Hugh McIlvanney - Sports journalist radio shows

[JimBHibees]

Just listened to a couple of the BBC radio conversations with the legendary Scottish sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney.

Absolutely fantastic and covers some of the most famous sporting characters in football/boxing/horse racing etc.

Certainly dont make journalists like him anymore. Absolutely riveting listening. Series of 6 shows.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02wfnvv/members

[Purple & Green]

His brother was a decent old writer too.

There was a tv series around 1986 - only a game I think it was called that he contributed to [Edit: he didn't write it or narrate it, just contributed to it]. It was excellent, well worth a watch if it's on youchoob.

Souness pitched for the Rangers job in the series as I recall.

[LaMotta]

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Just listened to a couple of the BBC radio conversations with the legendary Scottish sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney.

Absolutely fantastic and covers some of the most famous sporting characters in football/boxing/horse racing etc.

Certainly dont make journalists like him anymore. Absolutely riveting listening. Series of 6 shows.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02wfnvv/members

Cheers for posting - will def have a listen of these!

[SonOfDavidFrancey]

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His brother was a decent old writer too.

There was a tv series around 1986 - only a game I think it was called that he contributed to [Edit: he didn't write it or narrate it, just contributed to it]. It was excellent, well worth a watch if it's on youchoob.

Souness pitched for the Rangers job in the series as I recall.

The original series of 'only A Game' was the inspiration for 'only an excuse' in its first incarnation (ie when it was funny). The opening of the original is actually a parody of mcilvanney's slow, ponderous and sonorous style in 'only a game' which was regarded as being a bit pompous.

The original 'Only an Excuse' was on radio I think and began something like:

'The first recorded game of football in Scotland occurred on the field of Bannockburn when two Scottish warriors kicked around the severed head of a slain English soldier.... It was a dour game, with defences well on top...'

[ancient hibee]

Wasn't Only a Game the one where Eddie Turnbull explained his football philosophy."get the ball and play with it if they get it take it off them and play some more".

[thebakerboy]

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Wasn't Only a Game the one where Eddie Turnbull explained his football philosophy."get the ball and play with it if they get it take it off them and play some more".

I would think that this is the Barcelona way as personified in the Pep Guardeloa team

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The original series of 'only A Game' was the inspiration for 'only an excuse' in its first incarnation (ie when it was funny). The opening of the original is actually a parody of mcilvanney's slow, ponderous and sonorous style in 'only a game' which was regarded as being a bit pompous.

The original 'Only an Excuse' was on radio I think and began something like:

'The first recorded game of football in Scotland occurred on the field of Bannockburn when two Scottish warriors kicked around the severed head of a slain English soldier.... It was a dour game, with defences well on top...'

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[monarch]

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Just listened to a couple of the BBC radio conversations with the legendary Scottish sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney.

Absolutely fantastic and covers some of the most famous sporting characters in football/boxing/horse racing etc.

Certainly dont make journalists like him anymore. Absolutely riveting listening. Series of 6 shows.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02wfnvv/members

You mean you rate him even higher than present day press icons like Keith Jackson ?

[JimBHibees]

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You mean you rate him even higher than present day press icons like Keith Jackson ?

Only just.

[cabbageandribs1875]

apologies bringing old thread up, Hugh Mcllvanney has sadly passed away

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...-west-46998608

Hugh McIlvanney, widely considered to be one of Britain's greatest sports journalists, has died at the age of 84.

[Billy Whizz]

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apologies bringing old thread up, Hugh Mcllvanney has sadly passed away

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...-west-46998608

Hugh McIlvanney, widely considered to be one of Britain's greatest sports journalists, has died at the age of 84.

Top top man

[chinaman]

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Top top man

mcllvaney on boxing is a top read

[Smartie]

A magnificent journalist and a sad loss.

It's sad to think that we used to be capable of producing the likes of McIlvaney, who was thoughtful, articulate and endearing.

Nowadays we produce the likes of Keith Jackson - dense, abrasive, parochial and unbearable.

The BBC conversations linked to higher up this page are well worth a listen.

[matty_f]

Sad to hear that, he was excellent. RIP.

[SideBurns]

He once drunk my dad & uncle into submission in the Queen's Arms prior to flying out to the LA Olympics in 1984. No mean feat!

My dad said his sporting knowledge was enclyclopedic, and he was great company. Sad to hear this.

[Pretty Boy]

Sad news.

Cut from the same cloth as the likes of Bob Crampsey; able to add a level of analytical intelligence to sport without becoming massively scholarly about it.

[JimBHibees]

Sad news what a colossus he was in his field. Intelligent, great knowledge thought provoking with a wonderful turn of phrase. RIP Hugh.

[BILLYHIBS]

Sad news indeed one of my heroes

Great man and brilliant journalist and sports writer

Confolences to his family

RIP

[vuefrom1875]

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You mean you rate him even higher than present day press icons like Keith Jackson ?

Had the pleasure a few years ago of meeting the great man .A gentleman who's knowledge of all things sporting was exceptional and particularly boxing,his great love.The man's pedigree in journalism is second to none,a truly great writer. When you read nowadays these so called journalists,and I use that term loosely, who write for red top rags,I dispare at the quality and content these halfwits churn out.Hugh Mcilvanney I salute you..a rare breed.Mentioning Keith Jackson and the great man together in the same sentence is preposterous verging on the ridiculous.

[heretoday]

Him and Bob Crampsey. They don't make them like that any more.

[Bostonhibby]

A proper sports journalist, worthy of the name. There's not many like him about sadly. RIP

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[heretoday]

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A proper sports journalist, worthy of the name. There's not many like him about sadly. RIP

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I think the problem is that football now is bound up with so many other things unconnected with the pure enjoyment of the game. Guys like McIlvanney were essentially fans with typewriters but blessed with the ability to write well and convey the beauty of the sport itself. He saw that as his job rather than reacting to the latest managerial atrocity or whatever.

[Bostonhibby]

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I think the problem is that football now is bound up with so many other things unconnected with the pure enjoyment of the game. Guys like McIlvanney were essentially fans with typewriters but blessed with the ability to write well and convey the beauty of the sport itself. He saw that as his job rather than reacting to the latest managerial atrocity or whatever.

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[esjorto]

One of the greatest our game has produced. Only a Game was a wonderful show. R.I.P.

[The Harp]

Very sad news. The best sports journalist bar none, and I'm old enough to remember the great John Rafferty.
There's no one could fill Hugh's shoes. Absolutely in a class of his own.

RIP

[Baader]

For me, the best there was. His Arena documentary, The Football Men (Busby, Shankly and Stein) is an essential watch for any fan of the game. An absolute master of his craft.

[Billy Whizz]

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For me, the best there was. His Arena documentary, The Football Men (Busby, Shankly and Stein) is an essential watch for any fan of the game. An absolute master of his craft.

He was also heavily involved in the BBC Scotland documentaries in the 70’s, the story of Scottish Football, “Only a game”

https://youtu.be/ewUAJEjyPLo

[heretoday]

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times........................."

[Carheenlea]

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He was also heavily involved in the BBC Scotland documentaries in the 70’s, the story of Scottish Football, “Only a game”

https://youtu.be/ewUAJEjyPLo

Sure it was his brother William, the author who wrote and natrrated that great series. This link has them all I think, and always well worth a watch.

http://www.robroyfilms.co.uk/only-a-...ball-bbc-1986/

Some good tributes on social media to Hugh, and this report from when Celtic won the European Cup was one of many I read today.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/bl...internazionale

[Billy Whizz]

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Sure it was his brother William, the author who wrote and natrrated that great series. This link has them all I think, and always well worth a watch.

http://www.robroyfilms.co.uk/only-a-...ball-bbc-1986/

Some good tributes on social media to Hugh, and this report from when Celtic won the European Cup was one of many I read today.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/bl...internazionale

Thanks, I’ve got them on a tape somewhere. Really loved this when it came out

[SonOfDavidFrancey]

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He was also heavily involved in the BBC Scotland documentaries in the 70’s, the story of Scottish Football, “Only a game”

https://youtu.be/ewUAJEjyPLo

Yep that was William, who was a novelist and a bit more pretentious. The original ‘only an excuse’ was a pisstake of the portentous delivery of the narrative of that programme.