da dobrowin： After having a rather interesting conversation about football pundits, it got me to thinking – just how good / bad are the pundits we watch every match day? From the BBC to sky sports, programs such as Soccer Saturday have become a national institution, making the presenters and pundits either loved or hated by the public with a passion, yet after the shall we say ‘enforced by mutual consent’ change on Super Sunday and other match day coverage with the departure of Keys and Grey, is it time for a refresh of other panels to boot?
da apostebet： Now before outrage and shock is expressed, I would never advocate getting rid of host Jeff Stelling – since the world’s most excitable host produced a Hartlepool monkey in his joy at their result, Jeff will forever hold a place in my and the rest of the nation’s heart. Likewise Kammy – a better reporter for inside the stadium I have never seen – despite getting so excited he has to be reminded to use his words on occasion, Kammy along with Jeff should be here to stay for all of eternity.
That is not to say a shake up is a bad thing – look at how fresh Sky Sports coverage now is with pundits such as Gary Neville – love him or hate him, Gary is unashamedly biased and at least has an opinion that can spark debate, unlike Mr Magnolia himself, Ray Wilkins, who at most offers ‘John and Frank, I know them well, they’re good boys.’
Even Jamie my trousers are shockingly tight Redknapp doesn’t hold a candle to Jeff or Neville. Whilst Neville’s bias to United is slightly humorous, Redknapp’s unfailing ability to refer to ‘Frank being a quality player’ is getting more than a little tiresome – and I am a big fan of Lamps! Perhaps it is time to go back to the Thomas Cook adverts for Jamie!
Neville, for me, is the signing of the season for his face after the Manchester Derby alone – add to this the comments about David Luiz being controlled by a 10 year old on a play station – which sorry AVB but the only disservice I felt Gary did with that was to a 10 year old, they have some skill these days – he is worth his weight in gold to Sky Sports.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Fans like and appreciate pundits with an opinion – look at the success of wind up merchant Robbie Savage – or the sheer amount of followers bad boy turned philosopher Joey Barton has on twitter. Opinions such as these are the ones that get people talking, not the monotone voice and ridiculous statements by commentators such as David Pleat and Graham Taylor, for whom stating the obvious must be the way he gets his bonus he does it so often ‘the thing Arsenal need to do here is score a goal’ Well someone’s earning their money Graham!
Likewise this season’s La Liga anchor, Scott Minto, who is either like watching paint dry or so biased they may as well rename Revista de la Liga to Me Gusta Barcelona, it is only Guillem Balague that keeps me watching the show. With Mark Bolton alluding to the fact he was let go after ahchoring for 6 years due to being anti-authoritarian and having an opinion, if sky want beige, they certainly got it with Scott ‘three bags full Minto’! None of this was as bad a decision as axing the Guapa feature however – a worse mistake I have not seen since the purchase of Veron.
Even though Paul Merson gets some flack, you have to admit it is amusing when he constantly pronounces player’s names wrong and gets teased by the rest of the panel. One of the things I genuinely enjoy when watching a soccer Saturday is the bond between the presenters and the banter they have – football focus is the Thursday night Channel 5 equivalent of Soccer Saturday, with a stale format and the moronic Garth Crooks taking a starring role. Much like offering the choice between Casillas or Roy Carroll, I know which one I would chose.
In the same vein that journalists with an opinion such as Martin Samuel or Henry Winter are becoming more and more popular with readers, the same can be said of pundits. We need more than the run of the mill stating the obvious ‘goals change games’ type pundit – we want enthusiasm, passion and heart, not to mention the occasional controversial comment to discuss in the pub or with friends.
That is why in my eyes, Neville and Savage are on their way to becoming national treasures as pundits, and I expect many more ex players who divide opinion to follow in their footsteps – and that can only be a good thing.
[divider]
FREE football app that pays you CASH
[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]