Gareth Wheeler

[Califax]

Part of OneSoccer's unspoken brand is their infallible attitude - which drives me nuts but creates conversation that I come back for. So I guess I'm the idiot. More so Larsen and Wheeler than others, but it's still a thing. 

Some of the other guys in Halifax lose their shit about being overlooked, but it just strikes me as a little whiney. 

I would like some tougher questions and topics about players on the National team, but I understand the need to ride the love in a bit. It is in contrast to definitive opinions about CPL players and teams. 

 

 

[Joe MacCarthy]

Wheeler finally came up with a catch phrase that didn't seem lame and contrived "Red, White and Freezing Cold!"

[Unnamed Trialist]

Wheeler was much better these last two games, I thought his calls were quality and if you look at how well the clips come out, you can see he puts work into a post-goal narrative. 

There was a moment, think it was first half, that either he or Terry mentioned that Adekugbe had never scored for Canada. Then, after he scores, there's a moment you can hear someone laughing. I think it was about that. In a long arc of a narrative things come back to you in sport, and that was one of them. But they did not have to even say it explicitly (it came out a few minutes later, or at least not immediately), while for the Larin goal, breaking De Rosario's record, it came out right after. That shows a decent control of those little internal stories that give the game more colour.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Are they still calling games over with 20 minutes to go, I have been watching our games in every language but English.  Wait a minute, how are you watching them? 

[AvroArrow]

If Canada is playing at the World Cup and we are then listening to TSN's English pundits, this thread is going to be filled with comments saying, "Bring back Wheeler!  I miss his enthusiasm for our team."  Calling it now.

[El Hombre]

13 minutes ago, AvroArrow said:

If Canada is playing at the World Cup and we are then listening to TSN's English pundits, this thread is going to be filled with comments saying, "Bring back Wheeler!  I miss his enthusiasm for our team."  Calling it now.

A-men.

[Redpunkfiddle]

28 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Wheeler was much better these last two games, I thought his calls were quality and if you look at how well the clips come out, you can see he puts work into a post-goal narrative. 

There was a moment, think it was first half, that either he or Terry mentioned that Adekugbe had never scored for Canada. Then, after he scores, there's a moment you can hear someone laughing. I think it was about that. In a long arc of a narrative things come back to you in sport, and that was one of them. But they did not have to even say it explicitly (it came out a few minutes later, or at least not immediately), while for the Larin goal, breaking De Rosario's record, it came out right after. That shows a decent control of those little internal stories that give the game more colour.

It was the traditional Dunfield high pitched laugh following Canada taking a 2-0 lead over the USA.

I actually just thought he lost it when Wheeler's voice cracked yelling Adekugbe! But agree the calls have gotten better.

[narduch]

29 minutes ago, AvroArrow said:

If Canada is playing at the World Cup and we are then listening to TSN's English pundits, this thread is going to be filled with comments saying, "Bring back Wheeler!  I miss his enthusiasm for our team."  Calling it now.

I'm looking forward to Luke Wileman filling me in on each players club situation during the broadcast 

[costarg]

I can't even imagine watching a CANMNT game without Wheeler at this point.  He's a big part of my ride in this.  I love the enthusiasm, heart and joy he brings.    

[EJsens1]

I just don’t want to see TSN/CTV bring in James Duthie for Qatar as some main host.  I like Duthie, he does a great job covering hockey, but TSN has done this a few times where they bring him in for the Grey Cup, they did it too during the Finals when the Raptors won.  I think it’s an overreach. I’m not suggesting he’d do a bad job, but I don’t want to see it.

[CCrTFC]

I've warmed up to him, but I think in large part it's because he's gotten better with timing and what to say, or when to hold back. 

[Lansdude]

The juxtaposition of what sometimes sounds like a local cable show covering high school football calling this excellent team is starting to become amusing.

[Approve My Account Pls]

1 minute ago, EJsens1 said:

I just don’t want to see TSN/CTV bring in James Duthie for Qatar as some main host.  I like Duthie, he does a great job covering hockey, but TSN has done this a few times where they bring him in for the Grey Cup, they did it too during the Finals when the Raptors won.  I think it’s an overreach. I’m not suggesting he’d do a bad job, but I don’t want to see it.

He was there for the MLS Playoffs as well

[EJsens1]

2 minutes ago, Approve My Account Pls said:

He was there for the MLS Playoffs as well

That’s right.  Guess my preference will fail 

[CanadianSoccerFan]

21 minutes ago, narduch said:

I'm looking forward to Luke Wileman filling me in on each players club situation during the broadcast 

" The former Hereford United man" lol

[Shway]

27 minutes ago, CanadianSoccerFan said:

" The former Hereford United man" lol

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's recognized this. Man does it so much in MLS like guys don't switch teams often. 

[archer21]

1 hour ago, AvroArrow said:

If Canada is playing at the World Cup and we are then listening to TSN's English pundits, this thread is going to be filled with comments saying, "Bring back Wheeler!  I miss his enthusiasm for our team."  Calling it now.

He’s still a pretty big homer and sometimes complains ridiculously about calls that rightly go against Canada, but it’s fine by me. I’d rather that than the opposite. He’s become “one of us” in a way and it feels like we’ve all gone on this ride together.

[VinceA]

3 minutes ago, archer21 said:

He’s still a pretty big homer and sometimes complains ridiculously about calls that rightly go against Canada, but it’s fine by me. I’d rather that than the opposite. He’s become “one of us” in a way and it feels like we’ve all gone on this ride together.

I've come to tolerate him but he still comes off as quite smug, like he's buying into his own hype as the lead guy for Canadian games. 

[RS]

1 hour ago, narduch said:

TSN's English pundits

English, Scottish and Irish*

[GasPed]

1 hour ago, AvroArrow said:

If Canada is playing at the World Cup and we are then listening to TSN's English pundits, this thread is going to be filled with comments saying, "Bring back Wheeler!  I miss his enthusiasm for our team."  Calling it now.

Gotta be honest - his (and Dunfield's) constant homeristic comments still grate on me occasionally, but I think I've either tuned it out or just gotten used to having a couple fanboys doing the play-by-play.  I will say that on a couple other forums I've seen, they are not getting a great reception (comments like "Are those play-by-play guys a joke?", "Couldn't Sportsnet get some actual sports announcers?", etc.).  But they'll come around (or at least learn to tune them out).  😉 

[SoccMan]

1 hour ago, narduch said:

I'm looking forward to Luke Wileman filling me in on each players club situation during the broadcast 

If we make the World Cup I would hope we have our own Canadian guys doing the play by play and colour commentating for the Canada games . It would be sad if they just took the regular English language FIFA feed they usually do. Moreover, hope these guys are calling the game there in Qatar at the stadium and not in a studio here in Toronto .

[theaub]

Its a shame so many Canada/US fans have this obsession with impartiality (and UK/Irish accents) when it comes to soccer.    Like how can you not like this???  Wheeler says some dumb things every now and then but the passion is fantastic.

 

[narduch]

5 minutes ago, theaub said:

Its a shame so many Canada/US fans have this obsession with impartiality (and UK/Irish accents) when it comes to soccer.    Like how can you not like this???  Wheeler says some dumb things every now and then but the passion is fantastic.

 

I don't mind homerism,

I just hate the cringe.

[GasPed]

2 minutes ago, theaub said:

Its a shame so many Canada/US fans have this obsession with impartiality (and UK/Irish accents) when it comes to soccer.    Like how can you not like this???  Wheeler says some dumb things every now and then but the passion is fantastic.

I think it comes from the fact that most of us grew up with professional sports broadcasts on nation-wide carriers.  In those cases, the announcers pretty much have to be impartial or risk pissing off 50% of their audience.  I actually like it better that way, because I like being able to trust that the announcers are calling it like they see it, rather than calling it the way they want it to be.  When Wheeler is yelling "How can that not be a red card?" I'd like to think he's outraged by a bad call and would be equally outraged if it was a bad call in our favour.  (Yeah, right 😉).  But that's how I'm used to games being announced.

Don't get me wrong - I love passion in fans.  I love seeing Phonzie's reactions to our goals while he's Twitch-streaming.  But I don't think I'll ever get totally comfortable with hearing announcers describing players/plays in ways that my own eyeballs are just not seeing.  Maybe I'm just old-fashioned.

 

[Redpunkfiddle]

2 hours ago, narduch said:

I'm looking forward to Luke Wileman filling me in on each players club situation during the broadcast 

At least we won't have to hear him filling us in on "player x- the Canadian international".