There was a sense of familiarity for football fans as Manchester City lifted a fifth Premier League title in sixth seasons last Sunday - but one constant was missing.
Pep Guardiola's side had already been officially crowned champions courtesy of Arsenal's defeat at Nottingham Forest the previous day, before cementing the celebrations with a 1-0 win over Chelsea. And afterwards, skipper Ilkay Gundogan lifted the trophy aloft amid a pitch invasion from the home fans,
But those watching at home had Rob Hawthorne commentating on proceedings, the first time in 20 years that the legendary Martin Tyler has not been the voice of title celebrations. The 77-year-old was instead resting at home after suffering with a sore throat, but is set to return this Sunday for the final day of the campaign.
With another Sky Sports icon in Jeff Stelling making his final bow this weekend, there has been speculation over the future of Tyler. The departure of pundit Graeme Souness has also been perceived in some quarters as the start of a clear out.
Tyler has riled certain fan bases this season, accused by former Arsenal player Martin Keown of being bias against the Gunners amis their end-of-season collapse. He was also accused of making a racist comment during the recent Liverpool v Spurs clash, after likening a bad challenge by Son Heung-Min to 'martial arts'.
However, it's understood that the veteran is intent on continuing well beyond 2022/23, having entered his fourth decade as a Premier League commentator. And the broadcaster are seemingly keen to keep the voice now synonymous with their live coverage.
Should Martin Tyler continue as a Sky Sports commentator? Share your predictions in the comments below
Tyler's commentary on the famous Sergio Aguero goal, that sealed the 2011/12 Premier League title for City, has gone down in football folklore. Some fans of the Citizens have even confessed to having his words, which contained the sentence: "I swear you'll never see anything like this ever again. So watch it, drink it in..." tattooed on their bodies.
During his distinguished career, that has now spanned over 50 years, he was voted as the Premier League's 'Commentator of the Decade' in 2003 to mark the 10th anniversary of the division. He was also a commentator for the FIFA video game series between 2005 and 2020.
And he was recently defended by long-term colleague Stelling, who hit back at Keown on Twitter after he accused Tyler of failing to be impartial on talkSPORT. In reply to a clip of the comments, Stelling simply wrote: "Absolute tripe."
