Female pundits

[2MatoFish]

I mind the USA Womens World Champions team got scudded off a bunch of U-15 boys.

They did. But there's nobody arguing that a top woman's team would compete with their male equivalent as prancer says.

[Shuto Makino]

Get Idris Elba in as a pundit.

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

He could play the Jamie Carragher role perfectly

Punditry reminiscent of Mark de Vries IMO

[Roger H. Sterling]

Glad I'm not the only one to see the parallels, and the hypocrisy of some that goes with it.

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

What's the hypocrisy?

[Sarkozabal]

Is this all a hypothetical debate or is there now a female pundit sat between Redknapp and Souness on Super Sunday?

Nothing against a female pundit but will echo what a couple others have said that they have to be there for merit. Definitely saw at the WC that other pundits would be scared to disagree with the women in case they got slaughtered on twitter, regardless of how shite the original points were.
BT's pundits are pretty much brilliant to a man and Sky have stepped up their game now that they finally have a competitor, so anyone (male or female) should be top class before they get put on screen.

[shaun.lawson]

Is the best argument for this that she's reasonably attractive? I'm not sure that's the look that they're going for in putting her on tbh, kind of counter productive

She was certainly far from the worst at the World Cup - a bit inane in terms of analysis and I found it a bit annoying when her or Aluko were on and everyone fell over themselves to agree with whatever point they made, however mundane. Not against it in principle, but it really does feel tokenistic when recent years have otherwise shifted towards younger pundits who've played at the very top of the game, as I'm not sure how someone like Alex Scott can provide the level of insight you get from Neville etc.

Yes. Hugely. The surest sign there is that women's football isn't taken remotely seriously even by their fellow panelists.

But hey ho. Why is Hayley McQueen presenting Scottish football? Because she's hot. That's it. Does she offer any insights? No. She just sits there looking hot. It always goes wrong whenever she opens her mouth - which makes it even more counter-productive. Imagine looking like the intellectual inferior of Kris Commons FFS. But that, it would appear, is her job.

[CritchSmile]

Presenters are different from pundits though. Hayley McQueen is a shit presenter but there are some decent lassie presenters.

I actually thought Aluko was good as a pundit at the WC.

[Sarkozabal]

Yes. Hugely. The surest sign there is that women's football isn't taken remotely seriously even by their fellow panelists.

But hey ho. Why is Hayley McQueen presenting Scottish football? Because she's hot. That's it. Does she offer any insights? No. She just sits there looking hot. It always goes wrong whenever she opens her mouth - which makes it even more counter-productive. Imagine looking like the intellectual inferior of Kris Commons FFS. But that, it would appear, is her job.

Hayley McQueen gets the presenting gig because she's boring as fuck but more importantly she's more attainable looking than if they gave it to Georgie Thompson, Millie Clode etc.
Hayley looks like she'd beat any of the SPFL pundits in a 50/50 aerial duel, so it's a no from me.

[Big Physical Acey]

I doubt anyone has a problem with journos like Henry Winter / Martin Samuels occasionally appearing as pundits. They've “never played the game”.

[Johnny]

Hayley McQueen gets the presenting gig because she's boring as fuck but more importantly she's more attainable looking than if they gave it to Georgie Thompson, Millie Clode etc.
Hayley looks like she'd beat any of the SPFL pundits in a 50/50 aerial duel, so it's a no from me.

Georgie Thompson hasn't been on sky for about a decade

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

I doubt anyone has a problem with journos like Henry Winter / Martin Samuels occasionally appearing as pundits. They've “never played the game”.

Well, they can't provide the type of insight that Neville or Carragher do, but likewise I don't think they're ever used as studio analysts for live games. Their insight is in knowing what goes on behind the scenes - they're not going to be given the Promethean board to talk you through tactics, are they?

I'll be interested to see how she's used this season. If it is just a third wheel on the Souness/Redknapp panel then it will really just look like an attempt to appear progressive without really committing to it.

[Chrambo]

Is this all a hypothetical debate or is there now a female pundit sat between Redknapp and Souness on Super Sunday?

Nothing against a female pundit but will echo what a couple others have said that they have to be there for merit. Definitely saw at the WC that other pundits would be scared to disagree with the women in case they got slaughtered on twitter, regardless of how shite the original points were.
BT's pundits are pretty much brilliant to a man and Sky have stepped up their game now that they finally have a competitor, so anyone (male or female) should be top class before they get put on screen.

All except one.

[The Great Khali]

Quite like Savage

[Shteve]

Savage is quite funny, takes the piss out himself a lot and comes out with some decent lines.

[Roger H. Sterling]

What's the hypocrisy?

Well, they can't provide the type of insight that Neville or Carragher do, but likewise I don't think they're ever used as studio analysts for live games. Their insight is in knowing what goes on behind the scenes - they're not going to be given the Promethean board to talk you through tactics, are they?

I'll be interested to see how she's used this season. If it is just a third wheel on the Souness/Redknapp panel then it will really just look like an attempt to appear progressive without really committing to it.

[Zizou]

I doubt anyone has a problem with journos like Henry Winter / Martin Samuels occasionally appearing as pundits. They've “never played the game”.

If Henry Winter was sitting in the studio with Premier League/Champions League winners discussing how Man U are playing 3 at the back, folk would be questioning why he is there.

[Herman Boyce]

The argument that female footballers shouldn't be on TV doing analysis because they're shite at football makes zero sense.

You have journalists who have never played football critiquing games all the time. Eleven of them would probably get spanked by a Hearts legends team too.

If you don't like them doing it because they're female, or because you think their analysis is shite then fair enough. But saying they shouldn't be on TV because they're not as good as a bunch of ex-pros is irrelevant.

[Charlie Kelly]

I struggle to really care about the pundits and whether they've played the game or not, I enjoyed BT's European football show far more than anything Sky have offered because the pundits weren't just there because they were ex-pros but because they actually knew what they were talking about.

Gender doesn't matter if they're offering some useful insight into the game.

[Big Physical Acey]

If Henry Winter was sitting in the studio with Premier League/Champions League winners discussing how Man U are playing 3 at the back, folk would be questioning why he is there.

Not sure they would tbh. You'll always find random idiots on Twitter saying whatever you're looking for, but I don't think it would be that controversial.

I don't tend to pay much attention to punditry, but I want someone who's interesting to listen to. I would take Winter/Samuels/Scott (the good one, not the TH one) over a dour cunt like Roy Keane any day. Medals don't make you an interesting TV presence.