The voice of rugby Bill McLaren died today which is a great loss both to the game and to broadcasting. He’ll be sadly missed.
I can remember many a dull Saturday afternoon in the winter watching the Rugby when there was nothing else to do and he came over as rather a headmaster telling you the finer points of the game which were largely beyond me.
Very sad about this – a voice that evokes so many memories. And a truly great commentator, one whose kind is being lost in the modern day, where numpties gabble away to fill every nanosecond with inance drivel and statistics.
Up there in the great celestial commentary box now with John Arlott, Jim Laker, Peter O’Sullivan ..
Apart from the fact that Peter O’Sullivan is still alive!
I was thinking about this today and I think its John Motson that has changed the style of commentary. He is Mr. Soccer-Factoid. I remember that great footie doyen Kenneth Wolstenholme didn’t think much of Mottie because of his obsession with stats.
Bloody hell – I thought he died of Bronchial pneumonia at Christmas? He was certainly in hospital and touch and go. Apologies to him if he didn’t!!
Got his own website too!