Bob Crampsey RIP ( merged threads )

[dodemac]

A true gent knowledgeable and he never showed any bias in is writing or commentary .

RIP BOB

yes he knew his stuff and was never bias except when Morton were involved lol

RIP BOB C

[Martin_T]

I'm saddened by the loss of Bob Crampsey and can only echo some of the thoughts already posted. No one in the modern media can come close to him in terms of his intelligence and impartiality. A sad loss for Scottish football and Scotland in general.

[Chubb]

A true legend in Scottish Sports Journalism. You will be missed Bob.

 

RIP

[WorldChampions1902]

I am shocked and deeply saddened by this news.

 

Bob Crampsey was indeed a Queens Park fan but his knowledge of Scottish Football extended beyond Hampden Park. Bob was a much respected football historian and he will be sadly missed by family and football fans alike.

 

RIP

[LeylandJambo]

RIP:sad:

[Broxburn Jambo]

Bob Crampsie first appeared on the TV in the early days of the real 'Scotsport' from 1957 until the sad demise of what was a first class sports programme covering as it did, not just Football, but all the popular sports including golf, rugby and cricket.

 

Arthur Montford, Alex Cameron and Norman Mair were fine journalists of the old school and Bob, who was a school headmaster, added his broad knowledge of the history and famous characters of the sports, but particularly of football. He could recall names, games and statistics from the past in an instant.

 

As has been said by others he was completely unbiased in his opinions. He was a true gentleman.

 

RIP Bob Crampsie.

grany stott andy walker watch and learn , RIP Bob

[Pants Shaton]

yes he knew his stuff and was never bias except when Morton were involved lol

RIP BOB C

 

You're thinking of Arthur Montford.

[NLTFTh]

Very Sad, Mr Crampsie had the voice that would make any match sound exciting and his knowledge of the game was second to none.

 

RIP, Bob.

[Fenerjambo]

RIP Bob Your knowledge of our game will be sadly missed.

[The Old Tolbooth]

Gutted at hearing this, he was my favourite commentator by a country mile and his knowledge on the game was second to none.

 

RIP Bob, a legend in your own right.

[teepee]

Very sad news, you may be gone but your words and love of the game will live on.

 

R.I.P Bob.

[Ulysses]

.....surely a minutes applause for the gent at the opening games around the country would be the right thing to do.

 

 

I think this is a really good idea, and I hope it gets taken up by the footballing powers that be.

 

May he rest in peace.

[Miller Jambo 60]

RIP Bob. A real football supporter if ever there was one. Sadly, I never heard him speak live as I missed the shareholder's dinner he attended a few years ago.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7527655.stm[/QU

OTE]

 

My thoughts mate ,he was a gent and a good reporter not like the shat we have now RIP sir

[Robbos Right Peg]

Not much more that I can add to what has been said already except I did hear him speak at dinners a few times and the man was sheer class. Sadly missed

[JWL]

He certainly was an authority on all footballing matters and not a touch of the Glasgow bias press nonsense you get nowadays, a great one off journalist with a genuine respect for the game of football,a true gentleman and a great man...............RIP Bob.

[heartgarfunkel]

THe word legend is banded about far to easily nowadays. However in the case of the now late Bob Crampsey the word I firmly believe is entirely

appropriate. For a man from the west his total lack of bias to any team in Scotland was a great credit to him and many of today's journalists and so called football experts could take more than a leaf from his book.

 

RIP Bob. Condolences to all your family.

 

Scottish football has indeed lost one of it's best.

 

John

 

Difficult to put it better than that John. RIP Bob

[Imeantasong]

grany stott andy walker watch and learn , RIP Bob

Prood that our TV / Media have been dumbed down.

 

Bob Crampsey was different class.

 

R.I.P

[Paisley Jambo]

Sorry to hear, but at 78 and of ill health, I suppose it was inevitable.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to him as he had a great knowledge of the game, unlike some of the idiots we have to listen to pontificating their opnions, not knowledge, nowadays.

[Mr Maroon]

A true gentleman, with a knowledge of the game that was second to none.

Sadly missed.

RIP

[Pistol1874]

Bob Crampsey puts 95% of modern sports journalist to shame, I grew up listening to Bob Crampsey, David Francey, James Sanderson etc on the radio - even though you didn't always agree with their analysis you at least knew these were educated men and many of their points had some validity unlike many of the cretins we're forced to endure now.

 

RIP Bob Crampsey

I have to agree, as a kid I often had to rely on the radio for live football coverage, not being able to afford to go.

I would rather be in that position when I was, than be in that position now.

RIP Bob, no one did it better then and no one has done it better since.

[Boab]

I think this is a really good idea, and I hope it gets taken up by the footballing powers that be.

 

May he rest in peace.

 

Bumping this back up.The only way to ensure a fitting tribute would take place is to keep the idea to the forefront.

I'm sure this could happen given the genuine respect football fans have for him.A more fitting minutes applause you'd be hard to find,i'm sure you'll agree.

[Sackboy]

I'm sad to hear this news, I always liked listening to Bob Crampsey commentate with his unique voice and you could tell he was very knowledgable about the game.

 

I also remember him saying in a video that the best player he ever seen was Willie Hamilton of Hearts.

 

He always seemed really impartial.

 

RIP Bob

[BigC]

A true gent of Scottish football.

 

R.I.P.

[bill duff]

Defintiely one of the best.

 

Remember him describing a goalmouth incident as being a " stramash". Classic!!!

 

RIP Bob and condolences to his family

[blackjambo]

Minute applause before the opening game is a terrific idea. Anyone have any contacts at the club to suggest this?

[deejpee]

Very sad news.. Terrific commentator and will be sadly missed. RIP BOB

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

I'm saddened by the loss of Bob Crampsey and can only echo some of the thoughts already posted. No one in the modern media can come close to him in terms of his intelligence and impartiality. A sad loss for Scottish football and Scotland in general.

 

Spot on Martin.

[WestcoastJambo]

Minute applause before the opening game is a terrific idea. Anyone have any contacts at the club to suggest this?

 

I can only echo the sentiments of this thread, it's all been said already.

 

The man was absolutely peerless in his profession and I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of a minutes silence . It would be an appropiate gesture.

[Jam Tarts 1874]

Just want to endorse all the previous comments. I always enjoyed reading and listening to the late Mr Crampsey's opinions on the game. There really can't be many open-minded commentators/writers left now, very sad indeed.

[Cracklin' Rosie]

Sad to hear the news. The man was a gentleman! The football world will be a lesser palce without him..

 

Quality guy!!

[zdrastvway]

For so many, for several decades Bob Crampsey was THE voice of Scottish football. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that his passing be marked on the first day of the new season at grounds around the country. That would be so fitting for someone who enriched the lives of all who came across him.

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

RIP Bob - you'll be sorely missed.

[hunnybunny]

A master of your trade and an act and few will ever be able to follow at the same level

 

RIP Bob:sad:

[hearts @ heart]

Utmost respect for a journalist who was the perfect gentleman.

 

Very clever and there is no one who comes close nowadays.

 

sympathoy to his family, friends and all who new him.

R.I.P.

[Flimsy]

Scottish football pundits

 

1. Bob Crampsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone else

 

 

Sportsound has never been the same since he retired. When he spoke, I listened intently every time.

[Tasavallan]

When he spoke, I listened intently every time.

And not just about football. Mr Crampsey was knowledgeable on many subjects.

 

The current crop of sports 'pundits' are not in the same league.

 

RIP Bob.

 

[Jambo Hud316]

A unique man with a unique voice

 

Loved listening to him before and after the games on the radio on a saturday

 

RIP Bob

[Hearts Heritage]

I posted this on the wonderful ScottishLeague.net forum.

 

Bob Crampsey was everything the modern Scottish football journalist isn't - intelligent, honest, reliable, truthful, professional, authoritative, humorous without being snide, passionate without being partisan. This is a genuine loss for Scottish broadcasting and journalism. There is no-one around to replace Bob Crampsey.

Whole heartedly agree. We now live in an era of the 'celebrity' pundit. Full of ex Pros who have their own agendas to follow. It is all about 'opinion' rather than 'fact'.

There was a frankly laughable part in the Scotsman article stating that Richard Gordon had now taken on part of his mantle. The site is down so I cant’ find

I only met him once at a Dinner to raise money for the Contalmaison Cairn. Bob spoke authoritively about Hearts and the Great War. He described himself as the link between the carrier pigeon and the internet. I spent some time with him discussing Andy Black and footballing cricketers. Just 2 of his great loves.

There is no-one who comes close now, such is the loss.

[shaun.lawson]

I can only second all that has been said above, and will, I've no doubt, be being said on other fans' websites across Scotland. A legend of the game has been lost.

 

When reading through most peoples' thoughts that no-one else comes close to Crampsey amongst pundits nowadays, one thing's struck me though. Bob Crampsey's background was very unusual: he had a doctorate in sports journalism, and was a historian as well as commentator. Also, having read through a few of his pieces since hearing this terribly sad news, I've noticed how detailed his writing is, and how he completely shuns the sensationalism and hyperbole you see throughout the broadsheet and tabloid press nowadays.

 

But the thing is, if someone else came along now with similar skills to his, wouldn't they just be ridiculed as an egg-head boffin and dry academic? Not just by the public, but employers too: it's a totally different, much more ruthless age the media are in now, and they demand writers able to deliver punchlines and soundbites galore, however lazily they come across to many of us. Sadly, I don't think there's room for another Crampsey or Hugh McIlvanney in today's sports journalism - because such individuals would be far too much at odds with what newspapers expect, and the public seems to want too.

[Charlie-Brown]

I can only second all that has been said above, and will, I've no doubt, be being said on other fans' websites across Scotland. A legend of the game has been lost.

 

When reading through most peoples' thoughts that no-one else comes close to Crampsey amongst pundits nowadays, one thing's struck me though. Bob Crampsey's background was very unusual: he had a doctorate in sports journalism, and was a historian as well as commentator. Also, having read through a few of his pieces since hearing this terribly sad news, I've noticed how detailed his writing is, and how he completely shuns the sensationalism and hyperbole you see throughout the broadsheet and tabloid press nowadays.

 

But the thing is, if someone else came along now with similar skills to his, wouldn't they just be ridiculed as an egg-head boffin and dry academic? Not just by the public, but employers too: it's a totally different, much more ruthless age the media are in now, and they demand writers able to deliver punchlines and soundbites galore, however lazily they come across to many of us. Sadly, I don't think there's room for another Crampsey or Hugh McIlvanney in today's sports journalism - because such individuals would be far too much at odds with what newspapers expect, and the public seems to want too.

 

I disagree with this Shaun - I think our journalism has been dumbed-down from the supply side of the equation not the demand side - most of the comments on this thread and similar on hobo's.net & tartan-army etc echo people had high regard for the man & his style and appreciated his quality and also think most of the current mob are rank rotten - so it would seem that the media are not satisfying the demands of an apparently sizeable chunk of their audience for QUALITY journalism.

[Hearts Heritage]

....

 

But the thing is, if someone else came along now with similar skills to his, wouldn't they just be ridiculed as an egg-head boffin and dry academic? Not just by the public, but employers too: it's a totally different, much more ruthless age the media are in now, and they demand writers able to deliver punchlines and soundbites galore, however lazily they come across to many of us. Sadly, I don't think there's room for another Crampsey or Hugh McIlvanney in today's sports journalism - because such individuals would be far too much at odds with what newspapers expect, and the public seems to want too.

 

It is partly about understanding the Historical perspective. People want an instant or hyperbolic reply without putting it in context. David Ross and others do a very good job on the

 

http://scottishleague.net/forum/index.php

 

website. However there is no longer a respected voice of authority. Ian Archer was one who sadly died 6 years ago aged 59.

[neil_jambo]

RIP Legend

[shaun.lawson]

I disagree with this Shaun - I think our journalism has been dumbed-down from the supply side of the equation not the demand side - most of the comments on this thread and similar on hobo's.net & tartan-army etc echo people had high regard for the man & his style and appreciated his quality and also think most of the current mob are rank rotten - so it would seem that the media are not satisfying the demands of an apparently sizeable chunk of their audience for QUALITY journalism.

 

In that case, it makes no sense that no-one close to Crampsey has emerged. The only person I can think of who is anywhere near filling his mantle is Spiers - yet even he's pretty unusual, and receives as many brickbats as bouquets from the critics.

 

It's a serious point. Not for a moment am I trying to compare myself with Crampsey in any way, shape or form: I talk drivel most of the time, and probably come across like James Lawton, only with ten times as much wind! But plenty of people have asked me in recent years if I saw myself in journalism - and my response has been that I just don't think my style would work. I think I'd have to completely dumb down in order to get anywhere, and that having a doctorate would actually count against me; and that the knowledge I have would actually be panned by many, rather than appreciated.

 

Meaning I'll be steering well clear, as I think I'm much better suited to academia. But somewhere out there, there probably are budding young writers in the Crampsey mould - and will they find their paths blocked and be forced to dumb down and jazz up as well? If so, there must be something on the demand side causing it: most people seem to have the attention span of a gnat nowadays, so if you can't make your point within a couple of sentences or less, they just switch off.

[cocobeab]

You are right Speirs is probably the closest we have. To compare any of gordon, young, traynor, mcleod, dodds, keevins etc is a slur on Crampsey's name.

 

Speirs only receives brickbats on account of occasionaly having dared to do other than than toe the party line and fail to portray everything the old firm touch in a postive light. Only in this country would Speirs receive brickbats, elsewhere he'd be lauded as a knoweldgeable and investigative journalist.

 

The true football fans of this country will sadly miss Mr Crampsey one of the last remaining impartial and knoweldgeable gentleman in the game. His passing and the absence of any pretenders to his crown marks another sad and sorry day in the decline of the game in this country.

[mac]

I loved his accent!

[Shaggy2]

RIP Bob.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

You are right Speirs is probably the closest we have. To compare any of gordon, young, traynor, mcleod, dodds, keevins etc is a slur on Crampsey's name.

 

Speirs only receives brickbats on account of occasionaly having dared to do other than than toe the party line and fail to portray everything the old firm touch in a postive light. Only in this country would Speirs receive brickbats, elsewhere he'd be lauded as a knoweldgeable and investigative journalist.

 

The true football fans of this country will sadly miss Mr Crampsey one of the last remaining impartial and knoweldgeable gentleman in the game. His passing and the absence of any pretenders to his crown marks another sad and sorry day in the decline of the game in this country.

 

The problem with Spiers is that he tries to be far too 'eloquent' with every sentence he utters rather than introducing some balance because there are questions where a short sentence will suffice.

 

That said, he's still a fair degree above the rest in the Scottish football market.

[The People's Chimp]

sad news. he was a real football man and always had someting interesting to say.

[japanjambo]

Just read an article by Glenn Gibbons, about when he was 13 years old, and Bob was his history teacher. Bob laid down some ground rules about homework:

 

"I will accept only one excuse for your failure to do a homework assignment," he said, "That is, if you die."

 

LOL! What a legend!

 

Lynn

[rossmaroon]

I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of an iconic figure of Scottish sport, Bob Crampsey. Most people remember him as the "know-all" from Scotsport or The Evening Times, but he was far more important than that. His knowledge of cricket is probably what he would be most fondly remembered for from a personal point of view, but to those who can remember the grainy footage and crackly soundtrack, it is Scotsport; for those who attended St Ambrose's RC High School his role as a teacher and Headmaster; for those who witnessed his Immortal Memory speeches his vast knowledge of literature.

My sincere condolences to Alison and her sisters and mother.