Club football commentators are naturally one sided and partisan.
So I have sympathy for young Motherwell TV broadcaster Luke Irons, whose reaction to their late winner against Dundee United in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final last Friday night prompted some complaints.
Any blame attached lies with Premier Sports.
They charged viewers £9.99 but streamed out the home side’s in-house commentary instead of producing their own coverage.
It’s claimed Premier Sports – who are said to be reviewing the arrangement – ask club commentators to be impartial during such matches [no issues were raised with the Fir Park side in the aftermath of the game].
But that’s a ludicrous situation to put any volunteers with the microphone in; they’re essentially just fans of their home team and will naturally want their own club to win.
‘On the cheap’
Premier Sports will have struggled to find enough commentators for all matches having streamed more than 30 extra cup games online in 2024.
But they should have factored that into their bid for the rights instead of trying to do things on the cheap.
Almost all clubs provide a match day service to fans, with many teams having international subscribers as well as UK viewers.
Some of their commentators are excellent – but there’s a difference between them and the big-hitting broadcast teams who are expected to be neutral.
Motherwell TV’s Luke is a good commentator and if he has any concerns about breaking into the professional game because of this episode, he shouldn’t.
If he takes up the mic professionally, he’ll be expected to be completely impartial – but last weekend he did nothing wrong.
Dundee United, meanwhile, have lost two in a row but fourth in the league after five games is a good return for a promoted team.
Dundee in seventh spot haven’t kicked on in the way some fans hoped.
But between losing midfield talisman Luke McCowan, suffering a couple of key injuries, waiting for some new loan players to hit form, and continuing to gift soft goals, the team is still a work in progress.
Top flight trade-off
Jim Goodwin’s approach is too cautious for some United fans, and I’d like to see them giving both Louis Moult and Jort Van der Sande a run together to work opposing defenders harder and add to the team’s meagre goals tally.
But defensively Utd have been solid, and that’s the trade-off between football which isn’t overly inspiring and cementing their place in the top flight.
Fans are entitled to have high expectations but any Arabs and Dees currently disgruntled at current fortunes might take heart from Hearts grim position propping up the table.
A clear third last season behind the Old Firm, and with a budget probably equal to or more than Dundee and United combined, their season already lies in ruins with the manager sacked and fans in volatile mood.
By comparison things at Dens and Tannadice look tickety-boo.
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