Football – Voice of reason: Davies returns for one-off slot on Match of the Day

By Martyn Herman LONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) – The dulcet tones of one of Britain’s most popular football commentators will return to the microphone on Saturday when Barry Davies shares his pearls of wisdom in a one-off appearance on the 50th anniversary edition of Match Of the Day. The 76-year-old will be in action at Crystal Palace’s home game against West Ham United, ten years after retiring after 35 years on the BBC’s iconic highlights programme. His first game for Match Of The Day, in 1969, was also at Palace, where he commentated on a 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Davies, who has a background in many other sports, was widely regarded as one of the best in the business – his keen eye and choice of words underscoring some of the game’s most memorable moments. His autobiography, Interesting…Very Interesting, was named after his famous description of Francis Lee’s goal for Derby County against Manchester City in the 1974-75 season. “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” Davies, who made his breakthrough as a commentator at the 1966 World Cup finals, recalled in an interview with Reuters when asked about his favourite moments behind the microphone. “Some people just quote the first part. It was really simple. It was interesting when he got the ball and it was very interesting when the ball went in the top corner.” The sequel, “Just look at his face,” was said twice by Davies as Lee celebrated. “I actually lost my voice on the second ‘Just look at his face’, which added to the drama,” he said. Davies, whose voice has provided the soundtrack to numerous Olympic Games, World Championships and Wimbledon, is of the old school of sports commentators, preferring to embellish what the viewer is seeing with the odd well-chosen phrase rather than delivering a non-stop monologue. “I’ve found over the years that it’s really nice when people come up to me and say, ‘Remember what you said?’ but the reality is I don’t do that. I tend to just open my mouth and hope I don’t go out on a limb. I go into the game eager rather than over-prepared. When the unexpected happens, you’re ready for it. “The day I started the producer would tell you to shut up if he felt you were talking too much.” COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE Davies said despite extensive live coverage of games on Sky Sports and BT Sport, Match of the Day’s success had remained its simplicity, piecing together the important bits of each game and following it with brief analysis from the likes of Alan Shearer and Ruud Gullit, who joined the team this season. “For the viewer it’s a wonderful service,” said Davies. “It’s the total package that has ensured that the football-mad public has stuck with it. “There is such competition between Sky and BT that they are to some extent in the selling process whereas Match of the Day is in the reporting process. It’s succinct.” Davies said he occasionally misses commentating on matches and would have loved to go to the World Cup but was delighted to have been invited back on a significant day for the broadcast, which is being presented these days by former England striker Gary Lineker. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m quite excited and I probably will be – not quite as scared as I was all those years ago – but the adrenaline will be pumping through the veins a bit,” he told the Daily Telegraph on Friday. “It’s nice to have the chance to come back for an away day, so to speak, after this big break.” “They offered me this game and only this game and I suppose that was the reason for it. There’s a symmetry and then it can be a final goodbye.” (Edited by Ed Osmond)