Just going through my third sitting. I thought the coverage of our game was
brilliant. Superb commentary, with some truly memorable lines:
-"Platt
again wins it" (1st goal build-up)
"How about
this for a calm, collected finish by McSheffrey?"
-"McSheffrey, has the beating of Williams...
hasn't he just! McSheffrey was just too clever, had him pinned in the corner" (FK before 2nd goal)
"Quality ball by Bell, who really has made a tremendous impact since he came on" (3rd goal)
-"This is Bell,
twisting and
turning.." (shot on left by Bell)
-"
What a pass by David Bell! Nimely turned the defence inside-out.."
"Cut out by Clingan, who's put in the miles today"
"Nimely yet again..the out ball always available for him (Christie)"
The commentator seemed to see it as I did-including thinking that Sammy was tireless. The men who stood out for him were clearly Bell, McSheffrey,Nimely and Platt, who he was clearly massively impressed with, particularly Bell.
Post match, Manish just seemed to be bitching like a true Leicester fan, but Claridge was having none of it.
"What do you think about these arrangements where a player can't play against his old club?"
"If I'm the selling manager, then I'm gonna do that! If someone wants my player enough, they aren't gonna be bothered about him missing one game."
And on the Nimely goal (which the last replay shows WAS in):
"That's some header. The neck muscles there were fully extended, he's up against a much bigger lad in Bennett, and there's no pace on the ball"
Manish "Was it over the line"?
Claridge, unhesitatingly bluntly, "Yes".
He also said of Nimely during other highlights of his shot: "This is when they're well on top and his confidence was high-but he was at the heart of everything they did today."
I liked how Claridge had clearly watched the whole game live. He has his critics, but I think he's a quality pundit who knows his lower league onions.
To top it off, there was a cracking winning goal for Grandison for Shrewsbury, AFC Wimbledon came from behind to win 4-3 away, and they showed all of our goals again in the closing credits. I'm going to miss this show next season