The TV pundits thread

[Fosterbloke]

I liked Martin O'Neill, Gordon Strachan, Jurgen Klopp on TV. They have the communication skills and experience to tell you the what and the why.

No idea what Carragher and Neville are like because I don't subscribe to Sky etc.

[Norbs]

Does Ray Parlour still get asked to be a pundit? He is one of the thickest pundits I've ever witnessed.

To be fair Alan Smith makes Parlour sound like Brian Cox. Were Parlour, Adams, Metron and Smith all in the same Arsenal team? **** me they were a special bunch

[Norbs]

There's a multitude of threads on this topic already, but my main problem with the majority of pundits is that they don't possess the analytical skills to tell me something that I can't see for myself, or provide any nuanced insight into what is happening on the pitch, and the reasons why.

They have preconceived ideas of what they think they should or should not happen, and when something falls outside of that narrow narrative, they pontificate about how wrong a player or manager is, and how right they are.

How about taking the time understand a scenario, and maybe provide an explanation for a particular decision being made by a manager?

And even if our pundits possessed such a skillset, many don't have the communication skills to articulate their thoughts effectively, so they just resort to spouting cliches and mixed metaphors.

And to be honest, that's all fair enough. These people are largely uneducated. They have typically spent their lives on a combination kicking footballs, socialising, shopping, gambling, playing computer games and so on. I would have done the same. They are not journalists.

So it's unfair to expect these guys to the job at hand. But that doesn't excuse giving them the airtime.

It is yet another reason why I barely watch any football on TV anymore. It is excruciating to listen to the drivel.

But yes, some of them are just cunts.

Sorry Dom, I didn't see a pundit specific thread. They get mentioned all over the place and in match threads but I thought it would be be good to gauge opinion in one place

[dom9]

Certainly need to apologise to me.

[Buzzo]

To be fair Alan Smith makes Parlour sound like Brian Cox. Were Parlour, Adams, Metron and Smith all in the same Arsenal team? **** me they were a special bunch

Brain cells destroyed by years out on the lash.

Not the brightest crew of all time there. Throw in a Charlie Nicholas and you've got a culture of dim.

[Hollowman]

Dixon was turning into a half decent analyst before he got lost in the wilderness of a football free ITV. Bilic was surprisingly astute at the Euros, given that his West Ham sides suggested he blindly threw darts at a wall papered with his players names to pick an XI. I quite like Danny Higginbotham, but I suspect producers feel he has the looks for radio.

Generally, I don't think punditry, or sports presenting in general, is taken particularly seriously in this country. The American coverage of their own sports is on a different planet. It's economies of scale, I suppose, but most of their sports journos, on and off air, graduated from real universities and worked up through local beats or channels. American football lends itself more easily to tactical discussion perhaps, but their TV analysis is much better than ours, especially on their collegiate games. The big names brought in for covering prime time pro games can be as pointless as ours a lot of the time.

Of course, ESPN have Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop, and Steve Nicol talking about sawker, so perhaps it's a problem with our players being proper droolers.

[Catrin]

Danny Murphy seems to dislike anything foreign and seems bitter about being binned by Rafa. Claridge is a moron. Danny Mills sounds a ukippy as Murphy. Best of the newer bunch seems to be Alex Scott. She can construct a sentence and also make sense.

[ChesterDave]

Savage seems to be migrating to radio but he's bloody awful. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt he is trying to be wummy because the alternative is that he is a ruddy bloody idiot

[ChesterDave]

Ian Wright. Another stealing a living and disagreeing with clear as day video

[Hollowman]

Mate of mine, who's whiter than 80s dog****, looks just like Ian Wright.

[ChesterDave]

Mate of mine, who's whiter than 80s dog****

Top top reference

[Doc_Piptorious]

Mate of mine, who's whiter than 80s dog****, looks just like Ian Wright.

A few tips from Griezmann, and your mate might have a career as a lookalike

[Maxiedge]

Danny Murphy is such a **** and a terrible pundit

[Chris]

Had to laugh at Lineker trying to have a joke with him about his Liverpool bias. Gary ****ing Neville probably likes us more than this cunt. Not sure what his problem is, Rafa is long gone! Prick.

[dom9]

Danny Murphy is such a **** and a terrible pundit

Shearer is worse