Motson, Coleman, Davies, Moore and Jones - Sportsmail's guide to the greatest TV and radio commentators of all time

By Mark Lawford
Updated: 07:26 EST, 25 November 2008

The knives are out for Match of The Day commentator Jacqui Oatley - yet again - after another high-pitched display at the weekend.

Her decibel-mongous shrieking as Mamady Sidibe netted the winner for Stoke against West Brom on Saturday has got the football purists yet once more insisting that a woman's place is in the kitchen and not behind the mic at a football match.

Or at the very least, in a studio, linking from match to match and letting the real experts - ie men - do all the work at the coalface with the correct amount of gravitas and noise levels.

It's there: But did Mamady Sidibe's goal for Stoke deserve such a shriek from Jacqui Oatley?

But is she that bad and are men that much better? Or is that a woman commentating on a match is not the norm and won't make the hairs on the back on your neck stand up when a great goal or moment is described?

And could anyone be more high-pitched than an excited Brian Moore on The Big Match or Barry Davies when Francis Lee made the net bulge?

• OATLEY UNDER THE COSH AS BEEB SLAMMED AGAIN
  

And those who can remember John Motson's finest hour - his commentary on the France v Spain 1984 Euro 84 Final - may still wake up in the night with tinnitus drowning out the wife's snoring.

Anyhow, it got Sportsmail thinking - if Ms Oatley is that bad, who were the best football commentators of all time...the ones you turned off ITV to watch BBC for (or vice versa) when both stations showed the same match.

• HAVE YOUR SAY: IS IT TIME FOR
  JACKIE O' TO GO?

Or the ones you turned off TV commentary in favour of the radio.

We trawled the depths and came up with some big hitters and some small tappers and can now reveal the definitive guide to the man in the box. The ones, who like all good centre forwards, were in the right place at the right time, and whose words of wisdom are every bit as good as the action itself.

However, if  you think any different and want to let us know your favourites, e-mail us at:

Motty who? This is my favourite football commentator

JOHN MOTSON

Few people can have divided the footballing public more than Motty. To some he is the only football commentator to others just a stats-obsessed fan with a thick coat on and the best seat in the house.

However, from the time he exploded onto the small screen in February 1972 with one of the biggest FA Cup shocks of all time - Hereford 2 Newcastle 1 - Motty's place in football folklore was guaranteed.

EDGAR STREET INVASION ... HOW IT ALL BEGAN FOR MOTTY

His short, sweet description of Alan Mullery's goal of the season in 1974 graced the opening credits of Match of the Day for the following season.

CRAVEN DELIGHT: MOTTY ON MULLERS

Poor old Motty had to do two World Cups without England as Scotland became the Beeb's surrogate babe but when unleashed on three home international sides in 1982 (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland), he captured one of those neck hair moments perfectly...

ARMSTRONG ... WERE SPAIN THE WORST-EVER WORLD CUP HOSTS?

Normal service for Motty was resumed at the Euro 1984 Championships with not a single British or Irish side involved but his passionate commentary on the final when France beat Portugal 3-2 with a Michel Platini hat-trick in the semi-final was arguably his greatest moment. Sadly, the tournament was largely ignored as Bobby Robson's boys sunned themselves so there's no footage of Motty in ear-piercing action.

Cup Finals and major tournaments came and went for the great man but it was all much of a muchness until THAT night in Munich in September 2001...

I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ENGLAND HAVE WON 5-1 IN GERMANY THIS MONTH

And if that wasn't enough, Motty barely had time to get his voice back before we were all off to Old Trafford for the World Cup qualifier against Greece. England were rubbish, Beckham's free-kick wasn't and a delighted Motty booked his flight to Japan with glee.

ONE-MAN TEAM - TWO IF YOU INCLUDE MOTSON

DAVID COLEMAN

Covered every sport and major event - did 16 World Cups and Olympic Games - and when he was there, you knew it was a big occasion. His was the Leeds Don Revie era, and he was there in 1973 letting the shock do that talking when Sunderland beat Leeds 1-0 in the FA Cup Final.

PORTERFIELD ... THEN SILENCE ... COLEMAN'S FA CUP CLASSIC

Coleman made the news more for his mistakes and slips of the tongue than for his commentaries at times but he had the knack of making any sporting event the biggest ever when he was at the mic. Lampooned mercilessly by Spitting Image, he was however, completely professional.

And  don't be put off by the friendly Question of Sport comfy pullover persona. He could be a pitbull.

CAMERAMAN FEELS THE LASH OF COLEMAN'S TONGUE

BARRY DAVIES

On his day could outdo any soprano but probably never got the recognition he deserved as a football commentator because he covered many other sports. His 1988 Olympics commentary when GB won team gold in the hockey 'Where was the Germany defence but who cares?,' is him at his jingoistic best.

But  he captured two Match of the Day Goals of the Season, stunning strikes from unfashionable clubs...

TANGERINE DREAM: WALSH SINKS BLACK CATS

CANARIES IN A COALMINE DESPITE THIS FASH CLASSIC

But perhaps Davies is best-known for two shrill moments that not even Ms Oatley coudl aspire to. The first being when Francis Lee scored for Derby against his old club Manchester City ...

LOOK AT HIS FACE...AND LISTEN TO MY VOICE BREAK

FRANNY DELIGHT

...and the second was Paul Gascoigne's 35-yard wonder free-kick goal for Spurs against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final.

BOY'S OWN STUFF - JUST TURN DOWN THE VOLUME

BRIAN MOORE

Now here was a truly great commentator. A Gillingham fan who made The Big Match his own in the 60, 70s and 80s and one whose passion elevated many a humdrum Midlands derby to cult status by insisting: 'There's still plenty of excitement to come in this match' even though fans were leaving in droves by half-time to watch The Antiques Road Show.

His description of Michael Owen's goal against Argentina in 1998 was made into a T-shirt and his words of wisdom on the 18-year-old's wonder strike bring a tear to the eye.

But Moore-o, shamelessly branded the best commentator of all-time by close friend Ron Atkinson, is best known for being at Anfield THAT night in 1989 when Arsenal won the League title with a last-gasp goal against a Liverpool side who would have won it if the Gunners failed to win by two goals.

What a night,  what a goal but what a commentator to be there at arguably domestic football's most dramatic moment - just weeks after Hillsborough, Moore got it right as ever. Sadly, Moore died on one of English football's greatest days - the 5-1 defeat of Germany in Munich, September 1 2001.

IT'S UP FOR GRABS NOW...COMB THOSE NECK HAIRS

PETER JONES

The world of radio was invented for Peter Jones. A true all-rounder, he died in 1990 while commentating at the Boat Race but his football legacy is a rich one.

His summing-up of the Hillsborough disaster hours after the event remains to this day one of the most moving and powerful commentaries ever, while his regular claims that a shot flew '50,000 miles over the bar' gave listeners the perfect verbal picture as to just how bad an effort it was.

But, alongside the equally-legendary Bryon Butler, the two guided BBC Radio 2 through midweek sports specials and commentaries from the likes of Bratislava on lines so crackly they could have been on Mars.

His crowning moment was possibly the hectic 1979 FA Cup Final, Arsenal v Manchester United, with all those goals in the last three minutes.

I DO NOT BELIEVE IT - JONES AT HIS BEST

And here's how he desribed Brian Moore's top moment, THAT Arsenal goal v Liverpool.

GOLDEN RADIO MOMENT

And what of the rest?

Kenneth Wolstenholme - He dominated the 60s and ushered in Match of the Day and will be the only commentator to ever describe an England World Cup win. Apart from the guy who was on ITV at the time, whose name eludes me and the rest of the footballing world. Always saw the game in black and white but gave colourful descriptions when the Beeb treated football with respect.

SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S ALL OVER

Jonathan Pearce - one of the new breed, a real high-note hitter who made his name on Capital Gold in the 1990s. Accused of too much Arsenal-doting during his London-based days, the big fella once (apparently) declared his real passion is Bristol City. Or was he just joking? Very happy to let the moment wash over him and surf the glory loudly thereafter.

EAR MUFFS AT THE READY PLEASE - THIS IS EAR-PEARCING

Alan Green - has made a career out of being straight-talking and upsetting Alex Ferguson. Some says he's anti-Man Utd but his description of the game that made Fergie a sir should dispel that rumour. Never afraid to speak his mind, he always calls a spade a shovel and match officials are never far away from a Greeny tongue-bashing.

GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME WINNER

Martin Tyler - one of Sky's main men and a seasoned campaigner.Usually operates in tandem with grizzled ex-Everton, Villa and Wolves frontman Andy Gray. Crowning moment was this year's Champions League Final between Chelsea and Manchester United as it was for ITV's Clive Tyldesley, a reported Man Utd lover. Both Tyler and Tyldesley earned their spurs on the Big Match too.

PENALTY KINGS - DELIGHT FOR CLIVE

Gerald Sinstadt - Regional Big Match commentator in the 1970s delivered many a great word from Maine Road but this great goal by the legendary Frank Worthington gave him most pleasure and it's worth watching one of the many great 70s showmen  who were so cruelly overlooked at international level show the Brazilians we knew a trick or two.

LET'S BE FRANK  - THIS IS BRILLIANT

Also worth a mention: Match of the Day back-up men Tony Gubba and Alan Weeks - the latter more at home covering Torvill and Dean and other winter olympic stuff - along with Hugh Johns the superb Midlands Big Match commentator whose 1966 World Cup Final commentary on ITV has been overlooked and forgotten. See. I remembered who it was. Better late than never.

And BBC Radio FiveLive's army of superb commentators - John Murray in particular - is led by Mike Ingham a man never afraid to mince words but who suffers from not being as blunt and controversial Alan Green and appears tame as a consequence.