for Virgo, for similar reasons. Johnson really struggles when telling if balls go or not, but he does have a genuine enthusiasm for the game and I think he's good at explaining the overall feel of a match, important shots, etc., rather like Virgo.


I think JV has the edge over JJ in terms of being a bit more descriptive of situations.

For example, if there’s a cannon on JV would say something like “he just needs to catch the red on the far left as we look, full ball”, whereas JJ says something like “and if he can cannon that red, he’s got a great chance!”

Which red, Joe?!


That would suggest to me Joe is catering for the knowledgable fan (who is more likely to be watching on Quest/Eurosport) who can probably work out for themself which red, while Virgo is aiming his commentary at the casual BBC viewer


Hmmm.. you could argue that, but you could also argue that Johnson is simply a bit rubbish.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby LDS

I voted for Hendry, Davis and Doherty.

I'm a bit surprised at the lack of love for Davis. But perhaps people are only voting for 1 instead of multiples.

I wrote more but it got lost when I copied my text to clipboard but it didn't get copied and so is lost forever & I CBA to rewrite it.

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby SnookerEd25

Juddernaut88 wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:It's just Foulds, isn't it?


How do you feel about Phil Yates and Dennis Taylor receiving 1 vote each?


Just proves what we suspected all along; they’re on this forum...

Re: Who is the best current commentator?

Postby SnookerFan

Juddernaut88 wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:It's just Foulds, isn't it?


How do you feel about Phil Yates and Dennis Taylor receiving 1 vote each?


Well, that's clearly just Dan, isn't it? <laugh>


   

cron