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| Gary Neville on MNF |
Who would have thought that when it was announced former
Manchester United and England right-back Gary Neville would replace Andy Gray
in the pundits’ seat for Sky Sports News, he would take to the position like a
duck to water? Gray had been a corner stone in the years gone by for Sky
alongside Richard Keys, promoting the vast array of talent live to the fans on
Monday Night Football (MNF) with a round-up of the best and worst of the
weekends talking points.
However, when Keys and Gray were removed from their position
for sexist remarks towards lineswoman Sian Massey live on television, coupled
with the former caught live discussing a potential ‘smash’ with Jamie Redknapp,
many were pondering who would replace the duo live on air. Let’s face it, the
pairing weren’t everyone’s cup of tea but, they knew what to do and they did it
well.
Ed Chamberlain came in to replace Keys as host of MNF,
amongst other positions including the presenter of Super Sunday, while Neville,
who had retired a little over 12 months ago, was requested to appear alongside
the former Sports Saturday and midweek Soccer Special host. Now regularly
praised for his input, it is hardly surprising to see Neville such a success in
a role that looked impossible to undertake following Gray’s dismissal.
What makes him so
good?
The knack that Neville has to thrive in his role is his
knowledge of the game having performed at the highest level almost 20 years. And
while the argument can be made that Gray spent a similar amount of time as
Neville plying his trade in England and Scotland, the latter was around since
the inception of the Premier League and played when the game was performed at a
higher pace with technique featuring predominantly during the rise of the
Premiership as one of Europe’s elite leagues.
But what makes Neville that much better than Gray? To put it
simply, Neville isn’t afraid to speak his mind. He knows exactly what it takes
to perform at the top of any player’s game and can put his knowledge to
exceptional use when it comes to analysing a passage of play, a goal or a
controversial decision.
With Gray, his chance to play in the Premier League, having
retired two-years before it commenced, limits his understanding of England’s
top tier in the way Neville excels in this department. The former Scotland
international may have endured a successful playing career, but the way
football has evolved, especially in England, since his retirement saw many
questions his tactical analysis on numerous occasions with a number of fans
believing his opinion to be outdated, to an extent.
I understand this is may sound like a bit of a Neville love
piece, and there are critiques of him coming up, but his brutish honesty, his
ability to argue his points and isn’t afraid to contradict his fellow pundits
if he believes they are in the wrong.
What I don’t like
about Neville
It hasn’t happened all too often, but when Sky have relied
on Neville to co-commentate in the past, his opinions have become diluted and
more scripted. More often than not, he doesn’t have the opportunity to analyse
game changing situations in great depth that he would do during half-time or
full-time.
His commentating skills are poor and his inability to let
his team bias get the better of him really let him down in this department. Matthew
Le Tissier for example, who regularly updates Gillette Soccer Saturday, is one
that should be ahead of Neville in the commentating pecking order as far as I’m
concerned. His work on Soccer Saturday stands him in good stead for the role
during Sky’s live games due to his ability to rapidly update what fans can’t
see on the screen and quickly analyse any situation to his best extent.
And while Neville can do this, his analysis is better served
when it is drawn out over an extended period of time, allowing him to pick out
incidents that fans may or may not have picked up on during the course of any
fixture. This is what has seen him lauded as one of the better pundits to
emerge in the modern game, partly down to his unrivalled characteristic of
speaking to his mind to prove his point.
Many pundits within football take a more scripted and clichéd
approach to discussing occurrences over the course of any game, whereas Neville
isn’t afraid to tell it how it really is, something that generally welcomed by
the football family. Whether it’s his recent take on diving or a goal that hasn’t
crossed the line, the former Manchester United right-back isn’t afraid to upset
the viewers or fellow pundits to make his point and his knowledge of the game
at the highest level can be considered unparalleled by some, which is what
makes his emergence in the game such a welcome one.
Image posted from www.ukfootball.ru
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