Mark Nicholas dumped by Channel 9
Even more shocking than Stuart McGill being dropped in Brisbane (my prediction) or Ganguly being sacked as captain, Channel 9 have just sacked Mark Nicholas from their commentary team. As the anticipated successor to Richie Benaud as the new voice of cricket, Mr Suave (or Mr Smug in some quarters) is suddenly out of a job (he's welcome to help me out with this blog). Maybe they're trying to purge all English connections out of the box by next summer - in which case, Tony Greig better be updating his resume.
| Posted by JC on Wed 19 Oct |  24 comments |
And he's garn...
The man the tv remote 'mute' button was invented for has been dismissed
hopefully for the last time.
At last that inarticulate and useless fellow Mark Nicholas is back in the
pavilion after being axed from Ch9's com team. It's widely thought (by me) that
surrounded by ex-international captains and great players alike, he stood
out like dog's balls; not only in the credentials department, but in the
verbal blandness quarters (I mean, come on - "a really, really great
shot"????). For me, the end was nigh after Richie recently, during one of
his many abdication interviews, remarked that he would never attempt to call
golf until his handicap was down to 1'. Mark Nicholas's short-lived first
class batting average was somewhere in the twenties and his bowling was even
worse. He led Hampshire for a couple of weeks and an England 'A' team
(y'know, the pointless second-rate B team) in the 90's. And this is the fool
who dared criticise some of the games current greats during the Ashes!
Little wonder this banal, verbose, untalented Richie suck-up and Sky/Ch4
cast-off was out so cheaply in his Ch9 innings. Honestly, what were they
thinking?
Posted by Virtualgaz on 2005-10-20 03:40:13
The man the tv remote 'mute' button was invented for has been dismissed
hopefully for the last time.
At last that inarticulate and useless fellow Mark Nicholas is back in the
pavilion after being axed from Ch9's com team. It's widely thought (by me) that
surrounded by ex-international captains and great players alike, he stood
out like dog's balls; not only in the credentials department, but in the
verbal blandness quarters (I mean, come on - "a really, really great
shot"????). For me, the end was nigh after Richie recently, during one of
his many abdication interviews, remarked that he would never attempt to call
golf until his handicap was down to 1'. Mark Nicholas's short-lived first
class batting average was somewhere in the twenties and his bowling was even
worse. He led Hampshire for a couple of weeks and an England 'A' team
(y'know, the pointless second-rate B team) in the 90's. And this is the fool
who dared criticise some of the games current greats during the Ashes!
Little wonder this banal, verbose, untalented Richie suck-up and Sky/Ch4
cast-off was out so cheaply in his Ch9 innings. Honestly, what were they
thinking?
Posted by Virtualgaz on 2005-10-20 03:40:13
Could be worse - they could replace him with Ken Sutcliffe
Posted by John on 2005-10-20 03:46:17
Posted by John on 2005-10-20 03:46:17
Nicholas is pretty articulate, with a gift for the pithy exclamation, but agree about his obsequiousness.
Posted by Dug2 on 2006-02-24 02:19:20
Posted by Dug2 on 2006-02-24 02:19:20
I'm glad some one else shares my view on mark nicholas. he talks shit. If you knew nothing about the game he might sound good but sometimes he rambles on for 5 minutes and at the end of it your left thinking , what is this dickhead talking about. I found this site after googling mark N to see exactly what got him the spot on the com team and found a whole lot of nothing. just as I suspected.
Posted by aussie Dan go home mark on 2007-01-04 17:54:20
Posted by aussie Dan go home mark on 2007-01-04 17:54:20
You arrogant fools - Mark Nicholas inarticulate? That's ruich coming from a nation of uncouth morons whose idea of a good night out is throwing up in somebody's car. Listen to Ian Chappell for heaven's sakes, he rambles and drones on about the same inane trivia 0- a dull Australian run out - for at least half an hour after the event. And Bill Mr Negative Lawrie. What a spiteful, negative droning fool he is. They make Mark Nicholas sound like a verbal Shakespeare. And what do you lot know, posting your drivel. Channel Nine's bosses reinstated Nicholas to boost the ratings - and you'd think they'd know their onions - more than you lot do.
Typical xenophobic inward thinking Australians.
Posted by Bully Bunter on 2007-02-07 16:14:39
Typical xenophobic inward thinking Australians.
Posted by Bully Bunter on 2007-02-07 16:14:39
Don't get me wrong, I think all the Channel 9 commentary team are hopeless as far as broadcasting goes. Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Tubby Taylor. Ian Chappell has a great cricketing brain but put him in front of a mike and he turns into a rambling, repetitive drone. As for Mark Nicholas, it's certainly not because he's inarticulate or English (I confess myself a bit of an anglophile). It's because he's such a smarmy bastard. Watching him shmooze on the TV just makes me want to ball up my fingers and punch him in the nose! The only safe way to watch the cricket is mute the TV and turn up the ABC radio.
Posted by JC on 2007-02-07 17:01:00
Posted by JC on 2007-02-07 17:01:00
ohh i cant stand Mark Nicholas' commentary...he is such a bully !!
he comments like cricket is a WWF match....
Posted by vij on 2007-03-28 01:33:44
he comments like cricket is a WWF match....
Posted by vij on 2007-03-28 01:33:44
I cant agree with all you know alls,he has the best voice for cricket by far,so what if he hasn't captained a Pommie side or played test cricket.Listen to Lawry,Grieg,Chappell,Tubby, and the others and you would fall asleep. Does every commentator have to of played,what about Ray Hadley calling the football,never ran on to a field!But he is by far the best for the game.
Posted by Dapper on 2008-01-06 13:13:47
Posted by Dapper on 2008-01-06 13:13:47
Hi there andrew,
I just deleted your comment due to the swearing. Feel free to read JC's Spirit of Cricket-Blog for clarification.
Cheers,
Moses.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-24 16:49:51
I just deleted your comment due to the swearing. Feel free to read JC's Spirit of Cricket-Blog for clarification.
Cheers,
Moses.
Posted by Moses on 2008-01-24 16:49:51
I feel all this negative jibe against Mark Nicholas is because he isn't an Ozzie & hence the despair. He definitely doesn't come across as a knowledgeable cricket commentator than some of his older mates like, I Chappell,
B Lawrie, T Grieg or M Taylor, but he for sure brings some lovely English vocabulary on television so lacking of his Ozzie counterparts. More so, he comes across as a suave & urbane gentleman who could just more than cricket, overs & runs on TV, & hence adds more variety to a highly lopsided cricket commentary team. That's the reason he can be a host at an International Swimming competition, Commonwealth games, Hockey Games.
He doesn't rank too bad if you compare him with late Clinton Grybas, though the aussies will obviously feel offended any comparisons between the two.
Posted by Rocky Reckless on 2008-02-09 21:24:07
B Lawrie, T Grieg or M Taylor, but he for sure brings some lovely English vocabulary on television so lacking of his Ozzie counterparts. More so, he comes across as a suave & urbane gentleman who could just more than cricket, overs & runs on TV, & hence adds more variety to a highly lopsided cricket commentary team. That's the reason he can be a host at an International Swimming competition, Commonwealth games, Hockey Games.
He doesn't rank too bad if you compare him with late Clinton Grybas, though the aussies will obviously feel offended any comparisons between the two.
Posted by Rocky Reckless on 2008-02-09 21:24:07
I apologize for sounding ignorant, but why does everyone here hate Mark Nicholas?
From what little I've heard of him, i.e. 2005 Super Series, 06 VB series and 07 WC, he sounds like a pretty decent commentator and I think he has a few thousand first class runs to boot.
Surely he's not one eyed or prone to moments of madness like Ranjit Fernando, who on-air during the WC final claimed that Sri Lanka won the 96 WC on Duckworth-Lewis!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-02-09 21:48:02
From what little I've heard of him, i.e. 2005 Super Series, 06 VB series and 07 WC, he sounds like a pretty decent commentator and I think he has a few thousand first class runs to boot.
Surely he's not one eyed or prone to moments of madness like Ranjit Fernando, who on-air during the WC final claimed that Sri Lanka won the 96 WC on Duckworth-Lewis!
Posted by Ajesh Nag on 2008-02-09 21:48:02
get off mark nicholas back,get rid of bill lawry and ian chappel and tony greig, make room for gilly
Posted by macca on 2008-02-10 21:51:47
Posted by macca on 2008-02-10 21:51:47
Mark WHO??
Ok, so he is a smarmy sounding basket who used to captain a pommy county team and has at least a passing aquaintance with Queen's English Grammar (but who can still, like anyone on a live mike, make the occasional groaner) but i think you need to consider the alternatives as a comparison before passing such vicious judgement.
By way of real comparison consider another popular summer sport on an opposing channel...
How any country can not only allow but seemingly insist upon American commentators taking over not only daily commentary but the on court interviews with the winners of the major Tennis matches is beyond me.
Tracy Austin's whiny drawl is bad enough (there are TWO syllables in 'error', Trace!) but if ever there was a face designed to have a fist right in the middle of it it is Jim (I'm So Wonderful) Courier. The constant sound of Jim keeping us all as 'enthralled' as he is at the sound of his own voice is all i need to cure constipation or develop extreme irritation (if i hear him say 'RPM's" one more time..) and yet Channel Seven just will NOT allow a men's match to air without keeping him on the mike while the local Australian experts rotate in his halo.
Mark Nicholas? Think yourselves lucky, viewers - at least he has the courtesy to take regular breaks from the mike. You might get a REALLY professional bore like Courier to deal with while you try to enjoy your televised sport.
Posted by Bob The Bouncer on 2008-03-04 12:46:31
Ok, so he is a smarmy sounding basket who used to captain a pommy county team and has at least a passing aquaintance with Queen's English Grammar (but who can still, like anyone on a live mike, make the occasional groaner) but i think you need to consider the alternatives as a comparison before passing such vicious judgement.
By way of real comparison consider another popular summer sport on an opposing channel...
How any country can not only allow but seemingly insist upon American commentators taking over not only daily commentary but the on court interviews with the winners of the major Tennis matches is beyond me.
Tracy Austin's whiny drawl is bad enough (there are TWO syllables in 'error', Trace!) but if ever there was a face designed to have a fist right in the middle of it it is Jim (I'm So Wonderful) Courier. The constant sound of Jim keeping us all as 'enthralled' as he is at the sound of his own voice is all i need to cure constipation or develop extreme irritation (if i hear him say 'RPM's" one more time..) and yet Channel Seven just will NOT allow a men's match to air without keeping him on the mike while the local Australian experts rotate in his halo.
Mark Nicholas? Think yourselves lucky, viewers - at least he has the courtesy to take regular breaks from the mike. You might get a REALLY professional bore like Courier to deal with while you try to enjoy your televised sport.
Posted by Bob The Bouncer on 2008-03-04 12:46:31
Personally I felt that Mark was a breath of fresh air to our airwaves. He seemed to add some class to the commentary team. Even doing the interviews, I thought he was good. It seems that I am the odd one out as a fair dinkum Ausie.
Posted by Peter Siney on 2008-03-06 22:19:16
Posted by Peter Siney on 2008-03-06 22:19:16
I think Mark Nicholas is a very good commentator. People are often judging commentators on how good they were as a player.
Posted by Isaac on 2008-03-07 04:24:24
Posted by Isaac on 2008-03-07 04:24:24
mark nicholas is rediculous.
it drives me insane everytime he comes on to commentate.
it makes me want to punch something very hard.
"Oh... Very good stroke" blah blah blah,
rediculous. i listen to the abc when he comes on now - its great.
Get him off
Posted by jemh89 on 2008-06-03 09:28:20
it drives me insane everytime he comes on to commentate.
it makes me want to punch something very hard.
"Oh... Very good stroke" blah blah blah,
rediculous. i listen to the abc when he comes on now - its great.
Get him off
Posted by jemh89 on 2008-06-03 09:28:20
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