Jim Rosenthal leads Oxford tributes to friend John Motson

Motson, who was popularly known as ‘Motty’, had a voice synonymous with football following a 50-year broadcasting career with the BBC.

He had worked on Match of the Day since 1971 and covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals before his retirement in 2018.

This morning, his family said in a statement that Motson died peacefully in his sleep.

READ MORE: Oxford United’s Karl Robinson pays tribute to commentator

Oxford United fan and fellow broadcaster Mr Rosenthal, who has covered eight World Cups himself over a 50-year career, paid tribute to the “king of the football mic”.

He told the PA news agency: “The reality is there are so many football commentators now that it’s very hard for anyone to grip the nation like Motty did because there were only two shows in town and let’s be honest, the BBC was the main show and Motty had that era.

“I know he and Barry Davies were always played off against each other, but it was possible for commentators to dominate sports. Motty dominated football, Peter O’Sullevan dominated racing, Bill McLaren dominated rugby.

“It was a different era and, in that era, Motty was king of the football mic beyond any doubt.”

Mr Rosenthal, 75, who worked for the Oxford Mail between 1967 and 1971, enjoyed a friendship with Motson dating back to the early 1970s as they established themselves as household names in British sports coverage.

Motson’s career was launched after his commentary on a goal by Ronnie Radford which contributed to non-league Hereford’s 1972 FA Cup giant-killing against Division One Newcastle.

However, his gift for producing the right phrase at the right time, as he famously did to sum up Wimbledon’s FA Cup final victory over Liverpool in 1988, served him well throughout his working life.

Mr Rosenthal said: “He was iconic, just a wonderful broadcaster. He came out with big lines when it mattered – ‘The Crazy Gang have beaten the Culture Club’ – and a voice that was instantly recognisable as well. You only needed a couple of words to go, ‘That’s Motty’.

“He had a wonderful career and away from it all, was always generous, a generous human being with his time.

“He’s been a great friend for a large number of years. We played together in our little commentators’ football team – and he was a vastly better commentator than a player, as he would admit.

“It’s a sad day for broadcasting, it’s a sad day for a lot of people on a personal level as well.”

Motson was renowned for his research and use of statistics, although Rosenthal insists he always did so to good effect.

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He said: “He blazed that trail, really, and he did it himself with his own work. But he did use the stats very well. He dropped them in when they should be there, not because he had them.”

However, he added that Motson could sometimes become so engrossed in his work that he would be lost to those around him.

He said: “When he went into – we called it ‘The Tunnel’ – he would just be concentrating on something, on a game or a commentary or an aspect and you couldn’t get through to him.”

It follows tributes earlier today from Oxford United manager Karl Robison who described Motson as a “true icon” and the “best of the best”.

Commenters on the Oxford Mail Facebook page also paid their respects to Motson as they reacted to news of his death.

Phil Fugle said: “Truly awful news. Thank you for so much pleasure you gave us as football supporters. Rest in Peace.”

Peter Wartho added: “Great football commentator lovely man ....RIP John.”