¶ Intro / Opening
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¶ Welcome and Initial World Cup Overview
The Commentator's View
At the FIPA World Cup twenty twenty six.
Hello, it's the Football Daily. I'm Alistair Bruce Ball and this is the Commentators View where we five live commentators talk about the football, the words we use in football commentary and the places it takes us. on our travels, which is particularly pertinent with this episode, a very special episode today. We join you from the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, although strictly speaking us three, John, Murray, Ian Dennis both here with me.
are all in the good old US of A at the moment. John and Ian actually sitting in a room together, although I believe it's the first time you've seen each other. since arriving out here to cover the tournament and I am speaking to you from uh the ninth floor of the Hilton Fort Worth. So my next game uh is in Dallas.
Uh the next commentary I'm gonna be doing uh is in Dallas. So I'm in Fort Worth, which is not too far from Dallas. Uh blue skies, bright sunshine. You chaps though, you chaps are in New York, John.
We are. We're in uh New Jersey actually to be precise and I've just sat down next to Ian Dennis and this is the first time I've seen him at this World Cup. So I've literally honestly it's about two minutes ago. I've clocked eyes on you with this World Cup.
We've not seen each other since May.
No, and here we are.
Oh. And and we're we're recording this, so local time for me, I think I'm an hour behind you, so it's quarter to five. five here. So we're fifteen minutes away from Brazil, Scotland. So I've got that on in T V in the background here. So that's going on live while we record. So just gonna keep a little eye on that.
Um but how's it been? I mean, you know, we'll we'll get into all of it the games and the travels and the experiences and and and chat about England and Scotland uh of course in particular. But in terms of a sort of overall experience so far. Marks out of ten for the uh for the World Cup twenty twenty six?
Probably seven. Seven out of ten. Uh I don't know about John. My first well I've been in America for for over three weeks'cause I was in Orlando for uh and Tampa and West Palm Beach for the best part of a week and a half with England during the two warm up games. And then but for the start of the World Cup I I I came to New Jersey and I had a few days here. But it was at the same time where
The New York Knicks were about to win their first basketball MBL title in fifty three years and it didn't really feel as if the World Cup had started because it was being overshadowed a lot by you know, you walk into a bar and they're not showing the football, it was just the basketball.
And uh it was only when I went to Atlanta did I really start to get a bit of a that usual feel of a World Cup experience when you're travelling around and you get to see all the different supporters from the different nations. So for the th th the the the very start of the World Cup was a little bit uh little bit strange.
But it was the opposite for me because I started off in Mexico City for the opening match and it absolutely slapped me in the face right from the start that I was in the city that was going to host Mexico playing in their capital city in the first match of this World Cup.
And uh, you know, the atmosphere there was amazing. And i I w the one thing I would counter that with was It wasn't like the mix that we experienced in Moscow, for example, before the start of the World Cup, when it felt like the whole world was there.
f for Mexico City it felt like this was Mexico City's big event and and the country of Mexico and the number of replica shirts there and also the what it was like on the day of the opening match And what it was like on the evening after the opening match when Mexico had beaten South Africa was a real lifetime memory.
Yeah, yeah.
¶ Inside the Azteca: Atmosphere and History
And that as well. Absolutely that. Yeah. Yeah. The whole experience of of being in that stadium, Ali.
Yeah, I've been trying to listen to as much as I can via the BBC Sounds app over here to to sort of try and sample those other atmospheres that you're experiencing. In fact we we can we can play some of that right now, John. So this is you in the Azteca at that opening game.
What a noise inside the Azteca.
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Bypass. Mexican Air Force have just flown over the Azteca. And they've spewed out red, white and green as well. There's no mistake in where we are, Chris.
Oh it's it's some atmosphere.
Oh, helicopters have appeared! Helicopters! Carrying the flag of Mexico. Two helicopters making their way above the ice tank and a huge Mexican flag flapping away held by from a Leeds helicopter. This is what it's all about. This is the World Club.
Incredible sounds and y you brought that to life, John, so so brilliantly and I saw Chris Sutton's social media video. of the duck wearing the Mexican shirt waddling around, Chris with a a sombrero on as well. He's pro he's probably brought into headgear over here, Chris Sutton.
He has, and the thing about that was that what they did for the opening match was they left, you know, how many things we've seen left on seats for football fans, but I've never seen this before. It was like a sort of thin cardboard circle.
Which when you put it on your head made it look like you were wearing a sombrero. And the brilliant thing about that was when they scored the opening goal, which was in the first ten minutes, the Mexicans in the crowd all just threw their sombreros into the into the
Yeah.
And it r it really made me think back to you know, watching Argentina seventy eight with the ticker tape coming down. And it was just it felt like it was an a iconic experience to see that. And the funny thing was in the Azteca I actually left it until we recorded did you see the video I recorded when I went into the Azteca for the first time? That was my that was a genuine that was not Showbiz.
That was that was my genuine first experience of walking inside the stadium. And as I said at the time, my eyes were instantly drawn to the points on the pitch where Maradona started his run. And and also, you know, where where the hand of God goal happened, which was at the same end where Carlos Alberto scored. And he w'cause we'd been talking about it so much in the build up to this tournament, th those those famous, famous uh World Cup moments.
And just to see it and the funny thing about it was that there was a strange light in the stadium which made the pitch look very like it did when we were watching the T V pictures from eighty six all those years ago, which you've s Which I've sort of felt well that's probably the effect of T V. But with the naked eye it actually had that sort of translucent effect on the grass in the Azteca.
But I remember Chris Waddle telling me that the the the the actual grass in uh the Aztec is s is longer than than normal. And may maybe the it that that little the the extra length gives it that different I don't know, feel or look.
Yeah, it d entirely possible. Yeah. And it was a magical moment when Mexico scored early. Then the build up that morning, honestly, uh because it was a I think it was a one o'clock kickoff, wasn't it, local time? We left for the stadium six thirty in the morning. And I've not left for too many football grounds at six thirty in the morning. And uh and and because there was all sorts of um there were protests going on, the teachers were protesting.
you know, to to draw attention to their cause and a whole range of of other protests were taking place, the other unions joined in. So that was why we had to get there quite so early that morning. Um and I and and we just didn't know Chris Sutton was with us. Chris was quite skeptical about leaving at that time.
But it was absolutely the right thing to do to leave so early because people were flooding to the stadium. We got there before half seven in the morning, so it took us less than an hour. And the scenes outside the ground I mean, people thousands and thousands of people in the breastwicker shirts were queuing I sent you a a little video twixt signoritas you know, signoritas and uh and th and the sort of equivalent, the male equivalent.
We're all dressed up, walk along the streets and in the early uh you know, in that in the at breakfast time, before breakfast time. It really reminded me of um of going to the stadium in Sao Paulo actually for the first match. church in in Brazil which was really evocative and that was equally so.
¶ Stadium Design and Commentary Challenges
The thing as well, John, listening to your commentary that struck me and made me think, uh oh, we might have a challenge on our hands at this World Cup, the size of the stadiums and how steep they are. And I know I'm I'm obviously not doing any games in Mexico, but the Azteca is quite something, but Ian you'll have experienced this as well.
We're a long, long way from the pitch. And we have experienced this in the big stadiums in Europe, but pretty much every stadium here you're a long way. And then you and I were just discussing off air I was um getting ready and I always think the hour before a commentary is really quite important that when you're not doing the build up and talking, I like to be looking through the binoculars and trying to identify players and particularly teams and players that you've not seen that much.
And the Democratic Republic of Congo came racing out to warm up for their game uh against Portugal. And we're in training kit but but normally you'd have a training top on and then shorts with their numbers on so you can start to identify. No numbers anywhere. No chance. Absolutely no chance.
I noticed the same with Saudi Arabia and also Iraq. And uh it's a real problem because as as you say, you get the binoculars out and you're looking for the colour of the boot. you know, th the distinguishing features either facially or whether they're wearing a wristband or I don't know, a cast on on one of their hands. And you didn't know who they were. So then when they they do come out, I mean and luckily I was with Paul Robinson who as you know Does a lot for the Saudi Pro League.
He was saying to me, Well that's so and so. You know, that's you know, and I was able then to get a little bit more of a of a handle, but it is it is an issue. And also, I don't know where where where you've been in the stadiums that you've been to Ali, uh Dallas and Houston. In Atlanta
And I had the opposite effect to what you did,'cause I'd got told this Atlanta Stadium is is special. Couldn't even see the the near touchline from the commentary position. I missed the substitution at half time because A it happened so quick But I thought, where did the where did that player come from? And you couldn't see you couldn't normally you'd see that the the actual change taking place.
But i and also at Philadelphia couldn't see the touchline'cause the position is so far back and the banks and the rows of the T V monitors and whatever else. So you had to really crane your neck to see them in Philadelphia. But Atlanta Because I'd also when I'd gone to New Jersey, the MetLife Stadium, I walked in and you walk in so high and this cavernous stadium just opens up in front of you. We're about floor seven. And I went
Wow.
This this takes your breath away. Put that on social media. My brother who lives in the States in uh in LA sent me a message saying you're going viral in America because of this thing on social media because it had over five million views and the response The response was really negative.
What was the issue?
That I said, This is a stadium that takes your breath away. They said It's a it's a it's a concrete dump. It's the worst stadium in the States. Can you believe this guy and all this? And I I actually had to Google. I got called a Europort. A euro poor. A euro. A euro poor. Poor. Poor. And then you would say poor. A euro. A euro poor. I would say euro poor. P dou r a euro all on.
I've never heard that from the first time.
No, I hadn't. But so many people going, get this Europort. There you go. And it's it's it's it's a derogatory slang term for somebody who's from Europe. And uh I and I said to Alan Shearer, I said, What do you think Alan went, This stadium's incredible. I was asking everybody, it's incredible. It does you know Anyway I went to Atlanta they wait till you get to Atlanta and I thought And I didn't put it on social media.
But I actually think Tottenham's Tottenham Stadium is better than than the one in Atlanta. Yeah.
Because I've not been I will I will go there.
Yeah.
Yeah. Um the the point is that yeah again, you know, very very much uh the commentator's view um discussion point. The commercial positions are all very high, aren't they? It's a little bit of a mixture because some of the position b because all of the positions are quite close to the pitch because the stadiums that I've been in are are quite steeply banked. But you are very high.
¶ American Spectator Experience, Travel, Culture
And I remember the in the Azteca I got my binoculars out before the match and I was looking down at the players and I was thinking, I think they're b out of range of my binoculars.
Yeah.
What's Dallas like, Ellie?
Yeah, what is the stadium so so the thing is being a big NFL fan, so uh my feeling about the atmospheres inside these stadiums so far and Argentina was a little bit different, so I commentated on Argentina against Austria. Forty years of the day, funnily enough, that Diego Maradona scored the two goals against England in the Azteca and then on a day that Lionel Messi, you know, took the record for for most World Cup goals. So it was a pr it was a pretty
special footballing day, but but that to me felt like had a proper footballing atmosphere about it. Every time you cover Argentina at a major national tournament, they are incredibly well supported. Some of the other atmospheres I've been in have felt a little bit Artificial, so lots of noise before the game, music, rasmataz, and I think the pre-match stuff looks fantastic. The giant flag stretched across each half.
And all of that I think looks absolutely brilliant. But Netherlands, Sweden, which to the eye looks amazing, bright orange, bright yellow, Chris Sutton went with oranges and lemons, say the bells of da da da da da da which I thought was a very good line. But once the game got underway, it struck me that a lot of people wearing those replica shirts, and particularly the bright orange of the Netherlands, were not Dutch football fans. They were probably locals or Americans who travelled
a state or two or wherever to come and see the game and bought themselves a shirt because the atmosphere just wasn't quite as you'd expect it to be. And I get that, it's an incredibly long way to travel for the fans of these nations and the the tickets, I mean the the fella I bumped into in the lift ahead of the Portugal um what game did I do yesterday? It's amazing how quickly they got out of here. Portugal is Pekistan.
Yeah. He said he gone online, he was an English businessman, um, and he was he was on business in Houston, had a look at trying to get a ticket, just a late ticket to go and watch Portugal as Becky Starn. Cheapest he could find was one thousand seven hundred dollars. That's a lot. Yeah.
I think also talking of that, th the the the owner of Atlanta whose name escapes me now, um he actually has made all the prices in the stadium.
Uh fan friendly.
Felly mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta, mae'n golygu adalanta.
It's that's like Augusta when we go for the masters, isn't it, John? That the the concession stands, as they call them, th the prices are kept low there. The tickets are obviously expensive and very difficult to get hold of, but the prices are sort of kept low once you're in.
I bought a sausage bun in Boston last night at one of the outlets in the stadium.
What they call a hot dog.
Actually, no.
Yeah.
Actually no.
Mm.
You could have had a hot dog or you could have a sausage bun. And she said to me, Do you want a hot dog or do you want a sausage?
What's the difference?
But the point I was going to make was that it was run by a volunteer group and uh you paid for it, but they got a a cut of um the the the takings, which I thought was w w I wasn't expecting that. I was not expecting that, so I thought it was worth a mention, which I did during the commentary.
Um delighted to say we're gonna have more correspondence from our listeners, the commentators' view, which we absolutely love. TCV at bbc.co.uk. Hopefully we'll get to record another one before we all disappear and head home. So so so do send us your messages. Listener Paul's got in touch.
and sent us some Dallas recommendations. Um he says everything is bigger in Texas, but especially portion sizes. Yeah, I'm I'm well aware of that. And cars. Everybody drives a truck. He says he once paid four dollars for a single banana. And I tell you, John, I d it's the one shame of the World Cup for me so far and we are here to work and cover the football and that is what we're here to do. But I don't know about you two. In between the games, it's always nice to try and get out and sort of
experience the country that you're in and you know, sample the local culture and and, you know, visit places of historic interest. I've I've just not had time to do that. I've been shuttling five hour drives between Houston and Dallas.
sort of every three days. Been out for some some lovely food and met some lovely people. But in terms of sort of doing the the Dallas history, which I know you've done, um have not been able to do that and that's that you know, that that that's a shame because there's there's some great stuff, isn't there, to do here.
The day after the uh England match uh at the Dallas Cowboys stadium, we were not flying till the day a uh to sort of the day after. The day after, as it were. And so we we did go to the uh school book depository to the museum there, which uh yeah I I really enjoyed seeing. And uh and as you say, Ali,'cause we'd stayed are you go have you been to Fort Worthyan?
No.
Do you go? Yes. Yeah. You will enjoy that. Yeah. And the the hotel there, as Ali says, it's I mean it's JK JFK's all over the place. Uh and and then we went to the school book depository and I know people had people had said to me beforehand on it's Elm Street, isn't it, where the assassination happened, which you can obviously see from
from the w the windows. It's the sixth floor museum and you look down and people had said to me, You go there, you see the grassy knoll, it's all very underwhelming. I didn't find it that at all. And they've got a couple of crosses on the r on the road where
the the president was hit. So you can see that you can see that from upstairs. And but being down there, so having had the tour around the museum and and drinking it all in and having been in Fort Worth as well, that th whole thing about feeling like J FK was here the the morning of the assassination. And you know, we w we're there. We're it it's
And the and the m little monument there is outside the hotel is is quite something as well. And some of the photos around. So therefore then to go to Dallas and see where it happened, um, and then to stand down there, I thought Crikey, this is this is such a such an historic sport that it it really did um I w I was pleased we were able to do that and have have the time to go and see it. Yeah.
Just back to the stadiums quickly. So far in the tournament I have done one, two, three, four, five commentaries inside stadiums. I've not watched an outdoor game of football yet. Both stadiums I've commentated in. Which again that changes an atmosphere to a football match. Yeah.
It does change the atmosphere. So I've obviously done a couple of matches at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. I was outside in the Azteca. Uh we've definitely been outside again, haven't we? Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you.
¶ Weather Delays and England's Performance
I mean they don't like um they don't like a roof on their stadiums, do they?
Tag on in.
Thus far with the delay.
Yeah. Yeah, and I I was listening. We Ian Ian, this was on one of our drives. So we turned you on on one of our drives, five hour drive between between Dallas back to Fort Worth, and we listened to you all the way. It was two hours, ten minutes, wasn't it, the delay in the end?
I didn't I should have made a note of the time when the half time whistle sounded and we knew that there was a storm coming. So we were we were led to believe that there was a storm and and I'd seen the local I think it was the NBC uh app had said there was a potential for an isolated tornado threat, which I was thinking mm but also bearing in mind what happened in Orlando with England for the uh second warm up game where
there was a tropical storm and which I actually think was more of a violent storm than this one. And it and the pitch was there was a deluge of rain and I'm thinking they're not going to play this. And all the locals are saying the pitch will drain quickly. And it drained whilst it was still raining. Rydyn ni'n ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r hyn.
Anyway, it's gonna be a delay and I know all the protocols and what have you and I'm thinking, well I'll just stay here. And then a guy from FIFA just sort of s like says, No, can you we need to you to evacuate. So we had to go into the media room, which w thankfully was uh just a floor down because the media room at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is down seven floors and across a car park and there's no way you'd get there. You'd just have to stay on the concourse.
if it happened at the MetLife. So there we were and then all of a sudden George, our producer, gets up the equipment and we just talked for an hour with Stephen Warlock, Jules. um and obviously Pat with uh with Steve Crossman and it went really quickly. And then all of a sudden we said that we had to get back into position.
But the problem we had then is it was still raining, so we climbed up the steps because the lifts were were just too busy. We we then started to get wet, made the way into our position, and obviously the rain was still falling, but everybody was still on the concourse. having their sausage buns slash hot dogs
Uh but it was it was a really really long day and then all of a sudden you've got to get back into game mode because you've had the best part of two hours doing doing nothing. So yeah, it was an i it was an interesting experience. The the only good thing about it though is that there was no uh hydration break in the second half, which they said.
So so much for it so much for um i the interest of uh consistency.
Yeah, well, exactly. So that was that was that that was the best bit because they in Atlanta in particular they've been they've been roundly booed.
The loudest booing I heard was in Boston for the England match of the break.
Yeah. Well John as you say that this this is this is how it sounded on five live. England have realized that they need to get the ball circulating. The ball moves faster than players and if you're gonna try and pull players out of positions, is your favourite bit, John?
Listen to this. That's the loudest booing I've heard for a hydration break so far at this World Cup.
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both of the drinks breaks. Why why don't we have a little chat actually about um about England so far, John? So as we're recording this, Scotland and Brazil are just underway uh in their final group game in Miami. That's about five minutes in. England so far of course have beaten Croatia first game, scored four goals in that one.
And then Drew against Ghana. You're you're probably John sick to the back teeth. You'll have done lots of sort of post match analysis already. Ian, what uh I'll I'll l I'll lob it at you actually. Have you been able to watch the England games, Ian, somewhere? Have you found a spot to watch them? Have you have you had an eye on them?
Yes, I have. Um I watched both and I felt uh I thought the f the first one against Croatia I thought brilliant. Very, very impressive. And in particular the the changes that he made second half where he could have he just went for it even more, uh very, very bold decisions and obviously paid off. And then the second game and I d I haven't had chance to hear what you've you've been saying, John, but I felt that they missed John Stone.
in the game um against Ghana. Because when I was watching it and I was I was speaking to Uh he's an expat, he's uh he's been out here since I think nineteen eighty nine, he said. A guy called Julian and I was just saying need stones here to come on, to take the ball forward.
Forward.
Because England were dominating, but they just couldn't break them down, and then that would have a enabled Rice and Anderson maybe to go a little bit further forward. It just needed it just needed something to unlock the uh the Ghana defence. Credit to Ghana actually, I thought they defended extremely well.
Yeah, agreed. And as we were saying during the commentary, you know, that is entirely valid for Ghana to play like that. You know, and I know people will say, well, you know, they showed no ambition. But they'd won their opening match against Panama. You know, the four points As we speak now, it's not confirmed, but four points will be enough to get you through, either in second or in third. ac felly, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna, yna.
And England just didn't have that break of the ball or that spark to be able to find the moment that they needed. And when they did get the moment, when O'Reilly's header hit the bar and it fell to Harry Cain, as he said to me last night. He was almost in disbelief that he didn't score.
Yeah, the hyperbole though around around it on American television. Uh I didn't know the the I don't know the commentator, I don't know his name, but he was going England now facing jeopardy.
Yeah.
And I'm thinking, no they're not. And he also said he also said England are one of the favourites.
No they're not.
And they're also saying this is the greatest World Cup ever. No, it's not. I was just thinking it went into o it went into overdrive. It was driving me mad.
Yeah, Carlos Keros is quite funny, Ali, after the match last night. Oh yeah. Um because He came in uh to the to the press conference and uh the the man from FIFA was sitting there and Carlos Quiro said to him, Was VAR not working today?'Cause he felt that this Consa challenge should have been a penalty.
He then said uh later on he said, Yeah, well of course VAR was on holiday today and then later he said, Of course VAR was having a coffee break today So he did the whole thing. But he also said when they asked him about the way that they played against England he said He said, I can't play samba football against England's rock and roll which I thought was quite a good line from And it but he was he was very pleased with uh with the point that they made against England.
No, they they they they did their job and played played really well. Do you think, John, um there'll be many changes to the team? I mean it's a different game altogether anyway in terms of opposition against Panama final group game. Do you think he'll Tinker. Much do you think Nicar O'Reilly might come back in?
Yes, I do. I think O'Reilly will come back in. I think I'm like Ian. I think uh I think what you see Ian is a really good point that about John Stones. There must be a chance that he would come back in, although that would be interesting, wouldn't it, to change your central defenders for all three matches. Mm. Yeah. Unusual. Yeah. We certainly didn't see that under Garrett Southgate, who liked that stability, didn't he?
Yeah. Well I've done a l I'm I'm doing all France group games and as part of my note Saliba and uh Upper Micano played every minute of the Euros in twenty twenty four. And you do like sometimes that understanding, that stability to to build relationships I guess. But I can only think for John Stones it's a question of they're still trying to manage his minutes, aren't they, maybe?'Cause the the lack of game time he's played. And also if they do progress.
he will become I think is it five games in seventeen days in the knockout stages that England so therefore to give him a rest now means that then he can play as many of those games where th there's very little tur you know, recovery time in the turnaround. Yeah.
I thought it was interesting Ali in terms of the reaction to the two performances Yeah. I mean totally different kind of matches because different kind of opposition, but the way that England played in that opening twenty, twenty five minutes of the second half.
You know, there was that feeling, Well here we go. Here we go. This is this is what England weren't able to do under Gareth Southgate. People forgetting some of the the entertaining tournament wins that England produced under Gareth Southgate. And then the next match is a match that actually was very reminiscent of some of the struggling matches under Gareth Southgate.
Did you watch it, Ali?
Yeah, I did. We we managed to get so both those England games have come straight off the back of Portugal games, which we've done in Houston. And actually getting to and away from that that Houston Stadium is is pretty good. It's it's not too hard to do. So by the time we got back to the hotel it was ten minutes in.
So we we stayed at the hotel, watched the first half, then walked down to our our favourite restaurant where they've got a lovely bar and they do some great appetizers and the tellies are right there and it's pretty quiet and there's nice people in there and and and watched the second half in there.
And my feeling is jo uh you know, I Ian, you're talking about that reaction on American television. I always think, you know, exactly the point just Johnny's just making there with the England national football team, you know exactly what the reaction is gonna be from so many people back home is after that first, Oh, yeah, you know Blood and thunder, we're gonna win it, we're amazing. And then after the the game it's all gonna be, you know, Thomas Dougle hasn't got a clue.
Why's he got the you know, it's it's ju it's so extreme, isn't it, in football? The reaction is always so extreme and there's always a line somewhere there in between. And I you know, I agree with you. I don't see that they'll they'll come out of the group and they'll they'll improve, won't they? They'll they'll get better and I think they'll be better against the better teams as as well.
¶ Navigating US Travel and Americanisms
As I've as I've said many times, there there is it's black and white with England. There's no there's no grey. You know. Uh talking of travelling to the stadium I must I must tell you that the first time we went to the Met Life, we were told it would take three hours. To to do something like twelve miles.
And it it took us two and a half hours. We hit a little bit of traffic. The second time producer George was driving and I'd said we need to leave it a little bit earlier because of the traffic. We had a right result. Rydyn ni'n ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r ymwneud â'r hyn. getting a police escort and we cottoned onto this'cause it had just pulled away from where they were staying. So we just said, Follow that car
Ha ha.
And it took us a completely different way, and we did it in forty-five minutes.
Yeah.
Yeah. So uh just we s when we saw the stadium that that we let the police escort go one way'cause they were clearly and we just and we we were into our parking lot, as they say here.
Although I when you say that, Ian, I should mention that one thing we've done with our little group is if anyone slips into American phrases in their normal normal life, then that's a $5 fine.
Well I know I I know why and I know who you've been travelling with, but I know why they are doing it. Because when we're in Florida for the best part of ten days My brother Steve came over to spend some time with me. And I was taking the Mickey out of him for his Americanisms, going, You never used to say that in Yorkshire growing up And then Badger, our engineer, would tap me and go, There's another one. So I think that's probably where the the the the seed was planted. Yeah.
Yeah, that's great. I have I've quite enjoyed that.
So not the sidewalk, John, the pavement. Very much the pavement.
For you. Yeah, and not not blocks. It's not two blocks away, it's two streets away.
Ha ha.
Well actually no, I d I would disagree with that.
Oh come on.
No.
Come on.
If you go if you go to if you go across into New York City, everything is done by avenues and streets. When I first arrive here in Manhattan, Dion is Dion's over the other way and he says, Come and join me. And I thought, Oh, do I go anyway? Graham, very helpfully, another one of our producers or planning editor. Uh says, This is what to do. Go on the train. Catch the blue line. So I said I'm on my way. Walk in and he's with this bar owner. Called Tommy.
Anyway, he's Irish and I said to him, Did you used to run a a bar on Third Avenue? You see, not Third A not Third Street, Third Avenue. And he went, I did. I said, You served me fifteen years ago. And he went, What? And I went, yeah. And I told him the date. It was the twenty ninth of october, twenty eleven. And he said he said, How'd you know that? I said, because
I went in very early to watch the twelve o'clock kickoff and w we were celebrating our fortieth birthday because we're obviously twins. And uh And I stayed all day to watch the football and the five thirty kickoff that day was West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool. So I was able to find the game and go, There it was, it was the twenty ninth of October. Incredible.
You have an incredible memory for some things.
For some things.
Yeah particularly particularly if you spend all that day in the bar, I'm presuming not drinking soft drinks. So to actually remember that after all of that is um is some going.
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Hello, I'm Alastair Bruce Ball and I'll be commentating on the World.
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¶ Best Teams and Tournament Tracking
Just before we get onto correspondence chaps, very quickly, who's the best team you've you've seen so far? I guess I f I mean that's difficult, isn't it, because you won't have seen everyone live, but you'll watch some games on telly as well. Who's caught the eye for you at this World Cup so far?
Do you know when you asked right at the outset your impressions of this World Cup? Uh one of the things that struck me about this forty eight team World Cup, and also obviously we're travelling around. is it's been it has been, as I expected, impossible to keep across it all. Yeah. It's just not been possible. And um
I feel like I've seen lots of bits of matches. I feel like I've seen lots of halves of matches. And you're trying to catch up on things and so many things slip through the net because there are so many matches. So i I think it's very difficult t to say who the best team is unless you've actually seen all of the matches. So I know you know, I'm I've been impressed by the same teams as everyone else probably when when those teams have turned it on. But I would say the best match I've seen
w is England Croatia. That's the best match I've seen. And and I don't think there are many better spells than England produced in that first twenty minutes of the second half.
I would say that's the best game I've seen from what I've watched either in in the stadium or on on the uh the T V, but I've got a France worry me in from an from an English point of view because they're getting the results. But they're still not then they haven't produced the perfect performance yet. So I think France who were for me, one of the the teams coming into it, the you you you were thinking it was either between Spain and France. I actually thought um
So I would still say France are probably the team that have caught my eye. It actually being in the stadium. Ali?
Yeah, France's firepower again I've not seen them live, I think is frightening. You know, whoever they start, whoever comes on, they they look absolutely lethal. Morocco have impressed me. uh in Scotland's group and and you know up against Brazil and Scotland they were too strong for Scotland and I remember them from four years ago. They they are a good team, uh Morocco. They will they will
What are they? Ranked ranked sixth in the world.
Yeah, well exactly, exactly.
That first half hour against Brazil that Morocco played when they it went through Brazil time and time again.
Yeah, yeah. And and Argentina obviously saw them beat Austria and they're quite interesting, Argentina, because in the build up to this tournament they have not played anyone of any note. They were meant to play Spain in March in the Finalissima. um which got cancelled because it was gonna be played in in in the Middle East and obviously the world situation meant that was too difficult to do.
So it was quite difficult to read them coming into the tournament, but the squad is very similar. Messi is on fire obviously and everyone is playing for him and he looks like he's in in the form of his life, which is a ridiculous thing to say'cause he's been in brilliant form all his life. But they they're also they are streetwise, you know, they they are a good tournament team. So um yeah, I would I would say them I would say them as well.
Let's have a listen Ali to to your commentary on Messi becoming the World Cup's leading goal scorer. He's currently as we said here he's got eighteen goals. after uh scoring this was the point where he scored the two goals to topple Miroslav Klosa's record of sixteen.
Messi, not rattled by the early penalty miss, fires the pass into Almada, tearing towards this Austrian defence, passes it to the left-hand side. Medina's cut back. See!
Gets the World Cup record! Another accolade for the little maestro walks onto it 12 yards out, buries it in the bottom corner. No man in the history of the World Cup has scored more goals than that man, and he's not stopping anything.
Crunch.
That's a nice one to do, Ali.
It was it was it was brilliant, John. It was and do you know what was so lovely about that goal? was you could see it coming a mile off. You know, the position he took up, the way he was running, as soon as that ball came in, the Almada dummy was absolutely brilliant. And as soon as Almada stepped over that ball, you think that's on Messi's left foot. that's hitting the back of the net and you know what the noise is gonna be when that happens.
And then obviously I mean w it was great drama, John, actually, because obviously he missed the penalty. He missed the goal, the you know, the target with the penalty early on. So I'd given that one the big build up and then every and the the whole stadium was in shock after that. And then obviously he scored the late one right at the end of the game as well. So Argentina has scored five goals and he's got all five of them. But, you know, Mbappe, Mbappe could catch him at this tournament.
He might not have that record at the end of this tournament. Um that's been quite fun, I think, the Haaland and Bappe, Kane, Messi, all of that going on. Yeah.
¶ Commentator Interactions and Stadium Logistics
But see my feeling was when Kane scored two goals in the first match for England, at that time he was only six goals behind The uh the closer record. The um that I must say as well, Ali, did you get any idea about how much the commentary team from Argentina enjoyed that one?
Do you know what? N no, I didn't actually jump because I'm trying to think where they were stationed around.
There's good there's a good reason I I ask that. There's a good reason I ask that because for the opening match in the Azteca when as I say, the first thing as an Englishman that you think of when you walk in there is Diego Maradona. So my first experience of being in there, I go up to our commentary position, there we are, sitting there. I look to my left,
they put next to us the commentary team from Argentina. And that is defin that is definitely someone with a sense of humor who did that. So we actually had they didn't speak much English. Uh and and we had we had a nice little piece of interplay and I was wondering because the m the main commentator was a big guy.
And and uh and and I think there was a his sort of the guy who was working with him was a much was a was a much slighter man, but I I had a feeling they might have been at that match with Messi as well.
Uh talking of that, when we did Spain the other day, uh the the the Spanish he was not two rows behind, it was he was a row behind, but he was a little bit away from us. when he started, my word, he was loud shouting. I'm thinking, when you score the goal, what you've got where will he go? Th there's nowhere for him to go.
Well I I was listening to Ali before the England match yesterday. Uh you were commentating on Portugal and you I c I could hear them in the background, the Portuguese. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, but that Ian's right, that starts two hours before the game. And they're at they're at um you know, they're at level eleven, spinal tap quote, level eleven, you know, two hours before the game. So how on earth they keep that going, I've I've no idea. But no, that was John, that was really special. Um
In terms of correspondence, Gav actually, one of our listeners has got in touch on Teeside, says Hello, Allie, John and Ian. Um, great work as always. That's very kind, Gav, thank you. Your podcast has been a staple of my Ultra Walks this year. When you're away on these big tournaments, how well if at all do you get to know the commentating teams from other countries? Um have you
Yeah, quite well.
Do you have much?
What is my answer to that? Because I you know, we've done it now for such a long time that you do s tend to see the same people. And so it is quite nice from that point of view. I was talking to uh uh uh the commentator from Belgium was staying in the same hotel. I've known him for a long time. He was off to watch the Belgians.
Uh I saw Kasper from Norway who covers the Premier League, who you two probably know, and he was talking to me about the prospect of us meeting up again, should England and Norway cross paths, which is uh which is entirely possible. And um so yes, uh is the answer, Gav, from certainly from my point of view, you do get to know those um those commentary teams from the other countries.
I mean I I quite often will speak to commentators from the other countries to to do pronunciations, actually, to to run through the teams and and just sort of get a double check on on that.
We've had this one from Matt in Mexico City, who says Hi, Ali, Ian and John. I'm loving the podcast to get to the warts and all behind the mic view of what goes on and hearing how you prepare for a football match in a tournament. How do you get to stadiums in the huge cities you'll be commentating on uh at for this World Cup as compared to the ease of travelling around Qatar? Matt says, I live in Mexico and the Aztec stadium is quite a long journey from the main hotel area of the city.
Traffic chaos is bad on most days, and with matches coinciding with the afternoon rains in June and July during the World Cup, it's surely madness. I can't imagine. With all your equipment, public transport is an option. So what do you do? head to the stadium five hours before kickoff to be on the safe side in a taxi. Have you ever had the stress of being stuck in traffic and looking at the watch anxiously?
Uh thank you Matt. I think we've we've kind of covered that already, haven't we, with with Mexico City. But uh the answer to that is very much yes and yes. And we c we quite often drive ourselves, don't we? Like in Boston for the match there we drove to the stadium because it was I mean actually that was a little bit like yoursy and w one way it took us nearly two hours. On the way back it was forty minutes. Uh and and that does help, I must say, in terms of transporting the equipment.
Being in a car where you can park outside the ground is a big help.
They are super slick operations as well, these stadiums. I mean they're so used to hosting the big events, but driving away from Houston and Dallas. It's amazing how quickly, you know, almost on the full time whistle with thousands of people coming out of the ground that you can get away and and get moving. That's that's one thing. The the organization here but I think they're so used to it with with all the sport that's played in those stadiums is is quite impressive. Um
Trying to find a outside the Aztec stadium was an interesting one post opening map. As Chris Chris Hutton might have told you that, Ali. That was an interesting one. But we eventually did. And of course it was such an early kickoff. We had lots of daylight and and so we had plenty of time.
¶ Listener Questions and Commentary Insights
Nice one from Philin Brighton, dear Ally Ian John. Most of my World Cup following's been listening to your brilliant radio coverage. We did watch some of England Garner on BBC One. At half time I was very excited watching Alan Shearer's summary from the stadium in Boston. Behind him in the commentary position was a UK three pin multiway plug. I rewound the coverage to show my fiance Helen and said I'd emailed TCV about it. Helen patiently replied, Yes, love, I think they'd like that.
Is the thoroughness of BBC engineers such that they take UK multiway plugs on overseas assignments? Thanks, Phil. P.S. Helen and I are getting married in August. Please wish Helen luck. As you can tell from this email, she has to put up with a lot. That is a niche question.
Well well Helen, the time must fly by with Phil.
Good luck, Helen.
Я котлокален.
Hope we both have a nice day in August.
Have a great day.
That's that is actually that's really eagle eyed, isn't it, of Phil to spot that. And what what happens is with all of the equipment that we bring, our engineers will bring uh a a UK
Oh I do as well. Yeah.
Yeah.
The multiplug, the back, the plug.
Yeah, the mobile back.
Well it's a it's a four way adapter, isn't it?
That's it. Yeah, so they bring them and we plug them in, that means you can plug in UK Plug.
We are gonna finish with unintended pub names which have snuck in during commentaries of course. This is where you can get in touch if you hear an unintended pub name during sports commentary. Wimbledon fan Derek says I'm enjoying the coverage of the World Cup. My suggestion comes from Spain against Saudi Arabia. Uh this was on BBC one.
We'll just head up for La Porte. pinged away to the back pedaling Toro.
The back pedaling poro is suggested, which sounds a bit like a trick cyclist app. I do enjoy it when the listeners come up with what the backpedaling poro might be like, so if anyone's got thoughts on that. Send them to TCV at PBC.co.uk. And Paul Robinson, uh your co com uh John uh for this trip, uh had a suggestion in the England Ghana game.
Still nil-nil in the Foxborough drizzle. Bellingham turns the ball out to James. Madaweke again out wide, takes on the left back Mensa who got the tackle in and the final touch was off Madaweke. It's a throw to go.
Rwy'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd.
I think it would be a cocktail, wouldn't it?
Yeah.
unintended cocktail
That's a good one. That is good.
The Fox Product.
Very well must mention'cause of course Herr Chapman was with us. uh in Boston is for the first match that he's actually been to and presented from at this World Cup. So I mentioned the fact that we were going to record World Cup special of the commentator's view and he seemed very excited. At least I think he was excited.
Well he'd sent me a message when we were at Philadelphia early in the week and obviously we had the uh the delay, he'd sent me a message which basically read something along the lines of Get yourself out there and don't let the weather stop you from doing your job. Words to that effect. So I just said, Don't worry, now what's gonna happen? Because we were more or less dry'cause because of the that we were partially covered.
Uh I said, This is gonna be karma now. You're gonna get soaked when you're in Boston.
Yeah.
I didn't. We we got away with that. We got away with that so much. That could have been that could have been really difficult. I'm not sure how we would have stayed on air if it had rained like it did the previous afternoon.
I I was thinking about your notes, John.
Well Rob, our engineer, put put these sort of see through tarpaulins over the desk, but even so it was still It was still raining. It's a light drizzle for the whole of the match, but I ca I could I could kind of keep it under cover, although I've just unpacked my bag here in in uh New Jersey. And I've found that my world soccer my edition of world soccer is a bit it's world soggy as opposed to world soccer now.
Ha ha.
Should have bought the digital version.
There we go. Um so suggestions as always. TCV at BBC dot co dot UK you could message and voice notice on WhatsApp as well. I forgot to mention that. O eight thousand two eight nine three six nine and suggestions also welcome. for the great glossary of football commentary. Uh we're not doing one of those in this episode. There's no World Cup clash of the commentators either. Uh you'll be delighted to hear. But before we go, Sue in Effingham wants our tips and tricks
for syncing up the live radio commentary on BBC Sounds with the television pictures. So what would your advice be? Who would like to
Obviously yeah is if it's a BBC.
TV.
then you can choose the option on the red button or on the BBC iPlayer of watching the BBC TV pictures with the five live commentary on it and that is all synced up. So that's th that is the easiest way of doing it.
But then didn't our mutual friend Mark make a suggestion that if you when it's not on the BBC, do you'd pause it for fifteen seconds?
I do it all the time, Ian. I do it all the time back home. So if it's um say Champions League night and I want to listen to you guys I will get sounds up on my phone. pause the telly when the game kicks off, wait for you guys. Hopefully you're going to describe kickoff. Sometimes you don't, so you maybe you have to wait for a notable incident in the match where it's very clear on your pictures and then just release pause on the telly. The two are synced up. The only thing with that is
You can't then pause and go for a wee or go and make a cup of tea because the whole thing goes out of sync. So once you're in, you're in for the game. You've got you've got to keep it going. But you can do it, and you can do it.
But you can also do it the other way around, can't you? Because I know some people with some devices, the radio commentary will be ahead of the pictures. So you can if you're listening on sounds, you can pause on sounds. And then match it up with the pictures if the pictures are behind the sound.
I actually that's the way I do it.
Yeah, yeah.
I find it easier to to pause sounds and then watch that work.
Yeah, so I hope that I hope that's helped Sue in Effingham.
Anyway, uh chaps, lovely to see you both. That is it uh for this episode of the Commentators View. We will hopefully be back again before the end of the tournament, so if you've got any more questions, please send them into tcv at bbc.co.uk. Or you can send us a message or voice note on WhatsApp to 08000 289 369. And of course, Rick and Lloyd will bring
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A rivalry.
For a generation, they're not going to be able to do that.
Bino or Messi and Ronaldo are both.
Scrap.
Yeah.
I think 100%
pushed each other to the next level.
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