2018 will see two of the greatest broadcasters in sport hang up the microphone for the last time bringing an end to over four decades of broadcasting brilliance that have provided unforgettable moments and magnificent memories for millions.
With John Motson commentating on his last fixtures for Match of the Day and Radio 5 Live earlier in 2018 and Barry Davies ending his long-running Wimbledon commitments in July it will finally bring the curtain down on a dulcet duopoly like no other which even had armchair fans debating: “who do you prefer, Motty or Barry?”
Though their commentating styles were very different their routes into broadcasting were not. Starting out in 1966 Davies began his career with British Forces Broadcasting while carrying out his National Service in West Germany.
On returning home he worked as a sports journalist at The Times before making his first appearance in the commentary box for ITV to cover a Fairs Cup tie between Chelsea and A.C. Milan in February 1966 before covering much of that summer’s World Cup prior to joining the BBC in 1969.
Motson also started out in print media, working as a local reporter in North London and then as a football correspondent for the Sheffield Morning Telegraph before joining the BBC in 1968 to work as a radio commentator on Radio 2 and then securing a regular commentary spot on Match of the Day in 1971.
And so began one of the greatest periods in British Broadcasting as the two titans of television set about describing the most exciting and colourful period English football had ever witnessed in their own inimitable style and everyone who watched football at the time had their favourite it seemed.
Not quite The Beatles or The Bay City Rollers but fans tended to be firmly in one camp or the other as the pair brought the art of commentating to the fore at a time when most were happy to remain anonymous or be conspicuous due to the fact that nobody knew who they were.
Motty was very much the excitable schoolboy with a cuddly and friendly demeanour and more than happy to let others laugh at his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game while never being afraid to let his enthusiasm show through in an era when, apart from the likes of David Coleman and Brian Moore, commentary was pretty monosyllabic.
No better example was the 1972 FA Cup replay between Hereford United and Newcastle United, which was essentially Motson’s big break in TV commentary: "Radford again. OH WHAT A GOAL! What a goal! Radford the scorer!" he yelped before observing: “The crowd are invading the field and it will take some time to clear it!” as hordes of parka-clad kids run on to the cabbage patch of a pitch to celebrate.
In stark contrast, Barry Davies was almost everything that Motson, with his trademark sheepskin coat, wasn’t and looked to intellectualise the game wherever he could, often opting for the less-is-more approach while constructing his sentences a little more thoughtfully to describe what he and the rest of us were seeing.
That’s not to say Davies couldn’t do enthusiastic. His: “Interesting … very interesting! Look at his face! Just look at his face!” was his reaction to a Franny Lee’s goal for Derby on his return to his beloved Maine Road in 1974 and still one of the most quoted lines in sport while also providing the title for his 2008 autobiography.
But Davies was a broadcaster first and a commentator second, something which became evident on May 29, 1985 when he was due to commentate on the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels and ended up reporting on a major disaster which ultimately claimed 39 lives.
With the BBC deciding to show much of those horrific images as they unfolded live that night as millions watched it’s difficult to imagine anyone better to describe the horror in a more tactful and professional manner; but his sombre tone and carefully considered words, along with many long and powerful pauses, justified their decision.
Their conflicting styles would ultimately impact on their career paths with the Beeb seemingly favouring Motson’s knowledgeable nerd with a story to tell style over Davies’s more clinical and calculated approach when it came to their football coverage, with Motty regularly being awarded the FA Cup and World Cup final over his friend and rival.
Even so, Davies’s adaptability and willingness to learn would not just see him attend 10 World Cups but also commentate at 12 Summer Olympics as well as covering a wide range of sports including hockey, gymnastics, figure skating, the boat race and tennis, not to mention The Jump on Saturday night evenings.
Perhaps it’s only fitting that Motson said his goodbyes ahead of Davies, a man who for much of his career has had to wait his turn in the shadows of the great sheep skinned one, while conducting himself with dignity at all times; but what is sure is that without Barry there probably would have been no Motty and the fact that the pair will no longer grace our screens is a loss to everyone of a certain age.
What can you say? Well, how about: quite magnificent...
