Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
Earnie was fine.

Hughes (even when a miserable git) and Taylor are OK. Savage and Ashley Williams are very good. Bellers was always good. Coleman is good.

Unfortunately Hartson is usually poor. Ledley and Robson-Kanu are uncomfortable and wooden - and add almost nothing as pundits. So ITV had three duds out of four, made worse by Mark Pougatch who must be the dullest of BBC/ITV/Sky main presenters.

Still, who cares. Wales second in group and all is well with the world!
ITV don't particularly care about football any more. Since they lost live Champions' League rights, they no longer have a team of good commentators to rely on.

Back in the day, a trio of Tyldesley, Drury and Champion was very good indeed, certainly compared to Matterface, Speight and Hutchinson. When they lost the Champions' League coverage, only Tyldesley was kept on as a contracted commentator. He lost his position last year and ITV now no longer have any contracted football presenters (as far as I am aware). Pougatch is freelance. Matterface (as their main commentator) is freelance. My understanding, from what I've read elsewhere, is that they're the main presenter and commentator for ITV as they were happy to do it for the price. ITV have a bit of a history of poaching presenters and commentators from elsewhere (usually the Beeb) and paying them handsomely. That is no longer the case.

It's sad as ITV's football coverage for many years has generally been very good, if not excellent. Names like Hugh Johns, Brian Moore, Alan Parry etc. Most of ITV's other sporting output borrows from other freelance commentators.