Bet_Lynch
Well-Known Member
This is the transcript of a film that Alan Green has done for the BBC College of Journalism. It's on our BBC intranet so I can't post the clip. That's probably a good thing as that photograph is definitely flattering, if that's possible. Doesn't bode well for anyone starting out when one of our own journos admits he doesn't really prep before a match:
BBC COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM
FOOTBALL COMMENTARY - ALAN GREEN - TRANSCRIPT
ALAN GREEN – FOOTBALL COMMENTATOR (AG):
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Ferrera, having been found rather wanting in the centre defence, back at right back, which at least a better position for him. Takes the throw in, then MacAlayley heads it on, bouncing towards Shaun Wright Philips, edge of the penalty area. Baumer tries to head it clear and that was Bray … Paul … Collu and that’s a wretched shot in to the whole …
AG:
I don’t spend a great deal of time preparing for commentary because I’m lazy. It depends on the commentator’s individual style, lots of people like to look at statistics and gather as much information together as they can about players or teams. I make a few basic notes. You know, a typical Alan Green commentary sheet, not very much writing on it. Maybe a couple of goals, a couple of salient facts but I like to turn up and just describe what I see. I’m probably far too confident, but I never worry about clamming up during a game, even if it’s a bad game, I’ll always find something to say.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
I wonder if he got those grey track suit bottoms or if they’re new, a Christmas box.
AG:
I prefer to lean on the thoughts that are racing through my head. The same sort of thoughts that are racing through the head of any football fan at any game in the country and having to do it that way, maybe that’s just my reason for excusing my laziness in preparation.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Maybe that’s why Marinio is dressing down tonight, in support of Corri. Anghel, beaten in the air by Fererra, but it’s headed back by Petrov, might fall to Gardener or … but no, it’s played by Ashley Cole, up feel and great control by Drogba.
AG:
You could do a commentary, a perfectly adequate commentary sticking with four basic points. Who’s got the ball, where is the ball, what’s the score and what’s the time. If you just kept repeating that information, it might be dull listen, but it would at least give the listener at home, the essentials that they need to know about the progress of a football match. Everything else is elaboration.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Goal kick, taken by Holario for Chelsea, headed away by Ridgewell, … beaten by … and now it drops to Essen down the right side.
AG:
Essentially in Radio it’s to create word pictures. It’s to take the listener in to the football stadium to make him or her feel that they’re watching the game, but they’re also aware of what’s happening all around him. It could be someone walking in front of my commentary position, getting in my way when I’m trying to watch what’s going on on the pitch. Or it could be that somebody is showing signs of boredom, maybe I’m bored. All of that kind of information, thrown together, hopefully makes for entertaining commentary.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Bula … hobbles on. He’s not happy. Bula… won’t be able to continue. Lampard to Drogba, Drogba crosses, deep … headed by Ashley Coles, straight at Corri… and Bula.. is only hobbling. They’re going to have to make a change here Chelsea.
AG:
I was a News Trainee at the BBC over thirty years ago and I took all that basic news training. The need for balance, for independence, for proper judgement I think in to my football commentary. I still try to find a balance in the game. You mustn’t look at it from just one side, from the side of Chelsea the Champions. It must also be about Aston Villa. Independence in the sense that you mustn’t be rooting for one team as opposed to the other. And just for a play. Get it, try to get the judgement right. It’s the same kind of approach that every BBC journalist uses in their job.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Here at Villa Park on Five Live, it’s still Villa nil, Chelsea the champions now. Chelsea beginning this game seven points behind the leaders Manchester United. And naturally, they expect to close that gap to four points.
AG:
I think it’s essential as a radio commentator to have the trust of the listener, because if they don’t trust what you say, well why will they continue listening. They may as well switch off. So the way I do it is to hold absolutely firm to the truth. If it’s a dull game, I’m going to tell you it’s dull. Being me, I might tell you it’s awful or it’s turgid, or I want to go home please.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
The goal attempts, Villa none, Chelsea six, but non on target.
AG:
But if I’m prepared to say that, if I’m prepared to risk them switching off the radio, I think they’re more inclined to trust me when I tell them how good the game is.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Well I can tell you the encouraging thing from my perspective is Graham that the game at Liverpool, the first half at Liverpool yesterday was far far worse than this and it ended up being a cracking last thirty minutes. So the best is yet to come folks. We hope.
AG:
Accuracy is again one of those vital ingredients in terms of establishing trust with the listener. In theory, the listener has got to believe what I say so I could make up any old rubbish. I might not care if it’s ‘x’ who scored the goal rather than ‘y’. They don’t know. I’ve just – it’s a goal and I got it wrong, who cares. Well no, there’s a professional responsibility to be accurate and therefore you’ve got to pick out the right player. You’ve got to reflect accurately in what you’re seeing.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Here’s Drogba, heading the ball to Lampard, Lampard steps away from Osborne, flicks it towards right Philips, … of the header clear, picked up Essien, Baumer again. And he just lifts it with his left foot, high in to the crowd, for nothing worse than a throw in to Chelsea.
AG:
Its eighty years since the first ever radio commentary on football. And I’ve heard some of the early recordings and they’re painfully dull. You know, they’re so simplistic its James, to Jones, to Smith and a vague idea of geography. Today’s commentary is much more passionate, it’s much more subjective and therefore the language is passionate and subjective. But you mustn’t lose the balance and there’s a little switch in my brain which tells me not to go over that line, but essentially, I’m viewing the game with as much passion I hope, as the fan who’s actually attending at the stadium.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Chelsea’s got – mistake there by Ridgewell, taken up by right, Phillips, Drogba peels away from Kale, Drogba is available and it goes to Drogba. Now Lampard, Lampard right foot shot. Blocked on the edge of the penalty area by Osborne and that was terrific work for the substitute. Somehow Villa survived.
AG:
Impartiality is as important in football commentary as it is in political journalism but there are certain riders to that. If I’m commentating on an English club, playing in a European competition or if I’m commentating on England, then the listeners would expect me to want England or the English club to do well to win, and I do. That mustn’t affect your judgement of what is happening, when is unfolding in the game. So you can want England to win or you can want Manchester United or Arsenal or Chelsea or Liverpool to win, but it mustn’t affect your judgement of how the game is going. You mustn’t lose the balance. You must recognise that Portugal deserved to be in front or that Ball… Munich should be leading this game, not trailing, one nil. That’s important. If I was working not on network radio but on local radio, and my, my jobs was on GMR in Manchester, then my listeners are Manchunian listeners. They expect me to want Manchester United to win, they expect me to want Manchester City to win. So I think we should be slightly more partial towards those clubs. You have to be or else you will offend the audience. But again, I still think it’s necessary to find the balance and don’t step over the line.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Chancellor here for Villa. Seven minutes to go to half time. They haven’t had an effort on goal, but here they’ve got a free kick and wouldn’t it just be football if Chelsea had dominated for the first thirty eight minutes, always looked as if they might score, and now might go a goal behind.
AG:
On personal partiality, I would say that I would admit I have a favourite football team and I care mostly about what happens to them. It affects me for days afterwards when my favourite team loses. And if they win I’m joyous for days afterwards. But it mustn’t creep in to my job and there is a, a political analogy I think. If you look at Nick Robinson as the BBC’s senior political correspondent, I’m sure he votes at General Elections, so he probably has a favourite party or a party that he favours. He certainly favours certain policies. Does that, or should it affect his political judgement, no, of course not, and I feel the same way about having a favourite football team in terms of my job as being a football commentator.
AG:
One last opportunity is there for Chelsea, a final count, a final attack in this first half. They’re making a right hash of this. Right, Phillips, brings the ball down, where’s he going, he’s going in to a tackle and the ball is out of play for a thrown in.
AG:
I’m incredibly opinionated, too opinionated many people think but I don’t feel that I’m here as a public relations representative, either of the game or of a particular club. No, I’m here to reflect honestly, what I’m seeing on the pitch. Now if I do that, sometimes I will cause offence, I might upset the authorities and I might upset the sponsors but frankly, if it’s in the cause of truth, that’s my job.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Well Neil, he never sits down does he.
FELLOW COMMENTATOR:
No, he’s always …
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
He wants to be out there actually, it’s obvious. All his body language indicates that he still wants to play. And to be fair to Martin, I think he’s probably a better player than any of the ones representing Villa tonight.
AG:
If I was giving advice to someone who wanted to start out in commentary, I’d say walk don’t run. Don’t imagine yourself to be a John Watson, you know, don’t rush in to it thinking you want to be this great imaginative commentator, instead stick to the basics because once you’ve grasped the basics, you know, who’s got the ball, where it is, the score. All that kind of thing, the character, your own personality will unfold with confidence and that’s what you want. Always be yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
I just wonder is, is he heavy Tur… Is that why he wears the tracksuit bottoms. I mean I tried to do that to hide my weight you know.
FELLOW COMMENTATOR:
But you don’t play in goal do you.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Would I dare.
AG:
I think we’re very lucky in radio and I’m particularly lucky in radio that I’m not restricted by any commentary contract. SKY doesn’t have a world cup for example, a European Championship. We do on Five Live. There isn’t a single competition in football that I do not commentate on every single season. I think that’s wonderful. We still have the breadth and I think we still give, on the BBC what the listeners want, an independent judgement of the greatest game on the planet.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Are we despondent, not a bit of it. The soup is very good at Villa. Half time, nil nil.
END OF RECORDING
BBC COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM
FOOTBALL COMMENTARY - ALAN GREEN - TRANSCRIPT
ALAN GREEN – FOOTBALL COMMENTATOR (AG):
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Ferrera, having been found rather wanting in the centre defence, back at right back, which at least a better position for him. Takes the throw in, then MacAlayley heads it on, bouncing towards Shaun Wright Philips, edge of the penalty area. Baumer tries to head it clear and that was Bray … Paul … Collu and that’s a wretched shot in to the whole …
AG:
I don’t spend a great deal of time preparing for commentary because I’m lazy. It depends on the commentator’s individual style, lots of people like to look at statistics and gather as much information together as they can about players or teams. I make a few basic notes. You know, a typical Alan Green commentary sheet, not very much writing on it. Maybe a couple of goals, a couple of salient facts but I like to turn up and just describe what I see. I’m probably far too confident, but I never worry about clamming up during a game, even if it’s a bad game, I’ll always find something to say.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
I wonder if he got those grey track suit bottoms or if they’re new, a Christmas box.
AG:
I prefer to lean on the thoughts that are racing through my head. The same sort of thoughts that are racing through the head of any football fan at any game in the country and having to do it that way, maybe that’s just my reason for excusing my laziness in preparation.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Maybe that’s why Marinio is dressing down tonight, in support of Corri. Anghel, beaten in the air by Fererra, but it’s headed back by Petrov, might fall to Gardener or … but no, it’s played by Ashley Cole, up feel and great control by Drogba.
AG:
You could do a commentary, a perfectly adequate commentary sticking with four basic points. Who’s got the ball, where is the ball, what’s the score and what’s the time. If you just kept repeating that information, it might be dull listen, but it would at least give the listener at home, the essentials that they need to know about the progress of a football match. Everything else is elaboration.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Goal kick, taken by Holario for Chelsea, headed away by Ridgewell, … beaten by … and now it drops to Essen down the right side.
AG:
Essentially in Radio it’s to create word pictures. It’s to take the listener in to the football stadium to make him or her feel that they’re watching the game, but they’re also aware of what’s happening all around him. It could be someone walking in front of my commentary position, getting in my way when I’m trying to watch what’s going on on the pitch. Or it could be that somebody is showing signs of boredom, maybe I’m bored. All of that kind of information, thrown together, hopefully makes for entertaining commentary.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Bula … hobbles on. He’s not happy. Bula… won’t be able to continue. Lampard to Drogba, Drogba crosses, deep … headed by Ashley Coles, straight at Corri… and Bula.. is only hobbling. They’re going to have to make a change here Chelsea.
AG:
I was a News Trainee at the BBC over thirty years ago and I took all that basic news training. The need for balance, for independence, for proper judgement I think in to my football commentary. I still try to find a balance in the game. You mustn’t look at it from just one side, from the side of Chelsea the Champions. It must also be about Aston Villa. Independence in the sense that you mustn’t be rooting for one team as opposed to the other. And just for a play. Get it, try to get the judgement right. It’s the same kind of approach that every BBC journalist uses in their job.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Here at Villa Park on Five Live, it’s still Villa nil, Chelsea the champions now. Chelsea beginning this game seven points behind the leaders Manchester United. And naturally, they expect to close that gap to four points.
AG:
I think it’s essential as a radio commentator to have the trust of the listener, because if they don’t trust what you say, well why will they continue listening. They may as well switch off. So the way I do it is to hold absolutely firm to the truth. If it’s a dull game, I’m going to tell you it’s dull. Being me, I might tell you it’s awful or it’s turgid, or I want to go home please.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
The goal attempts, Villa none, Chelsea six, but non on target.
AG:
But if I’m prepared to say that, if I’m prepared to risk them switching off the radio, I think they’re more inclined to trust me when I tell them how good the game is.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Well I can tell you the encouraging thing from my perspective is Graham that the game at Liverpool, the first half at Liverpool yesterday was far far worse than this and it ended up being a cracking last thirty minutes. So the best is yet to come folks. We hope.
AG:
Accuracy is again one of those vital ingredients in terms of establishing trust with the listener. In theory, the listener has got to believe what I say so I could make up any old rubbish. I might not care if it’s ‘x’ who scored the goal rather than ‘y’. They don’t know. I’ve just – it’s a goal and I got it wrong, who cares. Well no, there’s a professional responsibility to be accurate and therefore you’ve got to pick out the right player. You’ve got to reflect accurately in what you’re seeing.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Here’s Drogba, heading the ball to Lampard, Lampard steps away from Osborne, flicks it towards right Philips, … of the header clear, picked up Essien, Baumer again. And he just lifts it with his left foot, high in to the crowd, for nothing worse than a throw in to Chelsea.
AG:
Its eighty years since the first ever radio commentary on football. And I’ve heard some of the early recordings and they’re painfully dull. You know, they’re so simplistic its James, to Jones, to Smith and a vague idea of geography. Today’s commentary is much more passionate, it’s much more subjective and therefore the language is passionate and subjective. But you mustn’t lose the balance and there’s a little switch in my brain which tells me not to go over that line, but essentially, I’m viewing the game with as much passion I hope, as the fan who’s actually attending at the stadium.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Chelsea’s got – mistake there by Ridgewell, taken up by right, Phillips, Drogba peels away from Kale, Drogba is available and it goes to Drogba. Now Lampard, Lampard right foot shot. Blocked on the edge of the penalty area by Osborne and that was terrific work for the substitute. Somehow Villa survived.
AG:
Impartiality is as important in football commentary as it is in political journalism but there are certain riders to that. If I’m commentating on an English club, playing in a European competition or if I’m commentating on England, then the listeners would expect me to want England or the English club to do well to win, and I do. That mustn’t affect your judgement of what is happening, when is unfolding in the game. So you can want England to win or you can want Manchester United or Arsenal or Chelsea or Liverpool to win, but it mustn’t affect your judgement of how the game is going. You mustn’t lose the balance. You must recognise that Portugal deserved to be in front or that Ball… Munich should be leading this game, not trailing, one nil. That’s important. If I was working not on network radio but on local radio, and my, my jobs was on GMR in Manchester, then my listeners are Manchunian listeners. They expect me to want Manchester United to win, they expect me to want Manchester City to win. So I think we should be slightly more partial towards those clubs. You have to be or else you will offend the audience. But again, I still think it’s necessary to find the balance and don’t step over the line.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Chancellor here for Villa. Seven minutes to go to half time. They haven’t had an effort on goal, but here they’ve got a free kick and wouldn’t it just be football if Chelsea had dominated for the first thirty eight minutes, always looked as if they might score, and now might go a goal behind.
AG:
On personal partiality, I would say that I would admit I have a favourite football team and I care mostly about what happens to them. It affects me for days afterwards when my favourite team loses. And if they win I’m joyous for days afterwards. But it mustn’t creep in to my job and there is a, a political analogy I think. If you look at Nick Robinson as the BBC’s senior political correspondent, I’m sure he votes at General Elections, so he probably has a favourite party or a party that he favours. He certainly favours certain policies. Does that, or should it affect his political judgement, no, of course not, and I feel the same way about having a favourite football team in terms of my job as being a football commentator.
AG:
One last opportunity is there for Chelsea, a final count, a final attack in this first half. They’re making a right hash of this. Right, Phillips, brings the ball down, where’s he going, he’s going in to a tackle and the ball is out of play for a thrown in.
AG:
I’m incredibly opinionated, too opinionated many people think but I don’t feel that I’m here as a public relations representative, either of the game or of a particular club. No, I’m here to reflect honestly, what I’m seeing on the pitch. Now if I do that, sometimes I will cause offence, I might upset the authorities and I might upset the sponsors but frankly, if it’s in the cause of truth, that’s my job.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Well Neil, he never sits down does he.
FELLOW COMMENTATOR:
No, he’s always …
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
He wants to be out there actually, it’s obvious. All his body language indicates that he still wants to play. And to be fair to Martin, I think he’s probably a better player than any of the ones representing Villa tonight.
AG:
If I was giving advice to someone who wanted to start out in commentary, I’d say walk don’t run. Don’t imagine yourself to be a John Watson, you know, don’t rush in to it thinking you want to be this great imaginative commentator, instead stick to the basics because once you’ve grasped the basics, you know, who’s got the ball, where it is, the score. All that kind of thing, the character, your own personality will unfold with confidence and that’s what you want. Always be yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
I just wonder is, is he heavy Tur… Is that why he wears the tracksuit bottoms. I mean I tried to do that to hide my weight you know.
FELLOW COMMENTATOR:
But you don’t play in goal do you.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Would I dare.
AG:
I think we’re very lucky in radio and I’m particularly lucky in radio that I’m not restricted by any commentary contract. SKY doesn’t have a world cup for example, a European Championship. We do on Five Live. There isn’t a single competition in football that I do not commentate on every single season. I think that’s wonderful. We still have the breadth and I think we still give, on the BBC what the listeners want, an independent judgement of the greatest game on the planet.
AG:
(Alan Green commentating for Five Live at Villa Park, Aston Villa versus Chelsea).
Are we despondent, not a bit of it. The soup is very good at Villa. Half time, nil nil.
END OF RECORDING