I think after reading Tommy Smyths chat , that he deserves a shot at a NATS game. He did very well during the World Cup. The non soccer people who I knew loved him. Tommy got a lot of air, and face time , and won lots of new fans. He could be the one to help the ratings grow. The US has friendlys coming up, what could ESPN lose by giving him a game or two. Its not like he does not know the game. I say forget the accent, give the old onion bag a shot.
I saw that he also said in the chat that it was one of his dreams to do the nats. I'd like to hear Clint put a bulge in the ol' onion bag.
Couldn't agree less. He always rips the US team and their quality of player. I love the Irish and am even an Irish citizen but we need US born announcers (as well as coaches, refs, administrators, heck mascots too) in order to improve our game domestically.
What does the nationality of an announcer have to do with improving soccer in America? The goal should be to get ratings up, and the key to doing that is to hire top-caliber broadcast talent. I happen to think Lalas would do an excellent job, but Smyth would be a great choice as well. I don't know what it is about Keough, but he justs lacks that extra something that makes for an excellent announcer. In my opinion, the quality of announcing has its biggest effect on the ratings of moderately interesting matches. About anyone could announce a great game and people would stay tuned. And about anyone could announce a dreadfully dull long-ball match and most everyone but the most die-hard would change the channel. But for the vast majority of games that are moderately interesting -- well that's where a great announcer can keep folks tuned in, while a so-so announcer may find some of his audience channel surfing to see if something better's on.
Jack Edwards had lots of enthusiasm which was good for US Soccer. Tommy Smyth has both enthusiam and good soccer knowledge which was something Edwards was a bit short on. I hope Tommy gets a shot at it.
I have to agree with you. He is not the USMNT biggest fan. That being said, some of the things that he rips them on in my mind is relatively justified. He was screaming well pretty much all throughout the Cup that the Irish left back (plays for leeds, completely drawing a blank right now) will get exposed for being sub par from the rest of the team. He was. I think he is just calling it how he sees it. He constantly refers to the need of the USMNT to improve. I couldn't agree more. Give the ol' onion bag a shot.
Kinda like a soccer version of Howard Cosell and we all know that any sport that Howard worked with improved in it's national standing and public interest. Not saying that Tommy would have that kind of impact but any straight from the hip, calls it like he sees it character could be a help.
Tommy Smyth shoots from the hip.Dont ever think that he will be a cheerleader, that will never happen. Did you hear him , on the Roy Keane , Mick mc Carty affair. Tommy ripped the two of them.I think its great he rips players , and knows why he does it. OK he is not righ 100% of the time , but he has great insight.As someone already said, he had a real go at Ian Harte, but he was right Harte was terrible at the WC. I think its very small minded , to say dont give the guy the job, because he has an Irish accent. To me thats the reason we never heard him get a chance. I think the people involved should think again, in my mind Smyth deserves a chance to do some games.
I always feel like I get two games when Tommy Smyth makes the call: the one I'm watching and the one he's calling. In the Champions League, Mike Hill is the one doing the play by play, while Tommy is the color guy. We have a pretty good announcer in JP Dellacamera. I like Tommy in the studio as a pre-game/half time guy, but I wouldn't want him calling the entire match.
Call me crazy, but I always wondered what it would be like to have Andres Cantor call an MLS game in english. I know that he called the Olympics with Lalas, but if remember correctly most people didn't agree with it. But if he got a couple MLS games under his belt, I'm sure he could be pretty good. Imagine the excitement and emotion he could put into a game with his patented goal calls.
TAB RAMOS he knows plenty about soccer, has no English accent, and is an identifiable(sp?) figure to soccer people. I never knew he had any interest to call games in the booth, but Jeff Bradley mentioned his name in his article, so there must be some interest. I think this gut deserves a shot, not to mention he's one of my favorite players all-time
Come on, how great was it when Jackie Stewart announced auto racing back in the day? That was the best!
I love it when he does th CL games. It is great to hear guys who make moe than the combined USMNT get ripped. Cantor's emotion did not work well in English. Hispanic radio announcers can make opening a can of paint sound exciting. For some reason Cantor and English broadcasts did not work out. If anyone has a copy of the Olympic games, watch them, and you will see what I mean.
Exactly...to SOCCER people. IMO, having a guy like Tommy Smyth in the booth will expand your audience, just because people find him entertaining. No middle of the road fan is going to tune in to see what Tab has to say, I hate to break it to you. Think of it like Dick Vitale...how much is he identified with College hoops?? Even Bill Raftery to a lesser extent...or John Madden with the NFL. Play-by-play guys are so supposed to be accurate, eloquent, and give you the facts...color analysts need to colorfull...Tommy is that. I always felt Tommy and JP would be the most explosive combo...
Exactly. Look, pretty much everyone who posts here is going to watch USMNT matches regardless of who's in the booth. In order to grow, ESPN has to cater to the mainstream, not us (well, to the point that they're not alienating the hard core fans). My non-soccer friends loved him, calling him the Leprechaun. But for whatever reason, Ty "Dude, You're Getting A Card" Keough has some clout with US Soccer and apparently won't be giving up the color analyst seat any time soon, which if true, is unfortunate.
Listening to someone with an accent helps in making things more interesting. I may survive through church when it is the Irish or Indian priest but I'm asleep for the Americans
I would also think Tommy Smyth would be tremendous for tuning in more casual sports fan into the matches. He was a HUGE hit on Tony Kornheiser's ESPN Radio show. T.K. is far from a soccer junkie but he absolutely loved having Tommy on his radio show and PTI during the World Cup.
I agree that Tommy Smyth should get a shot calling U.S. games. He can be a know-it-all at times, but for the most part he can be relied on for good commentary as well as the occasional moment of comedic brilliance. For example, I remember him telling JP "and I've always said if me mother had two wheels she'd be a bicycle" and then proceeding to laugh uproariously at his own joke. I also agree that if anything his accent will endear him to the casual viewer. People love Irish accents. They're funny and fun to imitate. Bottom line: he's better than Ty.