I set tongues wagging in this week’s My Premier League Weekend column, in which I stated that Wayne Rooney does not make the top five current pundits on Match of the Day.
The truth is, Rooney is struggling on the BBC‘s flagship football programme.
The beeb are so determined that their big appointment should work that they have been putting occasional extra training into Rooney but, despite the excellence of his weekly podcast, the former England captain continues to look nervous and inhibited on a Saturday night.
But who does make my top ten? Rooney does indeed make the cut, but it isn’t pretty reading.
Scroll down to see my list in full.
My column this week set tongues wagging after I did not include Wayne Rooney in my top five pundits on Match of the Day
1. JOE HART
The great find of the last year, the former Manchester City and England goalkeeper is the star of the show every time he sits down.
As is often the way, Hart was not the most forthcoming interviewee when he was a player. In fact, Hart once got upset when somebody asked him about his dog in a newspaper chat!
But Hart has come out of his shell in his second career and is insightful, perceptive and honest – and not just about goalkeeping. When Hart speaks, you always feel that you are about to learn something.
Joe Hart is the star of the show every time he sits down on Match of the Day
2. ASHLEY WILLIAMS
Few pundits look better on set than the former Wales central defender and fortunately Williams’ easy style is matched by his delivery.
Williams was never a superstar as a player – playing almost half his career games for Swansea – but is proof that you don’t have to be a Premier League winner to be a top of the table pundit.
Williams is smooth, clear and always informative. And he has a regional accent too – he is from Wolverhampton – and that always helps when it comes to variety.
Former Wales captain Ashley Williams is smooth, clear and always informative
3. DANNY MURPHY
I am a little biased because Danny used to work for Daily Mail Sport but that’s not the reason he makes my top three. Some pundits have clear strengths and Murphy is one of those.
When the former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder talks about tactics or in-game moments, it’s always advisable to listen.
I once stood in a press room before a game at Chelsea and learned more from Murphy’s analysis of what I had just seen then I ever would from reading a coaching manual. It’s this that he brings to the Match of the Day studio.
When Danny Murphy talks about tactics or in-game moments, it’s always advisable to listen
4. ROB GREEN
Another member of the goalkeeper’s union has made the top five and that’s great to see.
For years TV punditry has lacked authoritative voices on goalkeeping. What, after all, is the point of listening to a centre forward or midfielder talk about a position they have no experience of playing?
Green has helped to fill that void and brings a confidence to his TV work that some of his colleagues would give anything for. Another unexpected find by the BBC.
5. ALAN SHEARER
The former England striker was a natural goal scorer but it has taken time and hard work for him to reach the highest level of TV analysis.
But Shearer is there now. The absence of his old friend Gary Lineker has arguably helped him to blossom this season. Experience is always valuable in football and it’s the same in television.
Where once he offered cliches and truisms, Shearer now brings wisdom and perspective. I just wish he wouldn’t swear quite so much on the Lineker podcast!
The absence of Gary Lineker has arguably helped Alan Shearer blossom this season
6. MARTIN KEOWN
Few people care more about their TV work than the former Arsenal defender.
Keown was by his own admission not always the most elegant footballer but his analysis is thoughtful, measured and impeccably researched. Keown will be 60 next July and is the oldest of the BBC’s stable of MOTD pundits.
This means he will not be devoured by the social media generation but on the other hand his years in the game lend his opinions weight and gravitas.
7. TROY DEENEY
This one has surprised me. Deeney always had plenty to say as a player but I wasn’t fond of a lot of it. Then he briefly managed Forest Green and made a bit of a fool of himself with his utterances about his own players.
But Deeney has put time into his role as an analyst and it’s paid off. Another one with a Brummie accent, Deeney is especially good when he is talking about in-game moments and the psychology of winning individual battles on a football pitch. He was quite good at that as a player…
Deeney is especially good when he is talking about in-game moments and the psychology of winning individual battles
8. STEPHEN WARNOCK
A former Liverpool full-back, Warnock has tried hard to steer clear of the ‘us and them’ trope so familiar to viewers of more high-profile names working at Sky and TNT and is all the better for it.
When he started out, Warnock was given invaluable help by Shearer in terms of what is required in terms of preparation for a Saturday night appearance.
The work that takes place on a Saturday afternoon as the Premier League feeds start to arrive is where Warnock excels. Few pundits are better prepared once the cameras roll.
9. WAYNE ROONEY
It’s been a stuttering start for Rooney as nerves continue to blight his performances. But Rooney is one of the biggest names in English football and has been jet propelled by the BBC for precisely that reason.
Listening to Rooney’s podcast provides us with some of the content and insight that he has been asked to bring to the BBC studio on a Saturday evening.
He just hasn’t managed it yet. With a few deep breaths and a bit more of the training that the BBC continue to put into him, he will hopefully get there.
It’s been a stuttering start for Rooney as nerves continue to blight his performances
10. MICAH RICHARDS
The former Manchester City title winner has an enthusiasm for life that it’s not hard to warm to.
In terms of his punditry, I think it has stalled a little bit. It’s possible that Richards has suffered a little from over-exposure. Too much of good thing and all that.
I think Richards knows more about the game than is revealed in his analysis. Maybe Micah is the one missing Lineker’s guiding hand….
Micah Richards’ punditry has stalled a little bit. It’s possible he has suffered a little from over-exposure
