Do women football pundits annoy you?

[Shadydan]

Woolwich pundits doing Spurs games annoy me

Efan Ekoku isn't a woman last time I checked

 

[Starks]

No real issues. Punditry across the board on the mainstream channels is mostly awful.

I do think it's a completely different game though and obviously a completely different level so it's hard to really take their insight too seriously.

 

[yes]

Echoing what others have said but yeah, gender doesn’t matter. If you’re a dogshit pundit, you’re a dogshit pundit. Eni Aluko was an incredibly average footballer and not a particularly nice person. Objectively, she’s not a good presenter, nor is she a good pundit and she shouldn’t be where she is but her face fits.

There are loads of female former players who’d do a much better job than she does. Criticism of her is justified imo, just not to the extent that Barton is taking it. Whichever way you look at it, a man laying into a woman isn’t a good look.

Pundits in general get on my tits. Any “analysis” the presenter gives is fed to them through an earpiece. Get the real analysts on. YouTube has a few channels who have some excellent presenters who break down games, team styles, managers etc fantastically well. Give me them over Spitty Carragher any day of the week.

 

[Starks]

Echoing what others have said but yeah, gender doesn’t matter. If you’re a dogshit pundit, you’re a dogshit pundit. Eni Aluko was an incredibly average footballer and not a particularly nice person. Objectively, she’s not a good presenter, nor is she a good pundit and she shouldn’t be where she is but her face fits.

There are loads of female former players who’d do a much better job than she does. Criticism of her is justified imo, just not to the extent that Barton is taking it. Whichever way you look at it, a man laying into a woman isn’t a good look.

Pundits in general get on my tits. Any “analysis” the presenter gives is fed to them through an earpiece. Get the real analysts on. YouTube has a few channels who have some excellent presenters who break down games, team styles, managers etc fantastically well. Give me them over Spitty Carragher any day of the week.

Sadly, I reckon the clique over at Sky probably think a YouTuber can talk on that platform all they want but they haven't played the game, so can't put forward a compelling argument opposite a pro etc.

Thing is, the people on YouTube have as much experience in playing top level mens football as the woman pundits do.

I agree though. There are some excellent channels on social media that provide excellent tactical beak downs and insight into certain games, players and teams and they deserve a higher platform.

 

[AberdeenYid]

There are some excellent channels on social media that provide excellent tactical beak downs and insight into certain games, players and teams and they deserve a higher platform.

And I’d say almost none of them played at the highest level. If any decent level at all. Not a necessity to have played the game to be able to comment on it and be quality.

 

[yes]

Sadly, I reckon the clique over at Sky probably think a YouTuber can talk on that platform all they want but they haven't played the game, so can't put forward a compelling argument opposite a pro etc.

Thing is, the people on YouTube have as much experience in playing top level mens football as the woman pundits do.

I agree though. There are some excellent channels on social media that provide excellent tactical beak downs and insight into certain games, players and teams and they deserve a higher platform.

Thing is, the best analysts in football likely have never played football (at a high level). They’ll have a far deeper, more technical understanding of the game than the majority of players do but we stick former players on the screen because they’re familiar, have played football at a high level and have been media trained. I enjoy watching/listening to former players talk about their experiences in football, telling behind the scenes stories etc.. I’d just rather them leave it at that instead of presenting this image of being someone who understands the intricacies of technical analysis.

 

[NotThatTedHughes]

I only need commentators to identify which opposition player has the ball when I can’t read his name. So, no need for pre-, HT- or post-game punditry or commentary during the game against any of the top teams.

 

[N17-Tommo]

I don't dislike them because of their gender. I hate how the likes of Sky and BBC shoe horn one in on every occasion.
They are not there on merit, they are there purely because it's the PC thing to do, and that's where it is wrong.
The rise of the Lionesses bought more women to the forefront of the game, but as usual it's been over played and now many people are against them and hope they fail.

It's not just football, there has to be a woman commentator at the darts, cricket and Rugby, that's pissing people off. and the overuse of them is what is causing the division.

 

[B-0-Sspurs]

Just to add, but when I have to watch games on sky, I’m struck recently about how the matches are becoming more like the spitty and shit tache show and what they think rather than the match.

 

[Shotgunofmichalebrow]

Can't stand most of them male or female. Agree with Nutter think there's an issue of lived experience and fake equivalence. But I think a poll on Woolwich players commentating on our games is a way bigger issue

 

[Bow Lockes]

They are all pricks, male or female

 

[CollyQC]

Like most have said, I don't really care for any of them, male or female. I've a bigger issue with the media trying to pretend that women's football now fits in seemlessly alongside the men's football. Sometimes I'll check the football news and I'll see that Chelsea bought x player from man city. For a moment I'll be thinking what the fuck is going on and who the fuck is that player. Another time Ireland were playing Ukraine, and i was thinking how the fuck did I miss that was happening.
Why do we have to pretend it's the same thing?

 

[Burke]

I hate all punditry, from youtube like aftv to nit picking tactical anal'sis to gary neville's commiserations, I avoid all of it. It's a parasitic enterprise. Never can get used to live commentary either on tv , it's always some moaner former Woolich player.
At the stadium or low volume are the best options.
I think Joey does all this because he feels rejected by the business, he badly wonted to be a pundit as he genuinely thinks he's interesting and smart. So this is a reaction to not being welcomed to it after retirement.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

The pundits don't overly bother me but female commentators do.

I cannot give you a rational reason why though.

 

[todd1882]

In general, the level of football punditry/analysis in England is shit, male or female. If you listen to British comms for other leagues it is light years beyond the garbage on Sky/BT. It goes similarly for English language broadcasts of non-English leagues utilizing players native to those countries/leagues.

What I'm saying is, they know what you expect and they give you what you want. So whose fault is it really? Sky broadcasts for the BuLi are not as moronic and superficial. So look at yourselves is what I'm saying. And judging by the match threads and FRED, if I could generalize TFC to the broader viewing public, I'm not sure deeper analysis would be appreciated/understood so it surprises me that folks bitch about it...now where's the hairdryer!

That said, the women are no worse than the men.

 

[DPN9]

I think the main British sports broadcasting companies are in so much fear of being called out for a perceived lack of gender/racial diversity amongst their commentators/pundits, that some of the current UK pundits/commentators, might not necessarily be the best available.
I can see why people get annoyed when Eni Aluko is on TV, as she is shocking, but Dion Dublin's commentary is beyond awful, but he is laughing all the way to the bank, and fair play to him. Society has changed a lot since BLM etc, and many more media opportunities are there for all genders and races. I was watching a mix of TV shows in Brussels last week, and there didn't seem to be as much token diversity as there is in the UK, and as a mixed race bloke, this is something that interests me.
My view is, that if you're a poor commentator or pundit, you should be moved on asap, regardless of gender or race, because the people upstairs must know how the general public feel about them.

 

[kcspurs]

I only hear the ones doing match commentary on BBC Radio London Sport, but the lady on there isn't bad.

Is the idea that because they are women they shouldn't be/are not good commentators, or that commentators who aren't really deserving are getting shots at these jobs because they are women?

 

[Legacy Lilywhite]

Pretty much all modern day commentators are shit in my view. Barry Davies and Brian Moore were the only decent ones. Understated perfection.

 

[Jenny Talia]

Some do, some don't ... it depends if they are any good. The "all women do this" or "all women do that" framing is ridiculous.

 

[Pathfinder]

No.

But they *are* shit goalkeepers.

Well, they are football pundits and not goalkeepers