Irish Examiner view: Voice of soccer

BBC Sport commentator John Motson passed away at the age of 77. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire

John Motson, who has died at the age of 77, belonged to that small band of commentators whose voices will forever be associated with their particular sport.

Like Bill McClaren, Michael O’Hehir, and Peter O’Sullevan, Motson was one of the immortals. 

His voice — its insistent, engaged tone leavened with top notes of incipient excitement — soundtracked a thousand memorable soccer moments.

By his own admission, he got a lucky break when one of his early games featured an unforgettable goal by Ronnie Radford of Hereford United in their shock 1972 FA Cup win over Newcastle United, but luck didn’t matter as much to Motson’s career as talent. 

In the course of a career that saw him cover 10 World Cups, for instance, he found the right words at the right time with unerring accuracy.

Those descriptions didn’t need to be flowery. 

Liam Brady’s famous goal for Arsenal against Spurs in 1978, seen again recently in the RTÉ documentary on the Dubliner, was described by Motson on air thus: “Look at that! Oh, look at that!” 

Inviting viewers to celebrate a goal with him rather than impeding their enjoyment by imposing himself? That was part of what made Motson great.