Commentary Insights

John Murray, Ian Dennis & Ali Bruce-Ball talk football, travel & language. They look ahead to Andorra v England with John & Ian in Barcelona for the match. John gets celebrity spotted. The guys have their say on the dazzling new Premier League ball. Will the biscuit vs cookie debate reach a conclusion? Plus more Glossary chat and Ali gets a guard of honour in Clash of the Commentators. WhatsApp voicenotes to 08000 289 369 Emails to [email protected] Live show tickets: crossedwires.live/fringe 01:00 John & Ian in Barcelona for Andorra v England 04:35 Interviewing Ivan Toney & Trevoh Chalobah 08:25 How much do the media mingle? 11:30 Biscuit/cookie gate 14:00 Champions League Final reflections 17:35 John gets celebrity spotted… 20:55 New ball for Premier League revealed 24:35 Reminder of the BIG NEWS 31:40 Ali gets Clash of the Commentators guard of honour 41:45 Great Glossary of Football Commentary 53:50 Season finale musical masterpiece BBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Sat 1700 Andorra v England in World Cup Qualifying, Tue 1945 England v Senegal in Friendly. Glossary so far: 2-0 is a dangerous score, After you Claude, All-Premier League affair, Aplomb, Brace, Brandished, Breaking the deadlock, Bundled over the line, Champions elect / champions apparent, Clinical finish, Commentator’s curse, Coupon buster, Cultured/Educated left foot, Denied by the woodwork, Draught excluder, Elimination line, Fellow countryman, Foot race, Formerly of this parish, Fox in the box, Free hit, Goalmouth scramble, Good touch for a big man, Honeymoon Period, In and around, In the shop window, Keeping ball under their spell, Languishing, Loitering with intent, Marching orders, Nestle in the bottom corner, Numbered derbies, Nutmeg, Opposite number, Park the bus, PK for penalty-kick, Postage stamp, Put their laces through it, Rasping shot, Red wine not white wine, Relegation six-pointer, Rooted at the bottom, Roy of the Rovers stuff, Sending the goalkeeper the wrong way, Sleeping giants, Slide rule pass, Small matter of, Spiders web, Stayed hit, Steepling, Stinging the palms, Stonewall penalty, Straight off the training ground, Stramash, Throw their cap on it, Thruppenny bit head / 50p head, Put it in the mixer, Towering header, Turning into a basketball match, Turning into a cricket score, Walking a disciplinary tightrope, Wand of a left foot, We’ve got a cup tie on our hands, Where the owl sleeps, Winger in their pocket, Wrap foot around it, Your De Bruynes, your Gundogans etc.

John Murray, Ian Dennis and Alistair Bruce-Ball present an FA Cup Special. They discuss the magic of the FA Cup, from giant killings to pigeon-infested commentary positions. Has the schedule taken away some its allure? Who has the best non-league knowledge in Clash of the Commentators? And where does everyone most look forward to going? 01:00 Magic of the FA Cup 02:55 The schedule 05:55 How Sean Dyche’s sacking affected Ali’s prep 09:30 VAR from a commentator’s perspective 14:40 Tunnel interviews 21:25 FA Cup memories 25:20 Biggest cupsets 29:40 Tamworth vs Spurs 31:50 FA Cup replays: yes or no? 34:15 Question from Euro Leagues 36:40 Non-league themed Clash of the Commentators 42:15 Great Glossary of Football 5 LIVE COMMENTARIES THIS WEEKEND Friday 10th January FA CUP: Aston Villa v West Ham United 2000 KO Saturday 11th January FA CUP: Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1200 KO FA CUP: Liverpool v Accrington Stanley 1215 KO FA CUP: Brentford v Plymouth Argyle 1500 KO FA CUP: Leeds United v Harrogate Town 1745 KO FA CUP: Manchester City v Salford City 1745 KO Sunday 12th January FA CUP: Tamworth v Spurs 1230 KO FA CUP: Newcastle United v Bromley 1500 KO FA CUP: Crystal Palace v Stockport County 1500 KO

John Murray returns with Ian Dennis and Ali Bruce-Ball to lift the lid on life as a commentator. From being pulled over by police in Moscow to talking tailoring with Thomas Tuchel, they reveal the stories they don’t normally get to hear. Plus, Steve Bunce drops in from Riyadh ahead of #UsykFury2 to talk boxing commentary. And Clash of the Commentators takes on an Asian feel. 01:20 Interviewing Thomas Tuchel 02:55 27-hour journey back from Moscow 08:10 Don’t speak to Pep on the golf course 11:10 How are commentary games chosen? 13:55 Commentating with Clinton Morrison 18:10 Steve Bunce talks boxing commentary 28:25 Best goal scored by a European player this year? 33:30 Clash of the Commentators goes Asian 38:05 Looking ahead to the weekend’s fixtures 42:00 The Great Glossary of Football Commentary BBC Sounds / 5 Live Premier League commentaries this weekend: Sat 21 Dec, 1500: West Ham v Brighton on 5 Live Sat 21 Dec, 1730: Crystal Palace v Arsenal on 5 Live Sun 22 Dec, 1400: Everton v Chelsea on 5 Live Sun 22 Dec, 1400: Man Utd v Bournemouth on 5 Sports Extra Sun 22 Dec, 1400: Fulham v Southampton on BBC Sport website Sun 22 Dec, 1400: Leicester v Wolves on BBC Sport website Sun 22 Dec, 1630: Tottenham v Liverpool on 5 Live