The role of the co-commentator can be a tricky one. Whereas the lead commentator has the responsibility of describing the action, perhaps capturing the passion and excitement of a game, co-commentary duty involves adding colour, depth or analysis off the cuff, without any real time to gather your thoughts.
Euro 2024 has a range of different personalities across the BBC and ITV on co-commentator duties, from the infectious enthusiasm and ad hoc history lessons from Ally McCoist to the bright and articulate musings of a player still performing at the top level in Andros Townsend.
Another weapon at the disposal of the co-commentator is humour. Mark Lawrenson was the undisputed master of the droll one-liner back in the day, but there is a new contender for his crown.
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Step forward Danny Murphy during the first half of the BBC’s coverage of Croatia versus Italy at Euro 2024. It was an opener 45 minutes light on action, meaning that Murphy and lead commentator Jonathan Peace had to do a lot of heavy lifting.
With the camera fixed on Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti barking orders to his players from the touchline after the half-hour mark, Pearce told viewers: “He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, Spaletti. He doesn’t like the players being on their video games.”
Former Liverpool, Fulham and England midfielder then responded with a quip that Lawro would have been proud of: “That’s because they’re grown men. Call me old-fashioned, JP!”
Murphy added that discipline is needed with a younger group, but social media was quickly awash with viewers reminding him that the video game industry evolved past that of a child’s play-thing to become an industry worth hundreds of billions of pounds some time ago. Someone get that man a copy of Football Manager...
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