Tbilisi said:
Was watching a 88/89 season review video the other day and on one game Clarke continues to commentate on a game as if it was half time but in fact the "second half" is another game against a different team,brilliant stuff.
Never once mentions the opposition players by name......The Derby Left Back passes to the Derby Centre Forward etc.
Makes music in the background appear to be a masterstroke.
Happy memoties of Brian Clarke despite the bad times - 86/87 was particularly depressing (and I was out of work for much of it).
No he never seemed to know opposition players, Tblisi! He often couldn't get the opponents name right. I can remember one game away at Oxford, and I as painting my Dad's front door and porch and Clarkie kept saying "throw in to Watford...er., sorry Oxford" and "Corner to Watford...er, Oxford". He did it all game. He was describing a dire 0-0 draw between two poor sides, and the more he did it the more I p1ssed myself laughing (had to wipe paint off the window a couple of times).
Whatever his merits, I'll give him this. His voice conveyed the tension of the situation really well. He cared about City.
Loved the Jim and the Doc show. Used to listen to it as I walked down Oxford Rd towards Rusholme and Maine Rd - couldn't afford the bus in those days!
Jim was great and at least Doc was constructive and wasn't nasty about City ("Yer nid to bay at list two quality players" he'd say), unlike a lot of pundits nowadays eg Redknapp, Hansen.
. Sweeney was just annoying and smug, which is par for the course isn't it.
What I didn't love was "OHH! NOOO!", as it was invariably us on those away days - 21 months without an away win. It was better to be there seeing them lose, I have to say. It was a relief though on those ocasions when "OHH! NOOO!" went to Spotland or Burnden Park (Boy, Bolton were sh!t in those days!).
Whatever Brian Clarke now, is doing I wish him well. Glad to hear he is still alive and in circulation.
