Legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley gives incredible insight into his pre match preparation

Legendary football commentator Clive Tyldesley has given fans an insight into the vast preparation that happens ahead of a match. 

Prior to Saturday’s match at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium between Spurs and Wolves, Tyldesley was filmed explaining his pre match preparation. You can watch the footage below.

He showed a piece of paper with both team’s players on, with the line ups from their last match as he prepares for the official announcement of the starting elevens. 

Tyldesley then opened a file filled with useful information that he will require ahead of the match. It included promotional phrases that he will be saying when commentating for talkSPORT. 

The file was filled with pages of information about each team, details on previous matches, each player’s statistics, information about the managers, referees and general introductions for each team. 

It is fascinating to see the amount of work that a commentator has to put in ahead of a match, they don’t just simply turn up and talk for 90 minutes, they have to do in depth research into everything in order to give the viewers the best possible broadcast experience when watching a match. 

Tyldesley has been an integral part of ITV’s football coverage since 1998, voicing some of the best moments ever in football history. His most memorable moments includes the 2005 Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan. He was also the voice behind Manchester United’s stunning come back in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich. 

In 2020, after 22 years as ITV’s lead commentator, he was replaced by Sam Matterface. A decision that baffled Tyldesley. 

He said: “I’m being replaced as ITV’s senior football commentator. To be clear, this is ITV’s decision – not mine – and I am upset, annoyed, baffled.

“I’ve had broadcasters asking if I have any health issues, no I have got no health issues. I gather one or two sites are reporting that I have been sacked. Well I guess I have … from one job, but I’ve done nothing wrong.”

He added: “I’m the same person I’ve always been. Like me or hate you’re entitled to do either. Like everyone else in football I’m a matter of opinion, I totally get that. I totally respect ITV’s right to change their opinion of me.

“But, let me make it quite clear – I have not stepped down, I have been moved aside. I’m just going to miss the England games so much, even more than I’ll miss the Champions League games and that is all.” 

Later that year, he became the lead Champions League commentator for American television network, CBS Sports.