Tommy Smyth
Filed under: Champions League, ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel
I came across this story about Tommy Smyth from our boy Spangler’s Twitter page. The story was written by Steven Wells for The Guardian and is called, “Is this the end for Tommy Smyth, possibly the most hated football commentator in history?” There are no doubts that every soccer fan in America that has listened to Tommy call a game has an opinion about him. Check out the full story to hear just how much some people don’t like him and if his days are numbered with ESPN losing the Champions League rights to FSC.
Quite possibly my favorite part of the entire article…
Crockatt is particularly appalled by Smyth’s brogue, which is as powerful now as when Smyth emigrated to the US in 1963. “In each of the years that he’s left County Louth, his accent has gotten stronger to such an extent that he’s now 94% angry leprechaun.”
Although fairly a hatchet job, it is spectacularly written with wonderful flair and cheek. “Smyth is more embarrassing to expats than either Riverdance or the Celtic Woman show,” “Bloggers have called Smyth “Beelzebub’s handmaid”", “the biggest tit on the air”. You have to respect that artistry.
I am pretty indifferent to Tommy Smyth, but I definitely will now be calling him the “Angry Leprechaun.”
The list of gaffes given in the article are reminiscent of John Madden’s inane commentary for American football.
Can’t believe the upper management at ESPN didn’t know that this old twat was so bad, he’s stolen a career off of some lad with talent!
I’ve less of a problem with TS than the other ESPN soccer “commentators”. At least TS speaks to soccer fans, whereas everyone else speaks as though the viewers are new to the sport.