I don’t mind Fletch either
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Do horses usually have remorse?
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Firmament. 
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But there was danger here. There was always danger here. It’s international fecking football. It’s the World Cup finals. It’s a nailbitingly tense qualification night away from home.
And we’d always manage to scramble a 1-1 victory out of it all. George and Ireland would always emerge gloriously triumphant.
Nobody remembers George Hamilton commentating on Ireland defeats. Even when we lost, like against Mexico in Orlando and against Spain at Lansdowne Road, we really won because that goal by John Aldridge, and that goal by John Sheridan, “and you know, that could be the difference between making it through and not”. And they were. And why were they, and why did we know they’d be the difference? Because George said so. He said “and, you know…” to emphasise what he was about to say was of importance, and it was of importance.
When Timofte stepped forward for his penalty, most commentators would have said that if Timofte scored this one, then Ireland would HAVE TO score their last penalty or they were OUT. Instead George said “the sequence now is, should he miss and the final Irish penalty be struck home, then the match and the glory are Ireland’s.”
George always gave us HOPE.
Magee was the grim reaper. Once Bill O’Herlihy went over to Orlando for the Holland game and our commentator Jimmy Magee, we all groaned. We knew we were done.
With Magee commentating we would meekly surrender, and then Magee would tell us we had not lost. Eh yeah, feck off, Jimmy. We had lost as soon as we heard your voice before the anthems.
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Aussie Jim’s commentary on sea the stars arc and
Black caviars royal Ascot
Win was iconic
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I always assumed Holt used that line. Hoiles seems to have a clatter of great lines to be fair to him but Holt was and is a far superior commentator.
None of them will surpass Aussie Jim on that famous Longchamp Day in 2009 though
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My Dad was convinced George put a hex on us in the 3-3 draw with Poland in 1991 I think it was. George declared us as winners a number of times before Poland came back. Maybe that could have been the original danger here game
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I enjoyed that but it does it not just boil down to timing. Magee commentated through the Johnny Giles/Eoin Hand years when we were unsuccessful. George got to commentate the golden years.
I don’t want to have a pint with you.
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Didn’t Jimmy do the 94 game vs Netherlands? Maybe the 1990 Italy game too?
No. These things have a material effect on results. Roddy Doyle described in detail how he created Kevin Sheedy’s equaliser against England in Cagliari by going to the jacks of the Bayside Inn for a piss. And he is correct. These things matter.
Doyle didn’t finish his piss and he didn’t wash his hands.
The danger here was the 1-1 draw against USSR at euro 88 I think. Commonly regarded as a brilliant performance by Ireland including Ronnie whelans spectacular shinned volley.
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Did both
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I used to enjoy Jim Watt’s co-commentaries in his latter years when he would invariably describe a clean knock out as being ‘bang on the chen’ and implore vanquished fast living house fighters ‘to spend more time in the gymnasium’. I miss him from Sky Boxing in the way I’ll miss John Giles.
Sadly Jim has had a very hard time of it and lost two children in tragic circumstances. He always kept himself immaculately but retired fairly soon after his daughter died.
Himself and Reg Gutteridge were a great commentary team.
Further to the curse of Jimmy Magee, Magee commentated on Ireland’s 2-1 defeat by Bulgaria on April Fool’s Day 1987.
RTE did not make the same mistake when they had to send a commentator to Bulgaria the following November.
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Reg would’ve been before my time and I don’t really watch old fights
I’ve heard a few to wish they’d tried a bit harder right before being shot in the head but that’s only hearsay
@5:25
DANGER HERE
I always liked George Hamilton as a commentator and remains streets ahead of anyone RTE have covering football at the moment.
Pound for pound, across all sports, Brian Tyers is the best around.
Is Brian Tyers popularity down to the fact most people don’t really know what he is saying?
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