McCoist making a super summariser

At this World Cup, as always, football commentators and summarisers are attracting their fair share of critics.

I graduated from local hospital radio coverage to BBC but, despite doing a good few commentaries in my early days, I always preferred reporting and chasing stories to painting the picture for listeners or viewers.

Poring over statistics of scorers and appearances was always too humdrum for me when there were breaking transfer stories and background shenanigans happening on the pitch and in boardrooms.

There are good commentators covering this World Cup – but summarisers are in shorter supply.

Our own Ally McCoist is a star performer in my book.

The two roles are very distinct, with the commentator there to describe the action as it unfolds, which, on TV unlike radio, you are seeing for yourself, while the summariser should add expertise and analysis that tells you how and why things are happening, pointing out things you maybe didn’t know or hadn’t thought of.

One should tell you who has just done what. The other, why it’s been done.

The summariser’s role is almost always done by ex-professionals these days, but that wasn’t always the case.

When I did the commentary on Young Boys vs Celtic in Berne back in the 1993-94 season, the late Ian Archer, who was an outstanding journalist, was my sidekick and I also did a few games

with the late Bob Crampsey, once Brain of Britain.

In 2001, I covered the Celtic vs Juventus European Cup match for Uefa Radio, with Tommy Burns as my “co-comm”.

Archer and Crampsey were steeped in the history and politics of the Scottish game and extremely knowledgeable.

Burns, as a Celtic player and manager just a few years before that match, brought a top tactical perspective to proceedings and, like McCoist, had a dry and gallus wit which greatly enlivened proceedings.

A good pairing on the gantry can add substantially

to, or detract from, our enjoyment of a game.

The Jon Champion/Ally McCoist combo bring a calm, unflustered approach and a solid understanding, sprinkled with the right balance of comment, analysis and humour. It’s not an easy mix to get right, but they have nailed it.

● Dundee’s six-goal demolition of Airdrie in the Scottish Cup is a big lift to players and fans’ confidence.

Five different scorers, albeit in a game which went to extra time and against 10 men, is a significant victory and morale-booster for a team in form.

Unbeaten in six and with four wins on the bounce, Gary Bowyer’s men are now just a point off Championship leaders Ayr, and looking stronger every game.

Shaun Byrne’s return from the wilderness has strengthened the Dens midfield, but this is no one-man show.

There’s a real sense of a squad where competition for places is being fiercely contested.

And that’s producing the kind of performances needed to secure promotion from a league where battling qualities are as important as silky skills.

is proving adept on TV, though Jim preferred reporting.

ON THE MIC: Ally McCoist, left,