Aggers demands an apology...

[Nigelwyn]

from Will Buckley who does seem to be a bit of a twat.
I can't remember seeing a more one sided comments section.

[garcia]

Aggers demands an apology...

haha, that approaches "when max, 19, hit the road" levels of abuse.

i find WB very annoying. most of his columns are about how boring it is to be a sportswriter.

[diggedy derek]

Aggers demands an apology...

I didn't actually hear this interview, although I mentioned it on this site, so I can't really comment on the article itself (though Will Buckley's pieces seem pretty cold hearted I think).

But considered simply as a broadcaster, he's fantastic, Aggers. Really. No matter what he's talking about or who he's talking to, he makes the time fly by. It doesn't matter if it's David Mitchell or Daniel Radcliffe, it's always engaging, if not exactly hard hitting. That's quite a gift.

Other TMS members are probably better for yer actual cricket, but he's a great man for radio.

[diggedy derek]

Aggers demands an apology...

i find WB very annoying. most of his columns are about how boring it is to be a sportswriter.

Yeah, spot on, there was one particularly bad offender recently.

[Jon]

Aggers demands an apology...

"Don't you know? Oh, Tuffers, where have you been? It's someone who travelled on a bus from Amsterdam to be here."

"Dennis Bergkamp," guessed Tuffers.

Heard this on the radio. His blokeiness annoys me sometimes but then, every so often, he comes out with gems like this.

[diggedy derek]

Aggers demands an apology...

I'm of the opinion, quite a popular one I think, that Tuffers is actually really good, certainly analysis wise.

[Tony C]

Aggers demands an apology...

Yes, Tuffnell has been excellent throughout the summer, and Aggers is a wonderful broadcaster.

I've mentioned this before on these pages but Buckley is a not a favourite of mine - 'twat' pretty much covers it - and it's not simply that he's dissed my beloved TMS.

[Etienne]

Aggers demands an apology...

Buckley is a twat, and rarely an entertaining one at that - and that piece did outstay its welcome hugely. But without hearing the interview, from his other interactions with/discussions of women, I would also have expected Aggers to come across in rather similar fashion.

[Nigelwyn]

Aggers demands an apology...

You can listen to the interview on this page.

[Nico Rijnders]

Aggers demands an apology...

I heard the interview (as you all can, above). It didn't come over in the manner Buckley suggests at all. As the comments point out, he's tried to demonstrate his slant with very selective quoting. He should probably realise that anyone interested will be able to listen to the piece and notice that.

Also, what garcia said.

[Bored Of Education]

Aggers demands an apology...

I would hate to listen to TMS and hear Lily Allen though but that would be however the interview went.

Those comments are brilliant though. I think OTF should be written like that. There aren't enough posts starting "Goodness gracious"

Phil Tufnell has been brilliant at puncturing the over-arching public school feel that has dominated previosly. His Shane MacGowan/Muttley/Keef laugh is off-putting though

[King On The Rye]

Aggers demands an apology...

Phil Tufnell, of course, went to public school. My only interaction with him showed him to be a bit of a pillock, but maybe he was having an off-day.

I'm not keen on 'Aggers' either. A total dullard.

[Kid A]

Aggers demands an apology...

I listened to the interview when it went out and thought it was strange they had Lily Allen on, but I certainly didn't think Aggers was pervy in it. I don't know what this Buckley guy's problem is. It was a light-hearted interview, not Panorama.

[Guest]

Aggers demands an apology...

I couldn't listen to all of the Lily Allen interview because I found her so fucking irritating. I listen to TMS to listen people discussing statistics while it rains, not Lily Allen talking about why she fancies Graham Onions no but not seriously I know he's got a partner and so do I and anyway she doesn't fancy him now she's moved on. FFS, as they say on the interweb.

Also, I thought 'Tuffers' came out with some sharp insights now and again, although he seems to be turning into Old Man Steptoe and his leering blokeishness gives me the creeps.

I thought Matthew Hayden was good. Never having heard him say anything before, I always had a mental picture of him in a sweaty singlet in some sheep station bar starting fights with back-packers, so it was something of a surprise to hear him talking about the outback and the sense of isolation and instrospection it gives a person, away from the rush of the city, and so on. It was also a good moment when he was clearly so gutted by Ponting's run-out he was unable to say anything at all for a long time.

[Jon]

Aggers demands an apology...

Like others above, I heard the interview and it just wasn't as Buckely suggested. Stupid really, as it's available online for people to listen to and realise what a twat (Buckley) he's made of himself.

"Phil Tufnell has been brilliant at puncturing the over-arching public school feel that has dominated previosly."

Whereas Matthew Hayden seemed to fit right in with the old guard.

[longeared]

Aggers demands an apology...

Buckley is clearly trying to get a cheap laugh out of the concept of Lily Allen being on TMS, whereas it has ended up backfiring spectacularly on him.

One of the more enjoyable features of the TMS summer would be Hayden giving a lengthy and erudite monologue about some aspect of cricket, which would then be followed by Tuffers taking over as summariser and asking "what on earth was he on about?"

[Jon]

Aggers demands an apology...

Has anyone heard Test Match Sofa? I briefly investigated it but it seems you have to pay for it. Are there many people disillusioned enough with Test Match Special to pay for a rival service. Strikes me as strange if so.

[Duncan Gardner]

Aggers demands an apology...

TMS report card

B+ Hayden. Excellent start by the banana farmer. Even managed to shut Boycott up ("Your batting would empty grounds, mate").

B Agnew. OK, he overdoes the bewildered uncle a bit, but an excellent broadcaster.

B- Tufnell. Settling in nicely to the house buffoon role, but may be a bit p*ss*d sometimes?

C+ Martin Jenkins. Steady as ever from Tucker's Dad (except possibly when Robin was playing in the 5050 cup final).

C Maxwell. Managed to cope well with the regular collapses from seemingly imnpregnable positions.

C Marks. The sometime next Botham (between Willey and Pringle) does more print journalism now, but always listenable as the resident rustic.

C- Boycott. The great man knows his cricket, but increasingly you'd think it was only played from 1964-73.

D Blofeld. Sorry, the dear old thing can barely remember his fellow presenters and the players' names. Time for dignified retirement.

D Chappell. Miserable bugger, unwilling to give any other Aussie captain full credit.

I want to do Lords, Trent Bridge and Edgy
To give all those private school tossers a wedgie
Chasing the beer snake along the Rea Bank
While Tuffers nips out of the box for a wank

And I'll cross my legs, flash the ring in my belly
Showing much more than you'd see on the telly
I'll ogle long legs and flirt with mid-wicket
You have to agree this eye candy's the ticket

No I don't know what's real and what's fake
I've been taken over by 'cake'

[Jon]

Aggers demands an apology...

Would agree broadly with your marks apart from Boycott, Dunc. Test Match Special was always the poorer the days Boycs wasn't commentating. Yes, he harks back to himself and his era a lot but that's part of his charm, in my opinion. Plus his brusque style almost always guarantees edge in the commentary box.

My favourite Boycott commentary anecdote rather displays his self-obsessed nature. It was during an overseas tour of many years ago. It had rained non-stop for a day and a half so all the journalists were making their own entertainment. They had spent some time debating what was the greatest single ever recorded. One of them shouted over to Boycott "What's your favourite single, Geoff?" He thought for a minute and then said "Would that be only at test level or at county level too?"

[longeared]

Aggers demands an apology...

Boycs was certainly better this summer than last. There were far too many excessive rants in the summer of 2008 which appear to have been curbed this year. This, of course, may be down to improved performances from England.

Blofeld really needs to be quietly put out to pasture, he has gone beyond parody now with the repeated exclamations of "good heavens" and "goodness gracious" while seemingly watching for only pigeons, buses and helicopters.

[Kid A]

Aggers demands an apology...

I don't mind Blofeld's love of buses on the Harleyford Rd and Pigeonwatch but it's pretty inexcusable to get players' names wrong as often as he does. Especially when he's using names of players who aren't even playing in the match or have retired many moons ago.

I resented Hayden being on TMS as it has forced me to revise my opinion of him as being a prize bellend. I was happy in my prejudice against him.

[Sixmartletsandaseagull]

Aggers demands an apology...

Aggers has his apology (or at least Buckley's explanation for the piece wot he wrote). It is at 3.15 pm (25 Aug 2009) on the blog. I have tried to copy and paste without success.

Did he really ask for an apology?

I, too, thought it well over the top, even if as WB says, it was not intended to offend. Indeed I contributed in this vein (I liked the interview with Lily Allen) to the blog itself.

I like Boycott as a commentator, and I tend to think he isn't critical for the sake of it. Well not most of the time. I often find myself agreeing with him on lots of cricketing issues so perhaps that is why I am inclined to be favourable to him!

On the TMS podcasts in particular Boycott is often at pains to state that he, Trueman and every man Jack has made mistakes, before rounding on batsmen and bowlers for not being able or willing to play to the match or pitch conditions. I tend to agree with him.

[Etienne]

Aggers demands an apology...

Boycott would be the ideal person to have doing the Simon Hughes on C4 bit - occasional tactical contribution. 20 minutes at a time is a bit excessive as he only ever makes 2 points in that time, again and again.

Hayden was better than I thought he'd be, but I don't think he was that good. And he said "beautiful" disconcertingly often.

[ursus arctos]

Aggers demands an apology...

Bopara and Trott both out for ducks at Belfast; England 9 for 2.

Dunc must be over the moon.

[ursus arctos]

Aggers demands an apology...

Here is Buckley's apology:

"My, what a commotion. Before the tone becomes even more shrill I would like to apologise to Jonathan and his family for any offence caused by this article. It was intended to be a skit on Aggers and Tuffers and the cult of celebrity but has obviously not been received in this way. The joke missed. As they so often do in the blogosphere.

That said, it should perhaps be pointed out that at no stage did I describe Jonathan as a pervert. I am unlikely ever to be in a position to comment on Aggers' sexual proclivities and even if I did find myself so
placed I wouldn't dream of doing so. The word I used was 'pervy' which to me is a Benny Hill style word rather than one to be taken too seriously.

There is also, it goes without saying, no foundation in my claim that Aggers is jealous of Tuffers. Who could be jealous of Tuffers? This was merely a piece of whimsy based on Jonathan being slightly pompous and huffy when Phil refused to become caught up in the excitement about Lily Allen coming to the TMS box and delivered his wonderful Denis Bergkamp line.

As I have written many times before, TMS is my favourite sports programme and I can't wait for the team, tweets and all, to be broadcasting from South Africa."