The "weirdness" of ex-footballer punditry

[Bus-Conductor]

Great article by John Nicholson on the weird and stupid shit some ex footballer pundits spout:

http://www.football365.com/news/playing-the-game-makes-you-weird-not-an-expert

 

[DJS]

It's awful on Sky Sports Saturday Match-Day programme these days as in main they seem to go for the biggest, gobbies, thickest, ill-mannered twats they can find.

Then you get Kammy trying to find any reason to shout out unbelievable Jeff to Jeff Stelling who seems to look a tad different facially in recent times...

 

[Japhet]

Let me guess.... Professional footballers aren't very bright and talk a load of cliché laden bollocks.

 

[gilzeantheking]

When the commentators were saying about Taylor "he's not that sort of player" I was screaming at my TV "Oh yes he is" that was just remembering his Kung Fu kick to Walker's head and his forearm smash to Son's face and that was just in our game this season.

He may not be a malicious player but IMO he is a reckless one.

 

[SUIYHA]

Completely different skillset being a footballer and a pundit. Or a manager for that matter.

 

[Danners9]

Good players can do it but not often explain how.
Good pundits can explain it but probably not do it very well.
Players who become pundits can tell you what the player would be thinking if that player was him.

This means the pundit can say the player is wrong, but the player can always fall back on 'well, I played, you didn't...' - but, as mad as it sounds, having done it doesn't make them the best source unless you want anecdotal evidence. It's very narrow though. A good pundit should be like a coach.

Sadly, most are there because of their past glories and have little or no experience in how to explain properly - so you get comments like 'he's hit it too well' and 'he's not that sort', and 'he has to score there'.

The fascination for odd stats, and big opinions (right or wrong doesn't matter, just make noise and create discussion), has taken over from actual insight on a lot of networks. As if it's designed for pub chatter or those betting on the game.

 

[bceej]

Good players can do it but not often not explain how.
Good pundits can explain it but probably not do it very well.
Players who become pundits can tell you what the player would be thinking if that player was him.

This means the pundit can say the player is wrong, but the player can always fall back on 'well, I played, you didn't...' - but, as mad as it sounds, having done it doesn't make them the best source unless you want anecdotal evidence. It's very narrow though. A good pundit should be like a coach.

Sadly, most are there because of their past glories and have little or no experience in how to explain properly - so you get comments like 'he's hit it too well' and 'he's not that sort', and 'he has to score there'.

The fascination for odd stats, and big opinions (right or wrong doesn't matter, just make noise and create discussion), has taken over from actual insight on a lot of networks. As if it's designed for pub chatter or those betting on the game.

Makes sense. Sky's content has had a gambling slant on it for years.

 

[dontcallme]

I always think you need multi-perspectives for anything.

A player who has been there, seen it, done it can give a view from a certain angle that can be very informative. At the moment punditry is stupidly dominated by this one view.

For punditry I'd like ex-players, referees, coaches and journalists all getting more involved.

 

[hugrr]

Sack the meatheads, & bring back Statto

Though better rename him Ztatto so he's down with the kids

 

[Sweech]

When the commentators were saying about Taylor "he's not that sort of player" I was screaming at my TV "Oh yes he is" that was just remembering his Kung Fu kick to Walker's head and his forearm smash to Son's face and that was just in our game this season.

He may not be a malicious player but IMO he is a reckless one.

He's got a bit of a baby face, so apparently to everyone he's "not that sort of player"

I was thinking the exact same as you. Except I only remembered the Walker bit and not the Son one.

 

[SlotBadger]

'he has to score there'

This one really gets to me. Watching the Chelsea highlights this weekend, Costa missed a relatively difficult header. The commentator then decided to tell us he was "out of form." Yet, had another player been the one to miss, you can almost guarantee he'd be saying "you'd want that chance to fall to Costa."

Harry Arter missing a penalty this weekend prompted the commentator to claim, "you have to take these chances." Well, yes, nobody opts to blast a penalty over the bar, having planted his foot on the worst turfed penalty spot in the league. The notion that another player would guarantee you a goal from the spot is laughable, given that Lewandowski, Aguero, Suarez, Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale etc have all missed.