EA has swapped sacked Sky Sports presenter Andy Gray for Alan Smith for this year’s FIFA main commentary team. Smith will do the talkie stuff alongside old favourite Martin Tyler.
Gray was sacked by Sky Sports for comments made off-camera regarding assistant referee Sian Massey earlier in the year, and will miss out on doing what sounds like a hugely laborious task – FIFA 12 will feature more than 10,000 lines of commentary.
“Alan will bring a fresh, new perspective and insight to FIFA 12, working alongside the trusted and well-known voice of Martin Tyler,” said FIFA 12’s senior producer David Rutter. “As one of the top-tier broadcasters on the UK football scene, he brings enormous knowledge and expert analysis to the game so that we can deliver the most authentic FIFA experience this year.”
Alan Smith sounds happy enough, though. “The natural chemistry that Martin and I have developed working live matches for TV has transferred very well to the virtual broadcast booth,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to FIFA fans hearing our work as we bring all the match day emotion and excitement to this year’s game.”
3shirts
Good, Gray is a f***ing idiot. I have no time for him and this makes me all the more likely to buy the new FIFA
cam the man
A f***ing sexist idiot.
Tuffcub
Quite whinging and get back in the kitchen.
djhsecondnature
Not to mention that Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend will be added to make a dual commentary team for the first time.
Youles
I remember their being some Andy Townsend commentary DLC…think it was for Euro 08. It’s nice to have some variation
colmshan1990
I’ll be using Tyldesley and Townsend.
Far better commentators, and another reminder of my favourite football game so far- World Cup 2010.
SpikeyMikey23
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Not the townsend! He ruins ITV Football! I’d like Motty……lol
Mikiyaru
Chris Kamara and Dean Windass, when that is DLC I will buy it.
Rocket_345
Thought it was pretty much guaranteed that Andy Gray weren’t going to be on it. The only thing that i was wondering is who would be replacing him.
GamingBlueBoy
After the comments bad made , he wasn’t going to be in it.
Sympozium
Motty or GTFO.
bacon_nuts
10,000 lines. I’d hate to be the writer.. Glad they didn’t go with the sexist man though. Although I’m more annoyed it disrupted the assistant referees life more than the comment he made. He was stupid and rude, but she was mobbed by reporters and stopped from working, as well as probably being publicly humiliated.
Amphlett
I met Andy Gray a couple of times, both times in a bar (coincidence?). He always seemed like a decent chap, a good laugh.
Forrest_01
Was it the same bar?? Was Ange with you at the time & if so, was he pleasant to her?
Tusken77
Ugh, Alan Smith? Really?? The man can’t pronounce his ‘r’s, unlistenable. Thank goodness they have Tyldesley and Townsend.
Sympozium
I always believe that Tyler says “trow in”? weird
jcor
Don’t really like Alan Smith myself to be honest but Sky seem to use him for all of the big games since they got rid of Gray so it makes sense to have him in the game.
Good move to put in a second commentary team though. If they had the Champions League license it would have been great to have Tyler/Smith for the league games & Tyldesley/Townsend for the Champions League.
Loxstokk
Is this Brum Ex Arsenal Alan Smith the pundit or Peroxide ManU/Leeds/Newcastle Alan Smith?
SpikeyMikey23
lol, can you imagine if it was ol peroxide himself. That would be pants. I think for DLC they should release footballer commentary with the likes of rooney & gerrard – erm erm erm erm erm
colmshan1990
Give us the Fanzone boys! :)
Hoopiness
Gutted. Can’t be doing with Smith’s dull brummie tones on telly, nevermind in FIFA.