David Powell says that ITV’s coverage of the match was enlivened by the commentary team.
Half an hour before kick-off, Jeff Farmer, ITV’s executive producer, showed no nervousness in his voice, but the need to put on an entertaining performance was undeniable. “From a professional point of view, this is what we have been involved in the Champions’ League for,” Farmer said. “It is why we have signed an expensive new contract for another four years, beginning next year, and they do not come much bigger than this.” ITV could not afford to make a hash of it.
Once again we get to reminisce about my “Name on the Trophy” blog from last September, when I wrote about three e-mails I found from back on the 26th May 2004.
The e-mails were entitled “Name on the Trophy!!! 26/05/1999 (1), (2) and (3)” and it was a load of quotes from the world of TV commentary from the day, as well as various newspaper reports from the days after the event. Below then is another one, enjoy reading them. I have.
“We have been waiting seven years for this night, since we started covering the Champions’ League from its inception in 1992-93, and we are waiting for the match as eagerly as the most avid Manchester United fan,” Farmer continued. “We all become Manchester United fans tonight.” By the climax of the evening, the evidence was in place. You could not see the red flags in the commentary box, but you knew they were there.
The outpouring began three minutes from time. Until then, the bias had been gentle. Now everything changed. “Of all the people you wanted that chance to fall to, Dwight Yorke was that man,” Clive Tyldesley, the match commentator said, by way of getting the ball rolling. “If they can equalise, I think they will go on to win this,” Ron Atkinson responded. “Oh yeah?” the pessimists among us thought.
Anxiety grew. “We are in the last of the 90 minutes,” Tyldesley said. “What we need now is the fourth official to hold the board up with about 20 on it.” We got three. Immediately Tyldesley responded: “Can Manchester United score? They always score.” Tyldesley should know. He has statistics at his disposal that would make John Motson jealous. More of that in a moment.
As we were saying. Or rather, as Tyldesley was saying: “They always score.” As he said it, the ball went for a corner with 90 minutes up on the clock in the corner of the screen. Beckham’s corner, to Yorke, to Giggs, to Sheringham. Goal. Then, almost before Tyldesley could say golden goal, Solskjaer had scored the winner.
On the sidelines, Lothar Matthäus, having been substituted with Bayern Munich holding one hand on the cup, looked stunned. “What is Matthäus thinking?” Tyldesley asked. “With the greatest of respect, who cares?”
Tyldesley and Atkinson celebrated with every United jig as the players took their applause around the pitch. A camera cut to a Bayern fan, whose face told the story. “Five minutes before the end of the game, that was the face of a Manchester United fan,” Tyldesley noted. And how right he was.
One could forgive Tyldesley if, occasionally, he got bogged down in minutiae, such as: “The Bayern Munich coach is bidding to become only the second man to win the trophy with two clubs . . . there has only been one game this season in which Manchester United have failed to score . . . Solskjaer has got 17 goals this season, he would be the leading scorer at 14 Premiership clubs.”
Yet detailed research can be more the just a crutch for a commentator. It can help illuminate the most dramatic of moments. “Not everybody is smiling,” Tyldesley said. “It is going to cost the bookmakers about £10 million. They were 80-1 for the treble at the start of the season.”
Somewhere between England’s World Cup defeat by Argentina and last night, football lost some eight million viewers. The average viewing figure for that England game on ITV was 23.7 million, more than double the 9.7 million who saw the FA Cup Final on ITV last Saturday.
“This is the biggest club game in the history of British football and we are hoping for 15 million plus, peaking somewhere between 15 and 18 million,” Farmer had said. “We have got our first team out with Clive Tyldesley and Ron Atkinson, Bob Wilson, Terry Venables and Ruud Gullit.” Long may Tyldesley be playing at centre forward.
#24 Tyldesley talks an impressive game – THE TIMES
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