CONFIMRED - The final countdown

[Crusader Royal]

That sounds horrendous.

Obvious answer is to rename it the Ian Royal show and broadcast it live from Cambridge !
Ticks all the boxes….

Ticks none of the boxes

Modest as well !

[Sutekh]

Ady I can live with - at least there’s some life there.

I can't stand Ady personally

Listen, without a shadow of a doubt, Mick is past his sell by date.
Glen is a gas bag. Jem Karacan puts them both to shame.

Agree to all of this

As for Rita on the texts … nerves, gabble, stutter, cliche and false jollity. First to go in the revamp.

Rita is like an old woolly auntie who is so stupidly upbeat that it is hard to listen to. Especially difficult when things are bleak (more bleak than usual). Hearing her popup saying "we've got lots of texts and tweets.... David from Thatcham says he had a great day out and is enjoying getting to bed nice and early this evening". snoooooze
...

They had a female on recently, a player I think - Charlie, or something? She was excellent and I really liked her. She seemed very authentic and grounded.

That'll be Charlie Estcourt. She talks 'propa' and dissects the game really well. Big it up for Charlie

[Hiram K Hackenbacker]

… has anyone tuned into to the sky red button commentary for the midweek televised games. Now that is garbage.

I agree

[RG30]

M&A Murmurs

Reading’s on-again, off-again (but mainly off-again) takeover is… off again.

“The club can confirm exclusivity with the buyer cited previously has now expired,” they said in a statement.

“Discussions with alternatives are underway with the focus remaining to sell to a buyer who has the intent and resource to take the club forward. Several credible bidders have declared interest, some with experience in navigating football transactions, and the club are working with all relevant stakeholders to agree terms at the earliest opportunity.”

“Whilst the club acknowledges the previously failed transactions are disappointing for everyone, especially our supporters, it is anticipated the legal and due diligence work completed so far will prove advantageous when trying to move new bids forward. Despite funding concerns last month, the club can confirm HMRC and staff wages were fulfilled on time with Mr Dai contributing funds towards this.”

FootBiz understands that Paul Taylor retains an interest in buying the club but would have to do so as an individual rather than through his company. As the statement says, his exclusivity has expired, and the word is that a newer group are now in pole position and considered the closest to reaching exclusive negotiations.

With how this process has gone, achieving exclusivity is far from a guarantee of a deal.
Despite having an incredibly young squad, the Royals have somewhat overachieved on the pitch this season. New boss Noel Hunt has them close to the playoffs and hoping to cling on for a chance of promotion after Ruben Selles jumped ship to Hull City, but his job was made more difficult by the forced sales of Sam Smith and Tyler Bindon in January. Bindon will at least return to the club on loan.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Ah, I like Tim Dellor. Him, Mick and Ady are a bit like annoying uncles with their dad jokes and inane blabber but I dunno, I find there’s a wholesome charm to it. I think they generally do a good job at conveying a visual game audibly. They all appear to care about Reading, which comes through.

Perhaps structurally they could integrate more of the off-field stuff into the match broadcast rather than cover it in the preamble before KO, and they have fallen into the trap of thinking opinions from listeners are interesting enough to dedicate way too much time reading out pointless shite (come on Reet, sift through all the “Dave from Whitley says we need to win games if we want to get points as the more points we get the higher up the table we will finish! Come on you Rs!” bullshit and pick a couple of decent questions for the lads).

So yeah, might be in the minority (at least, on here) but for me the guys add to the fun of listening to Reading. Compared to other local broadcasts I have heard - which are pretty dull and soulless affairs - Dellor comes out pretty well. I think there is a knack to radio commentary that perhaps people don’t always appreciate.

Biggest gripe is the responsibility of local radio to give traffic updates every ten minutes (do people still rely on the radio for traffic these days?) and Ady jumping from football to horse racing at half time (I oxf*rd hate horse racing and the people who enable it, but also want to keep the focus on what I tuned in for). But I’ll be sad when the team changes.

Trying to think of ex Readings I have liked commentating. Quite like Blakey, but more for his spark than expertise. Seem to remember Jobi coming across well.

[Sutekh]

Ah, I like Tim Dellor. Him, Mick and Ady are a bit like annoying uncles with their dad jokes and inane blabber but I dunno, I find there’s a wholesome charm to it. I think they generally do a good job at conveying a visual game audibly. They all appear to care about Reading, which comes through.

Perhaps structurally they could integrate more of the off-field stuff into the match broadcast rather than cover it in the preamble before KO, and they have fallen into the trap of thinking opinions from listeners are interesting enough to dedicate way too much time reading out pointless shite (come on Reet, sift through all the “Dave from Whitley says we need to win games if we want to get points as the more points we get the higher up the table we will finish! Come on you Rs!” bullshit and pick a couple of decent questions for the lads).

So yeah, might be in the minority (at least, on here) but for me the guys add to the fun of listening to Reading. Compared to other local broadcasts I have heard - which are pretty dull and soulless affairs - Dellor comes out pretty well. I think there is a knack to radio commentary that perhaps people don’t always appreciate.

Biggest gripe is the responsibility of local radio to give traffic updates every ten minutes (do people still rely on the radio for traffic these days?) and Ady jumping from football to horse racing at half time (I oxf*rd hate horse racing and the people who enable it, but also want to keep the focus on what I tuned in for). But I’ll be sad when the team changes.

Trying to think of ex Readings I have liked commentating. Quite like Blakey, but more for his spark than expertise. Seem to remember Jobi coming across well.

They didn’t appreciate the Wrexham rearrangement as it interrupts their annual horse fetish at Cheltenham.

[tidus_mi2]

I don't hate the BBCRB team but they do get on my nerves sometimes and they seem to have old views of football, it might be beneficial to freshen it up.

Don't like when they have their own little chats rather than covering the game, don't like every time Mick mentions a linesman not raising their flag, personally I find it better they allow the current play to continue rather than raising the flag and players reacting and stopping. That said, it feels a bit pointless to do when the EFL currently doesn't use VAR and the referee will nearly always revert to the linesman's decision.

Went on a tangent there but last but not least, Ady is probably my least favourite, always seems to be looking to stir up reactions with nonsense.

[Forbury Lion]

Perhaps structurally they could integrate more of the off-field stuff into the match broadcast rather than cover it in the preamble before KO

Maybe they could get an interview with someone involved in football takeovers or a football finance expert who can asses the Reading situation and give some plausible suggestions as to why the club isn't selling etc (to be fair, I think we all know who the problem is, but always good to hear form someone better educated on the matters)

[Mid Sussex Royal]

I agree with most posts that suggesting Berks needs freshening up....they've had the gig unopposed too long. I suggested this nicely to Dellor on X at the start of the season and was blocked.

Williams comes over as a bit thick unless his role is to deliberately act like a clown.

Gooding is dull and out of touch with modern football and if he can't be bothered to keep up to date he should stick to estate agency work.

Agree Jobi was amazing when on a couple of times, knowledgeable and articulate, the complete opposite of the above two, which is now why he's on national TV.

All in all its amteurish, remember listening in to Cardiff radio at start of the season, and they all knew about our squad and Selles for a meaningless pre season friendly. Its clear Gooding & Williams do no research on the opposition which I'd expect.

[Crusader Royal]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?
For me football is about being at the game, if I’m not there I’m not actually interested in listening to someone else’s filtered experience. I’ll check on the score a couple of times but spending 90 mins getting a partial description just has no appeal.
I also rarely if ever watch games on the tv, again it just doesn’t provide what for me are the essential elements of the game
I accept I am probably just odd. I don’t like Tim Dellor though.

[Forbury Lion]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?

I tend not to, I'm either at the game or doing something else, If it's an important fixture and I can't be there I might tune in if it's not on TV.
I listen to the pre-match and post-match coverage on the way to and from the stadium though.

[Esteban]

I could always tolerate BBCRB coverage, but there was an occasion a couple of years ago when Dellor couldn't cover a game for some reason. IIRC, Jack Winstanley stood in for Tim and the difference was chalk and cheese. It's never a good look when your less experienced colleague does a far better job than you.

[tidus_mi2]

If I could not listen to the commentary that would be great as I really don't enjoy their coverage, perhaps I will just remove my BBCRB subscription and stop listening as hopefully lower listening numbers/subscriptions will send a message to the BBCRB management team, the fact is, if you're not at a game the only way to follow it with a Reading bias is through BBCRB and I hope that doesn't give people the impression Tim/Mick/Ady are doing a good job.

[Snowflake Royal]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?
For me football is about being at the game, if I’m not there I’m not actually interested in listening to someone else’s filtered experience. I’ll check on the score a couple of times but spending 90 mins getting a partial description just has no appeal.
I also rarely if ever watch games on the tv, again it just doesn’t provide what for me are the essential elements of the game
I accept I am probably just odd. I don’t like Tim Dellor though.

I watch the game remotely, and there's just something very wrong with football on mute.

[Pepe the Horseman]

M&A Murmurs

Reading’s on-again, off-again (but mainly off-again) takeover is… off again.

“The club can confirm exclusivity with the buyer cited previously has now expired,” they said in a statement.

“Discussions with alternatives are underway with the focus remaining to sell to a buyer who has the intent and resource to take the club forward. Several credible bidders have declared interest, some with experience in navigating football transactions, and the club are working with all relevant stakeholders to agree terms at the earliest opportunity.”

“Whilst the club acknowledges the previously failed transactions are disappointing for everyone, especially our supporters, it is anticipated the legal and due diligence work completed so far will prove advantageous when trying to move new bids forward. Despite funding concerns last month, the club can confirm HMRC and staff wages were fulfilled on time with Mr Dai contributing funds towards this.”

FootBiz understands that Paul Taylor retains an interest in buying the club but would have to do so as an individual rather than through his company. As the statement says, his exclusivity has expired, and the word is that a newer group are now in pole position and considered the closest to reaching exclusive negotiations.

With how this process has gone, achieving exclusivity is far from a guarantee of a deal.
Despite having an incredibly young squad, the Royals have somewhat overachieved on the pitch this season. New boss Noel Hunt has them close to the playoffs and hoping to cling on for a chance of promotion after Ruben Selles jumped ship to Hull City, but his job was made more difficult by the forced sales of Sam Smith and Tyler Bindon in January. Bindon will at least return to the club on loan.

Off topic m8, this is the BBC Berks thread.

[Snowflake Royal]

M&A Murmurs

Reading’s on-again, off-again (but mainly off-again) takeover is… off again.

“The club can confirm exclusivity with the buyer cited previously has now expired,” they said in a statement.

“Discussions with alternatives are underway with the focus remaining to sell to a buyer who has the intent and resource to take the club forward. Several credible bidders have declared interest, some with experience in navigating football transactions, and the club are working with all relevant stakeholders to agree terms at the earliest opportunity.”

“Whilst the club acknowledges the previously failed transactions are disappointing for everyone, especially our supporters, it is anticipated the legal and due diligence work completed so far will prove advantageous when trying to move new bids forward. Despite funding concerns last month, the club can confirm HMRC and staff wages were fulfilled on time with Mr Dai contributing funds towards this.”

FootBiz understands that Paul Taylor retains an interest in buying the club but would have to do so as an individual rather than through his company. As the statement says, his exclusivity has expired, and the word is that a newer group are now in pole position and considered the closest to reaching exclusive negotiations.

With how this process has gone, achieving exclusivity is far from a guarantee of a deal.
Despite having an incredibly young squad, the Royals have somewhat overachieved on the pitch this season. New boss Noel Hunt has them close to the playoffs and hoping to cling on for a chance of promotion after Ruben Selles jumped ship to Hull City, but his job was made more difficult by the forced sales of Sam Smith and Tyler Bindon in January. Bindon will at least return to the club on loan.

Off topic m8, this is the BBC Berks thread.

We've got to fill the cycle some how. We're back to the two to three week post exclusivity failing silence before we get another exclusivity, silence for two to three months, the exclusivity ending without a deal, etc.

[Hound]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?
For me football is about being at the game, if I’m not there I’m not actually interested in listening to someone else’s filtered experience. I’ll check on the score a couple of times but spending 90 mins getting a partial description just has no appeal.
I also rarely if ever watch games on the tv, again it just doesn’t provide what for me are the essential elements of the game
I accept I am probably just odd. I don’t like Tim Dellor though.

I watch the game remotely, and there's just something very wrong with football on mute.

I don’t find that the case, quite regularly have it on mute. And other sports as well. I’d much rather that than having to listen to terrible commentators

[Crusader Royal]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?
For me football is about being at the game, if I’m not there I’m not actually interested in listening to someone else’s filtered experience. I’ll check on the score a couple of times but spending 90 mins getting a partial description just has no appeal.
I also rarely if ever watch games on the tv, again it just doesn’t provide what for me are the essential elements of the game
I accept I am probably just odd. I don’t like Tim Dellor though.

I watch the game remotely, and there's just something very wrong with football on mute.

I have never been at a game and thought ‘ I wish I could have a couple of idiots chattering away about some bits of the game while I watch’.
So needing a couple of idiots chattering away while you watch remotely doesn’t chime with me.
May as well just put Radio 4 on if you need some vocals. At least they will only be irrelevant rather than irrelevant and inaccurate.

[Snowflake Royal]

Am I alone in just not listening to football commentary on the radio ?
For me football is about being at the game, if I’m not there I’m not actually interested in listening to someone else’s filtered experience. I’ll check on the score a couple of times but spending 90 mins getting a partial description just has no appeal.
I also rarely if ever watch games on the tv, again it just doesn’t provide what for me are the essential elements of the game
I accept I am probably just odd. I don’t like Tim Dellor though.

I watch the game remotely, and there's just something very wrong with football on mute.

I have never been at a game and thought ‘ I wish I could have a couple of idiots chattering away about some bits of the game while I watch’.
So needing a couple of idiots chattering away while you watch remotely doesn’t chime with me.
May as well just put Radio 4 on if you need some vocals. At least they will only be irrelevant rather than irrelevant and inaccurate.

It's not having the sound of the idiots, its having silence from the match.

[Sutekh]

I could always tolerate BBCRB coverage, but there was an occasion a couple of years ago when Dellor couldn't cover a game for some reason. IIRC, Jack Winstanley stood in for Tim and the difference was chalk and cheese. It's never a good look when your less experienced colleague does a far better job than you.

Jonny Saunders normally gets the gig when Tim is somewhere else. Saunders is far superior to Tim. But then Jonny is both local and good enough for national radio.

Seem to remember John Southall being the main commentator back when it was Thames Valley FM and the early days of Berks - he covered the last game at EP IIRC.