Hugh McIlvanney.

[the other bob wilson]

One of the great sports journalists.

RIP

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...r-dies-aged-84

[Grievous Angel]

The best football writer of the lot in my opinion. RIP

[life on mars]

Genuis

[mrbluejay]

A beautiful writer RIP.

[Majorblue]

A great & possibly the best sports journalist of any era. His voice in the documentaries he did was so powerful and descriptive as well.

[Nemo]

A sublime writer on all sports. His writing on boxing and horseracing was as good as his football stuff.

[life on mars]

A great & possibly the best sports journalist of any era. His voice in the documentaries he did was so powerful and descriptive as well.

Yes , you do get the feel that this type of distinctive voice and charectors are disappearing and being replaced by headline ,shock comment , less educated types of sports commentators, part of a dumbing down society I guess.

[Harry Lime]

My first hero from any form of journalism.

[Bobby Dandruff]

Genuis

‘Genius’ Really?!!!

My definition of a genius is clearly MILES from yours.

[jackrabbit]

A beautiful writer RIP.

RIP Hugh McIlvanney
Very sad news of the death of the best sportswriter ever. In September 1987 Merthyr Town played Atalanta in the European Cup Winners Cup at Penydarren Park and Merthyr won. An immense giant-killing act. Merthyr were in the Southern League ⚽️ and had won the Welsh Cup by beating Newport County in the Final the previous season, thereby qualifying for the European Cup Winners Cup as it was in those days. Atalanta at the time were one of the giants of Italian football. Mcilvanney’s report captured the unique spirit of Merthyr. Uncannily accurate!

The opening paragraph from the Atalanta match report from the following Sunday's Observer is as follows:

"You can hear both English and Welsh spoken in Merthyr Tydfil but the principal language of the locals is hyperbole. Most of them give the clear impression of regarding their town as something God created after he had ironed out the flaws that developed while he was making heaven. According to the flood of oral testimony that pour endlessly through its pubs and clubs and old fashioned cafes, the rest of the world can be considered little more than an intermittently interesting suburb of Merthyr."

Absolute briliance. Journalism, and Merthyr, will miss him.⚽️