Loppylugs
Member
I have to say football pundits bore me to tears. Do we really need to know how many blades of grass player x trod on or how many times player y kicked the ball? Too much waffling I think. Any opinions?
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Football Pundits
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Mcr Warrior
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'Jobs for the boys' once their playing careers are over?
Bob figgis
Member
Yes i have to agree with you on this. It’s got to the point I can’t watch football on tv any longer with the volume on. The BBC does sometimes via the red button allow you to choose the audio, if one of the options is crowd then I always select that, otherwise the sound is turned down.
It annoys me intensely that football high light programmes tend to talk about the football instead of showing you the football. I’d cut all the chatter down to bare minimum and extend the time for each of the games being covered. Match of the Day is worse for this, gibber jabber by committee on MOTD.
Jobs for the boys indeed.
It annoys me intensely that football high light programmes tend to talk about the football instead of showing you the football. I’d cut all the chatter down to bare minimum and extend the time for each of the games being covered. Match of the Day is worse for this, gibber jabber by committee on MOTD.
Jobs for the boys indeed.
Mcr Warrior
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Is that anything to do with a limitation on the number of minutes' footage (from each match) that can be shown in match highlights programmes, which mean that the rest of the show has to be padded out with 'analysis' from the pundits and slow-motion replays?
Bob figgis
Member
If it is I’d prefer them not to pad it out. Show what you can, then move on. And the same incident or perceived incident from multiple different angles and at differing play back speeds just annoys, for me it does not add anything.
I quite enjoy listening to or watching some of them at times. They’ve got to fill up half time with something and you can always go and make a cup if it’s getting annoying. 
After the game I’ll sometimes watch a bit if my team’s won, or as in the case of a team winning something like the FA cup or Champions League it’s quite enjoyable to watch the emotions on display (that’s not so much pundit related obviously).
After the game I’ll sometimes watch a bit if my team’s won, or as in the case of a team winning something like the FA cup or Champions League it’s quite enjoyable to watch the emotions on display (that’s not so much pundit related obviously).
Iskra
Established Member
They can certainly add useful extra detail on occasion, but in the Championship there are some commentators that drone on about very little sometimes just to fill time.
Lockdown and gaining promotion to the PL really highlighted the poor standard of some pundits who have no knowledge of football outside the premiership, who are stealing a living by repeating myths and cliches rather than providing any level of critical thinking or analysis. There are some that are simply adding no value at all.
Lockdown and gaining promotion to the PL really highlighted the poor standard of some pundits who have no knowledge of football outside the premiership, who are stealing a living by repeating myths and cliches rather than providing any level of critical thinking or analysis. There are some that are simply adding no value at all.
Butts
Veteran Member
Unfortunately not restricted to Boys anymore we now have women as well.
I don't mind them commentating or hosting but as panellists they have not played at the same level as the men and should not be there.
Mcr Warrior
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Having played at a high level doesn't necessarily make for a good (or competent) football pundit, as indeed has often proved to have been the case.
43096
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Butts
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Having played at a high level doesn't necessarily make for a good (or competent) football pundit, as indeed has often proved to have been the case.
True but there are enough articulate males who have direct experience of the level they are commenting on to negate the inclusion of superfluous women who have not played to the same standard.
As I alluded to Gaby Logan is fine hosting, it's just the punditry they should be excluded from. (and The Vote
)
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GusB
Established Member
True but there are enough articulate males who have direct experience of the level they are commenting on to negate the inclusion of superfluous women who have not played to the same standard.
As I alluded to Gaby Logan is fine hosting, it's just the punditry they should be excluded from. (and The Vote
This is out and out sexism and you really ought to hang your head in shame.
Butts
Veteran Member
It's a matter of opinion.
If I'd completely dissed women in all areas of Football Presentation you may have had a valid point.
GusB
Established Member
You have dissed women in all areas of football presentation because none of them, according to your standards, are able to perform to the same level as men. Crawl back under your rock, and be careful not to graze your knuckles as you do so.
Iskra
Established Member
Isn
I’m a firm believer in meritocracy and I don’t believe in people getting the job due to their characteristics rather than ability, which we have unfortunately seen a lot of in the last 12 months.
I don’t think it makes you sexist or racist or whatever else to say that, which I think is the point Butts is making.
There are some female pundits who have been great, but some have been appalling.
I’m a firm believer in meritocracy and I don’t believe in people getting the job due to their characteristics rather than ability, which we have unfortunately seen a lot of in the last 12 months.
I don’t think it makes you sexist or racist or whatever else to say that, which I think is the point Butts is making.
Geezertronic
Established Member
I much prefer Sue Smith over Paul Merson anytime on Soccer Saturday (or the other similar shows). Merson should have gone with the others in my opinion, the best one of the old school is still Kammie
Loppylugs
Member
Steady on chaps. In this day and age we have to have one white male on the panel, one dark-skinned and one female, but why all at once? Three pundits plus the presenter telling the already knowledgeable football fan what he/she already knows. Why not alternate and have one per match. Much cheaper! Better still, a Laurel and Hardy quickie at half-time would be much preferable 
The problem with pundits is most of them are speaking at the level of people who haven’t ever played the game to any appreciable level. I almost never learn anything new from them with the exception of perhaps Gary Neville (shock) who is excellent.
The same goes for commentators. Less is more as far as I’m concerned.
How it should be done:
how it should not be done:
The same goes for commentators. Less is more as far as I’m concerned.
How it should be done:
how it should not be done:
What an appalling, sexist attitude.
Your assumption that women are unable to play football at the same level of men is completely wrong. If anyone told my eldest daughter she's incapable of playing at the same level as those of the opposite gender, both now and in the future, she would quite happily prove them wrong. Before you suggest I'm biased, the coaching staff of the academy she's on the books of have said the exact same.
LSWR Cavalier
Established Member
Years ago a retired footballer might run a pub. Now they 'earn' so much, they can retire at 30, and sit on the beach, but perhaps they like to be busy. But not all can be pundits or managers, what do the rest do?
People say cricket is boring, but is football the only sport where after 90 minutes the score can be 0:0 ("nothing has happened")? In that time cricketers would have scored many runs.
People say cricket is boring, but is football the only sport where after 90 minutes the score can be 0:0 ("nothing has happened")? In that time cricketers would have scored many runs.
birchesgreen
Established Member
I find the pundits nearly always tedious. They usually state the bleeding obvious, get things wrong or have the uncanny knack of making anything football related (when its an international or European game/player they are talking about) into the Premiership.
The BT champions league one with James isn't bad, in that his guests are football journalists and not ex-pros.
The BT champions league one with James isn't bad, in that his guests are football journalists and not ex-pros.
Reminds me of a story about a friend.
He works for an international company and they held a football competition, they won the tournament and represented England.
They went to the finals in Europe and got trounced early on by a female team from Germany.
Butts
Veteran Member
If that's the case surprising they don't play each other then ?
I’m afraid women will never play at the same *athletic level* as the men. This is why there’s a women’s division of the game which is very different both in the level of athleticism and skill.
That doesn’t mean women can’t be *professional women’s footballers*! It’s just that anyone who thinks women’s and men’s professional football are at the same level are deluded.
No woman professional footballer believes she could get a place in the men’s Premier League teams. But that’s not to say women’s football isn’t a perfectly worthy sport which, in reality, should absolutely be treated differently to the men’s game!
There’s still no problem with Alex Scott being a pundit on the basis of her sex though - most of the older male pundits are talking about having played a game in the 90s as far removed as modern men’s football as women’s football is today. I don’t find her any better or worse than any of the blokes to be honest.
Men and women have different physical characteristics, which is the exact reason why men and women compete separately in other physical sports. I'd have thought that was rather obvious if I'm honest.
However, that does not mean women are incapable of playing high quality football, in fact I enjoy watching womens football regularly. Football as a whole needs to do more to promote womens football, and having female pundits on panels discussing mens football is a good start. The fact we are in 2021 and people still hold views like yours is really, really disappointing in my opinion.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
I should done a better job of clarifying it, but by "level" I was referring to quality rather than athleticism. As for skill, there are some very good womens' football teams who I enjoy watching just as much as the mens' football teams I support.
Absolutely. The fact she's a retired professional womens' footballer should absolutely not exclude her from having a say on mens' football.
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wireforever
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Another vote for Gary Neville and his mate Jamie C on monday night football both give very good analysis probably because they are only recently retired players
Mcr Warrior
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Better than most, although Gary Neville has been retired as a player for ten years now!
(Eight years for Jamie Carragher).
Not all that recent, but I agree they have a far better understanding of the modern game.
Agreed, but only when they talk about football as neither did themselves any favours in the recent Old Trafford protests. It's been nothing but peaceful they said live on air shortly after they were pictured speaking with a steward that had his face peeled open. The Sky love in for Man Utd that day was sickening.
Completely agree, that was absolutely appalling.
I'm very glad to report I've never given Sky a single penny of my money.
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