He really was. You can't say what he said in this day and age but looking past that he was great at his job.
His voice and enthusiasm added a real sense of excitement and he had real experience in knowing when and when not to talk, something that pretty much every co-commentator right now is failing miserably at.
He was good at the old "banter" thing, love or loathe the word. Just idle, harmless jokes to keep things light.
Compare all that to Owen and it makes you miserable. Monotonous drivel, wittering on and on.