´óÏó´«Ã½

Thank You. We have all enjoyed it. Especially me as I have been on holiday for most of it and so the only way I could know anything was lstening to TMS and bbc.com.

I hope the new team you have assembled develops well. Whilst I'm a fan of some of the new voices, most pleasantly surprising to me being Phil Tufnell, some I feel are not of a quality one has come to expect from TMS. I know you have explained your reasons and I respect the need for change, but I feel none of the new members add nearly as much insight as the likes of Mike Selvey.

Moving with the times is a brave move, but also if it ain't broke...

Whenever time has permitted, I have been listening to TMS this Summer, while working on a drilling rig in Kuwait. For me, live cricket is one of the great sporting experiences. Thank you all.

I often think that radio commentary can be more interesting than TV. Commentators can fill in the gaps. I despair at the over rates in cricket nowadays.

TMS has brought me much pleasure this summer and I am looking forward to the series in India. Shame about Mike Selvey though....

I'm off to uni this winter, so my access to tv coverage of England's winter tours is going to be severely limited. I'm looking forward to some early morning starts with TMS in India, shame there's only two tests!

As an overseas listener dependent on the internet, I have learned to expect being shut out of winter broadcasts, but am hopeful perhaps the TMS coverage of the Stanford series will be available via the internet. Mr. Stanford seems anxious to reach a US audience. Anything to report on that, Adam?

Though the match itself is silly, hoping to tune into TMS one last time this year!

Adam,

Some very good moments of the summer season highlighted well there.

Again, Tuffers has been great, what a revelation.

Not much has been made of the England Women's superb series on the blogs here, will that be addressed shortly? Remember, cricket needs to be encouraged amongst both boys and girls.

Any reason why there has been no answer as to why the ´óÏó´«Ã½ cricket scorecards do not include wides and no-balls in the bowling figures, together with no captain and wicketkeeper notation in the batting order?

Many thanks,

neyster

TMS was excellent this year, as ever.

Tufnell is doing very well - it's great to listen to him and Alec Stewart and others during the breaks for rain.

Whilst not wishing to speak ill of anyone, I think Henry Blofeld has been past his best for a couple of seasons and it's time for him to be put out to stud.

Regarding Mike Selvey - how could you let someone go who described Angus Fraser as "like eyeore without the joie de vivre"?

Dear Adam
I have enjoyed listening to TMS this summer and, with one or two exceptions, think you have some excellent commentators and summarisers.

I think special mention should be given to Jonathan Agnew, who gets better as each season goes by. My only recommendation would be that you award him a contract for life, if he hasn't got one already. When Aggers and Victor are on air together, I think TMS's commentary is at its very best.

I would make a plea to bring back both the TMS quiz and 'At the Bookstall'. I particularly miss the latter.

I am also saddened by the decision to remove Mike Selvey, who I feel is a very shrewd observer of the game and had a gift for helping the listener to understand the many twists and turns that come with a day's play.

Looking forward to your winter coverage.

As another season draws to a close a word of thanks to all at TMS for another great season of broadcasting.
I echo some previous comments in realising that changes need to be made to ensure a fresh approach is maintained. However I am at a loss to understand the removal of Mike Selvey and the inclusion of Alec Stewart. The former provided a great insight into the game whereas the latter although undoubtedly having considerable first hand experience gives the impression that he is "far too close" to the current players.
Keep up the good work and roll on next season and more exciting cricket and who knows maybe a long hot summer!

As someone who relies on TMS for commentary, please consult with listeners before changing commentary teams wholesale.
Mike Selvey is an astute summariser whose tone complements the chirpiness of others. I'm afraid top test players don't always make great comentators (see Sky...; with exception of Boycs). I've nothing against Alec Stewart, but he rarely says anything other than the obvious in his analysis and his opinion rarely deviates from the view from the dressing room.

I'd like to echo Neyster's comments (7. above).

If you want to do something really progressive and radical, how about covering women's cricket? It is the world cup next spring after all.

I've made my comments about TMS changes elsewhere, but commenting on a blog is one thing, raising the matter officially another.

Whilst I'm sure it would be preferred that we vent our spleens here, It would be much appreciated if the TMS website included a contact address, and a name and contact details for the relevent authorities that oversee TMS so that we could make our comments directly to those that need to be made aware of the strength of feeling about recent changes (ie above editorial level).

Consider this one more voice questioning the decision to replace Mike Selvey - I always considered him head and shoulders above the other summarisers and am baffled as to why he has been replaced. Neither Graeme Gooch nor Alec Stewart are close to his level of analysis or wit. Fortunately I can continue to read his work in the Guardian, but it's certainly reduced my enjoyment of TMS.

Tuffers a breath of fresh air with wit, Boycott straight talking and dry humour, Aggers still great at his job, mr jenkins and Mr Blowfelt are I'm sorry to say, after years of service getting on my nerves. The constant getting names wrong, runs mixed up, how many Birds, Busses,and cakes do we need to hear about. When either commentate all the lads at work turn the radio over and were not the only ones.

Tuffers has proved surprisingly insightful, but Gooch and Stewart's performances are as characterless and lacking in wit as their batting. Retaining their services whilst getting rid of Mike Selvey is a poor decision.

I'm a young TMS listener, but would rather listen to what might be termed the "traditional" voices of Marks, Boycott, Agnew, Mann, CMJ or Bloefeld any day over Arlow White, Gooch, Stewart or Alison Mitchell. Angus Fraser is ok, but you sometimes feel that his outside role makes him the voice of the establishment. Tuffers is a great addition, not only for his innate character, but for his wit and his professional insight. Pollock also proved himself very quickly, and demonstrates that what TMS needs is not easily quantifiable - it's not neccesarily broadcasting experience, in sport or a successful international cricket career.

Radio is a unique radio and cricket an unusual sport, and talking about it on air requires intelligence, wit, the ability to paint pictures with words and a complete understanding of the game. Good cricket journalists seem to be the best recruiting ground, so let's hope Steve James makes the transition. Please please keep the standards up.

Incredible. Does Mr Mountford live in a parallel universe where he can just cover his eyes and happily ignore the real issues such as the response to the axing of Mike Selvey and the general direction in which the programme appears to be heading? Criticism has been extensive for a while on the TMS blogs. The response has been to close one blog to further comment- no doubt because the overwhelming majority of it has been scathing- and forget about this latest one. Sophocles, on comment 12 here, is right, we should be addressing ourselves to someone with some clout and leave Mr Mountford on his cloud of oblivion. Anyone got any ideas ?

yeah my idea #17 is stop being such a stuck up toff. TMS like it has always been has been excellent, because life is constantly moving things change. what we dont need is luddites tuning in with their weary negativity.

i must say though that its been far from a vintage season in cricket. the nz series was poor quality, and the south africa series was frustratingly over too quickly.
1 change i think is stupid though is ending the summer with ODI, all international cricket has finished far far too early. why the ECB do things like this is beyond me, as no one seems to like it. perhaps TMS as the great institution it is could try and help induce a change here.

Post 18 is too depressing to pass without comment.
'because life is constantly moving things change. what we dont need is luddites tuning in with their weary negativity.'
From this he infers that we should accept any change at all, even the worst possible change. Fool. And what precisely is 'Luddite' about protesting about removing the best, most efficient summariser TMS has had?
I suppose he's referring to the complaints about the banal direction TMS is being taken in. Again, someone who seems to think that any change MUST be change for the better and charges anyone who resists with reactionary anti-modernism.
The tragedy is of course that this sort of ill thought out view will exactly mirror that of Mountford/whoever is in charge.
I think the truth of the matter is that no matter how much (justified) criticism there is on this blog, no-one is going to take notice of a blog. That's the lie behind the Five Live attitude of 'everyone can contribute/have their say/give their opinion'. Of course they can: and no one will pay any attention, because once people have had their say, it is assumed they will then shut up and be satifised/rightfully indignant with a clear conscience.
Certainly it would help if another national newspaper reported on this. That might help a bit. And letters to the head of radio sport too.

TMS, as far as I can gatherm is attempting to attract more listeners, of various ages and social standing.

Now, to acheive this, some changes made will be unpopular with existing listeners. But as a business, if a change attracts more new listeners than loses existing ones, it's a good change.

I am sure that all such decisions are thoroughly thought out and discussed at the highest level, and aren't simply made irrationally.

Also, we as listeners arnn't privvy to all that goes on between employer and employee at TMS, so we aren't fully informed to comment.

However, some changes will not be to the liking of some listeners, and therefore will be unpopular.

The people making these decisions get paid alot of money to carry the burden of unpopular executive decisions.

I'm sure who ever signed up Tuffnell was feeling the pressure. But Tuffnell is a hit (or not to some), but the general concensus from this blog is that Tuffnell is excellent. Who'd have thought that?

Keep up the good work TMS.

Good to hear that there will be more coverage of women's cricket.

In the meantime the website reporters would do well to brush up. The front page currently cites 'Charlotte Taylor' as winning the ICC women's player of the year award. The captain's name is Charlotte Edwards, who beat Claire Taylor to it.

#20. Ives16

Top comment, well structured and presented.


#21. Sophocles

One might think that due to Charlotte Edwards winning the inaugural ICC Women's Cricket award a blog/article specifically about the women's game might be forthcoming. Sadly not.


Adam,

Thanks for saying that you will have some focus on the Women's game, that's certainly good news for the future. Just don't leave it until the domestic cricket season has completely finished, as the number of people who would view the article would surely be reduced.


Obviously no news on the not very difficult notation/stats queries I raised then?

I'll keep raising it until there's an answer I guess.


neyster

Once again Adam's youth and immaturity are on show here. I count no fewer than four 'amazings' in his article, together with three 'incredibles', a 'real shame' not a 'shame', 'huge' controversy and the inevitable fatuous and unwanted football reference.

Mr Mountford, hysteria does not a good article make. Your style might kindly be described as magniloquent. Less kindly it might be called tediously sensationalist.

Just imagine if TMS commentary was conducted in this sort of fashion ...

I was lying half awake in bed this morning, thinking of cricket, as one does!?..... and this popped into my mind; strange, but there you go.........

`The Lords prayer`
from the gospel according to the ECB.

Our father who art in Kevin,
hallowed be thy name,
our time will come,
the Ashes will be won,
at the Oval we`ll be in heaven.
Give us this day our daily cricket,
and forgive us our losses,
as we forgive Aussies for playing against us.
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us victory,
for ours is the Kevvie, the players and team,
the power and glory,
for ever and ever, our men.

"Just imagine if TMS commentary was conducted in this sort of fashion..."

It will be, No 24 PoliticalUmpire, just be patient.

Jesus, No 25 tmsangry, you're ruining my weekend before it's begun. Can't we hound wet-behind-the-ears Mountford back to the football desk and get someone in who has even the vaguest appreciation of the values of TMS?

Master Mountford could learn from the true master of cricketing commentary, Richie Benaud. Benaud once said never to use words like 'disaster' or 'tragedy'; the titanic was a disaster, the Ethiopian famine a tragedy, and neither bears any relation to a dropped catch.

Of course if we succeed and Master Mountford is poured back into his bottle, there will be a vacancy for producer. As much as I'd like to send in my own cv, I am compelled to admit there are probably a few better qualified. Mike Selvey, for instance, is looking for a job these days I understand.

I've really enjoyed the TMS coverage all Summer, great coverage which, admittedly, has been made much more enjoyable by the results England got toward the end.

The commentary is always good, I particularly enjoy Aggers and Boycott's contributions. I love reading the blogs, and best of all the comments section where all the nation's angry, bored and slightly mad Mike Selvey lovers can come together and spout their arrogant nonsense. (I sometimes feel a little guilty sniggering at them, like when you see the crazy fat people on X Factor and you know you shouldn't laugh. I love this guy (26) offering his cv! Nutter!)

Keep up the good work and bring on India!

Sorry JulioGlassface? You enjoy sniggering at fat people? Well that's raised the level of debate.

Re 27:

1. It was a joke, you fool

2. What I said was as much as I'd like the job (and who wouldn't), there are better people qualified, namely Mike Selvey. This, for the X-factor viewer-standard of commentator, was intended as a wry dig at Mountford and his cohorts for sacking Selvey when patently he'd be a better choice for their own jobs.

3. Suggest you stick to watching X factor in future, where subtlety isn't the name of the game.

The "Oh no I can't believe that just happened " award must surely go to Ian Bell for getting out on 199.