World Cup pundits

I have been really impressed with henry and Seedorf as pundits. They offer very good commentary and are very interesting to listen to. I only wish that they became pundits on match of the day.

BBC pundits have been very good I think

I really like Danny Murphy also

Seedorf doesnt really bother me either way. I've loved Henry and enjoyed Rio. Murphy and Neville I actually really like too.

Just found out that seedorf and Henry's last appearance as pundits at this world cup is today Big shame as they seem so good as pundits.

Keown and Dixon are also very good pundits but they have been doing it for a while.

How come this is it for them?

Kurt N. Jurqa wrote:How come this is it for them?

henry has to go back to training as the mls season starts soon and I am not sure about seedorf's reasons why.

MLS season started three and a half months ago, CS. They've been on a two week break and games start again on Wednesday.

CFCNick wrote:MLS season started three and a half months ago, CS.

He said on tv that he has to go back as the mls is starting and he has a game this friday against fc toronto (jermain defoe's team)

I watch the MLS. There's another guy who writes match reports for this site.

just read the mls took a break for the world cup which allowed henry to head to brazil to be a pundit.

Henry is class.

Phil Nevile isn't as good as his brother, but Gary is probably the best pundit on TV.

Danny Murphy, Lee Dixon, and Martin O Neil all acceptable.

Quite like Brad Fridel tbh

I hope this World Cup is the end of Robbie-CAN-I-SHOUT-ANY-LOUDER-Savage's media/punditry/commentary career.

A forlorn hope, though.

I don't like Savage as a co-commentator. I've begrudgingly began to like him in the studio. He is exceptionally good on 606, a show he and Darren Fletcher have revived.

I just ignore phil neville's comments regarding england as he has to be biased due to his brother gary being the assistant.

Mark Lawrenson should be out of a job. Never heard a bloke so negative about life. If someone handed him 50 quid he would moan.

I love Lawro

Martin O'Neill has been nothing short of legendary the past while.

He's won the European Cup so he has!

Henry is awful. Speak up man.

Murhpy is good, and despite his moaning, I don't mind Lawro.

Clarke Carlisle - shut up!

The BBC are awful as is their whole non-controversial philosophy. Its very evident they are not giving their true opinions and just trotting out the safe non-offensive guff.

Didi Hamann has been very good. He tells it exactly as it is and has the intelligence to break down the play. He's also been there and done that with the most highly organised football team in world football.


The likes of Shearer are very limited, just doesn't provide are real insight.

I miss Roy Keane.  

I miss Colin Murray.

I'm actually starting to quite like Lawro; he just doesn't give a toss, does he?

He never has. He just makes jokes and moans. There is an art in making really unfunny jokes, once you've nailed it then you are a legend of laughter.

The real question should be:  Do we actually need pundits at all..?

Really.... do we..?

Are we not capable of just sitting down and watching a football match without the endless stream of hyperbole, banal drivel and meaningless statistics from the commentators and pundits that plagues the entire 90 minutes and half time interval to boot.

If these blokes are so brilliant at team selection, formation, tactics and substitutions, why don't they get a job in football coaching or management..?

If they're so great at spotting fouls, penalties, and generally running a match, then why don't any of them become referees..?

Answer:   Being a pundit is easy.  It's a doddle.  Any chimp can do it.  Pundits are completely unaccountable, they can say anything they like and know that gormless viewers will hang on their every utterance no matter how ludicrous.

I remember a few seasons ago, Sky offered a red button facility where viewers could watch live matches with no commentary at all, just the crowd noise.  It was brilliant.  I loved it...!!  

They cancelled it after a few months though, and although no official explanation why was offered, my personal suspicion is that it was becoming a little TOO popular and Andy Gray was getting miffed that nobody was listening to him growl  "For me, that's a penalty" into the microphone, full of his own wind and self importance.

Do we really need these clowns to tell what's happening.?  I don't think so.  I'm quite capable of working out when a goal has been scored.  I've been watching football a long time.  I've got that cracked.

The rest of the meaningless drivel and banal commentary I can also live without, from either pitch-side or studio.

Some pundits do spot thing us mere mortals may have missed. I do often watch the game without commentary though.

I agree with you Fourth Lion, entirely!

I really would love to watch a game, on TV, with no commentary whatsoever... Just the atmosphere. Would be heavenly, and you wouldn't hear Andy Townsend saying "unlucky" after every poor finish from an England player!

"He knows he should'a knocked that one into the back of the net. The lad...he'll be disappointed."

Lots of 'lads' will be I'm sure.

So much for the commentary...on to the pundits.
Clarence - Cool.
Henry - Smarmy

Plus...there is a lot of surprising 'silent' time as a handful of very wealthy men take time to em..................... nice view outside................em........... to look at each others dapper kit and all.

"Gary, you're looking sharp, my man - still work out?"
"Do a bit. Where do you buy your crisp, Thierre? Inch perfect cut on those slacks, brovher"

Stella wrote:Some pundits do spot thing us mere mortals may have missed. I do often watch the game without commentary though.

Oh, Stella....... How do you get the game without the commentary..? Do you simply put the TV on mute or is there a way of getting the game with the crowd noise but not the mic wallies..? Tell, tell, tell.

Please. Pretty please. Pretty please with choccy sprinkles on top.

Watching Wimby on the player, crowd noise but no commentary on most matches.

Just don't like it. they add the tension whether you may like some of the comments or not.

But agreed, some can be poor.

During the Olympics if the BBC showed two hockey games at once they'd often have one without commentary if they couldn't get the CBC feed and just arena noise. I don't know how much the mics had to with it but it sucked to put it plainly.

Andy Townsend makes me wish I didn't have ears.

sodhat wrote:Andy Townsend makes me wish I didn't have ears.

Oh the lad won't be liking to hear you say that. He'll be well disappointed by that effort.

And the amount of times Tyldesley described a cross as "tossed in towards..", or a clearance as "more up than out".

RTE pundits aren't afraid to tell it like it is. In fact they are told to!

Eamon Dunphy even F - bombed live on air!

He showed up blocked during the 02 World Cup sure.

Duty281 wrote:I miss Colin Murray.

Shame he had to come out with sectarian comments and of course the fact he knew nothing about football but was arrogant enough to question the pundits knowledge.

One of the BBC's best decisions getting rid of him.

Strongback wrote:

Duty281 wrote:I miss Colin Murray.

Shame he had to come out with sectarian comments and of course the fact he knew nothing about football but was arrogant enough to question the pundits knowledge.

One of the BBC's best decisions getting rid of him.

All I know is that he's got one gorgeous accent.

When did Colin Murray make such comments?

cant see what all the fuss is about with henry, think people are just liking him because he supposedly "cool" when as a pundit he just mumbles and sits on the fence

i liked martin o'neil the best so far, mixture of being funny and giving his insight and opinions

dont get me strated on the bad ones, theres too many to mention but although technically not a pundit mr chiles is number my number 1 for being the worse, even over lawrenson and savage

never used to mind jonathan pearce as a commentator until this tournament, thats when i realise he's a massive numpty and cant even understand the most simple of rules

compelling and rich wrote:cant see what all the fuss is about with henry, think people are just liking him because he supposedly "cool" when as a pundit he just mumbles and sits on the fence

i liked martin o'neil the best so far, mixture of being funny and giving his insight and opinions

dont get me strated on the bad ones, theres too many to mention but although technically not a pundit mr chiles is number my number 1 for being the worse, even over lawrenson and savage

never used to mind jonathan pearce as a commentator until this tournament, thats when i realise he's a massive numpty and cant even understand the most simple of rules

His knowledge and presentation is very good. I orefer seedorf but both are very good.

I also like Brad Friedal's commentary.

Henry looks in a mirror for a very long time before hitting the cameras  Va va voom!  Don't I look great?

Seedorf doesn't need a mirror.  He doesn't have to ask the mirror any questions. He knows he has everything.  He's comfortable.  He's cool.

I find the distinction between these two guys very pointed.

The only person who came out and said anything worth saying was Gordon Strachan, when he declared that football is totally amoral and that nobody cares what anybody does as long as they win the game.  

http://sport.stv.tv/football/280702-gordon-strachan-says-football-has-no-morals-amid-suarez-controversy/


It was probably the most honest piece of punditry of the entire tournament, although it left Adrian Chiles squirming in his seat and clearly listening into his earpiece for instructions from the director as to when they were going to cut to the piece of pre-recorded player interview that they keep on standby for just this sort of incident.


“Over the years I have played there has been wife-batterers, drink driving incidents, infidelity, Eric Cantona jumping into the crowd and kung-fu-ing someone in the chest.

“The clubs stand by them.

“The supporters themselves, when these guys come back, they stand up and applaud them on the pitch.

“So don’t anybody start talking about morals – we don’t have any in football.

He is, of course, quite right.  Football has all the moral values of a horny dog at a Miss Lovely Legs Contest.

Nothing could stop Strachan's comments going out on air during the live transmission but it's worth noting that he hasn't been seen live on air since.  Perhaps he is being re-educated or the terms of his contract are being re-negotiated with a view to ensuring that such sponsor non-friendly comments aren't voiced again.

Gordon Strachan was only telling the truth.  But in this modern world, what value does the truth have when weighed against the commercial gains to be made from the World Cup...?

Don't upset the sponsors.... sorry..... "Official Partners".... of the competition, Gordon.   Nobody will thank you for it no matter how right you are.

Yep, you cant speak the truth when discussing football live on the air, massive no no. Shame because I like pundits to speak the truth.

I have this feeling that they are getting bonus payments by numbers, the more they say that Brazil are brilliant and that Brazil exiting the tournament would be a disaster for football, the more their pockets are lined.

The moments Gordon Strachan and Martin O'Neill well and truly sh*t over the rest of the panel have been my favourite moments of the World Cup. In particular the Strachan one as he is speaking the complete truth.

If anyone was to do that it was Strachan, he is a breath of fresh air every interview he does. Absolutely fantastic.

Anyone else a fan of Chiles?
How does he have a job?? He is awful!!

Haven't paid much attention the the TV pundits but on 5Live Danny Murphy has been good. Danny Mills too, especially post England games. The top 2 fro me tho have been Chris Waddle and the legendinho himself Tim Vickery. I could listen to him all night. Unbelievable knowledge of South American football.

O'Neill is the best of the pundits for me, just says whatever is on his mind and doesn't mind shooting down whoever else is on the punditry team.

Pleasantly surprised by Rio, he's been a bit pro United but it's no different to Hansen with Liverpool but while he's not the most articulate most of his comments are pretty spot on.

I quite like Murphy, quite a knowledgable chap for someone who looked dressed to rob an off license!

Whoever decided Cannavaro was a good idea, deserves a slap! Robotic.

Danny Murphy was pretty good, except for how confusing he was on commentary. He kept bringing up Fulham, and every single time I suddenly remembered he wasn't Lawro.

I don't think i have ever heard someone say a positive word about Chiles. Really is quite incredible how he is still employed. 

On the radio 5 live they had some guy on, might of been Jason Roberts, sounded like he was from South London, he was woeful. Admittedly i can't understand half of what people from south london, but it was quite cringe worthy how bad there basic English and grammar skills were! As i say may of been Jason Roberts, didn't catch a name, as i was suppose to be working!