[Football] Female pundits

[The_Viper]

If they're good at their job, just like everything in this day and age I am all onboard with hiring whoever you want from whatever background you want. The problem comes when you're hiring/promoting people who are poor at their job to tick a box, which I have seen in real life and with commentary. For example, how does Michael Owen continue to get work.

 

[dazzer6666]

But why were the women in the studio? Just because it's now the thing to do. No other reason. Personally I want to listen to men talking about and commentating on men's football. And I know many women who agree with me. Similarly the women's game should be the preserve of female commentators. What exactly is wrong with that?

If the audience is diverse why shouldn't the presenting team be diverse ? Accept it is being 'forced' at the moment (which in turn mean some that are less than capable get the gig, or get too much exposure - like Scott - because the pool is so shallow), but it'll take a generation before it becomes normal.

 

[Grombleton]

Thought Aluko was excellent last night - picked on some nuances other pundits might not have done and didn't resort to endless cliches. Better than Scott, and better than a lot of her male counterparts.

Dixon was full of praise and changed the discussion at one point when it became a bit too 'Arsenal' to focus on how good we were

I agree with both bits of this. Aluko came across very knowledgeable and clearly knew the game. Dixon, as an Arsenal legend did well as you say to make sure we were discussed too.

I was also happy to get to stare at Eilidh Barbour even if trying to spell her name causes me to have a seizure.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Has to be said, the annoying random Scouse woman commentating on Wolves v West Ham on Amazon on Wednesday seemed to have a PhD in stating the bleeding obvious. Just saying.

 

[dazzer6666]

Has to be said, the annoying random Scouse woman commentating on Wolves v West Ham on Amazon on Wednesday seemed to have a PhD in stating the bleeding obvious. Just saying.

No worse than the cliche-ridden, red-spectacled scouse bloke that often commentates on games (that's you, McManaman)

 

[dejavuatbtn]

All channels seem to look to have a mixture of sexes and racial backgrounds which is all very laudable and so politically correct that it avoids any criticism of bias. It’s just a shame they don’t actually take a seat backwards and evaluate just how good or bad their knowledge, delivery, speech and competency are. I watched snooker the other day and they had some female snooker player who no doubt is a star in her own circles but was just useless at communicating - a bit like Jamie Carragher who, no doubt his knowledge, is about the worst presenter of information in sports tv.
In general terms I think I would have preferred a phased approach to the introduction of female player commentators into the men’s game, and vice versa; at least until the general sports public got a handle on who these people are and whether or not their opinions are of substance.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

, well then where the **** are the 60+ women?

New pundits are nearly always recent players - which makes sense.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

My take on a load of the comments on this thread:

1 Coverage in general was excellent, once they'd got past the first 15 minutes, during which they failed to even once mention who Arsenal were actually playing against.
2. Eilidh Barbour is very decent, experienced sports broadcaster.
3. Aluko, Dixon and even Pardew, were all pretty good. Big tick for Amazon for putting that team together
4. Agree that they could have found someone with an Albion background - especially given there are three very obvious options currently working as pundits, who have played for BOTH (Sidwell, Keown, Upson)
5. The women working on TMS (cricket) are largely excellent - Mitchell has been mentioned. The jewel is Isa Guha. Very, very good.
6. Clive Tyldesly is an unrelenting ARSE Not for me (Clive), as Andy Townsend would say.
7. The other match last night had Conor McNamara. They were lucky.

but my biggest take on this thread so far, is...

8. Is Beach Seagull okay? Has anyone been round to check on him?

 

[blue'n'white]

I am proud Bloom and Albion get how football is an inclusive thing, They now spend millions backing mens footbal, womens football, kids football, Albions U 23 football, Downs syndrome teams, mental heath adult teams, blind football, powerchair football and much more.






I'm sure Mr Bloom is pleased we're playing in England. Think of the added expense were we playing in ,for example, Barcelona where Barcelona FC run the following teams as well as the football team : handball, basketball, ice hockey, American football, futsal, roller hockey, rugby union, wheelchair basketball, athletics and volleyball.

 

[Taybha]

Not for me but the TV has a mute button so no problem , saying that i'd rather listen to Alex Scott than listen to Carragher , Murphy , and the most irritating of all imo Mr international Lickarse Hoddle , cant stand his after timing i told you so gibberish .

 

[Official Old Man]

Sky, BT and now Amazon aren't going to throw in a female pundit 'just because they have to'. In this day and age there should be a female but the companies probably went through a lot of interviews getting the right person. I find them to be knowledgeable and worth listening to. But as main commentators, no thanks.

 

[Miami Seagull]

Rebecca Lowe is outstanding, knowledgeable and balanced. But she is in a minority. As for the pundits, whether I agree with them or not, I always find it more entertaining to have former players and managers of the men's game doing this role. Anyone else, whether male or female, tend to offer significantly less insight and certainly less original thought.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It is really interesting this debate as personally I could not care less and I find Aluko, Scott and many others very insightful and interesting to listen to, massive fan of Jules Breach in particular as she is a huge Albion fan.

In much of the Feminist world though men are told that they should not comment on female issues as they cannot empathise or understand them, they are routinely told to shut up or if they do comment they are accused of mansplaining (a term I find particularly pathetic). Simultaneously there is a push to have females add their judgement to a league and standard of football they have never played even close to. This strikes me as hypocritical. Are these women femsplaining? Criticising a player who is light years ahead of the game they played in? I am purposely being facetious here by the way.

My personal opinion is that I am all for both males and female pundits to cover both the men's and women's game, if that is the case though we need to allow freedom to analyse, debate and criticise. If that means a male pundit calling a female player for playing crap then he needs to be able to do so without being brandished as some kind of misogynist. At the moment, all the pundits cut across each other, argue and disagree......apart from when the female speaks, they would not dare, it would be career suicide. That is not equality, if Alex Scott is talking rubbish then Souness should tell her in the same way he does to Neville or Jenas.

Rant over.

What level did Jeff Stelling, Manish Bhasin and Jake Humphrey play to?


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[exKT17]

The jewel is Isa Guha.

Absolutely agree, she is one of the very best.

 

[wallyback]

Worth checking out. https://offsiderulepodcast.com/

 

[Wilko]

What level did Jeff Stelling, Manish Bhasin and Jake Humphrey play to?


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None. But that is the point I am making? I think anyone with a knowledge on the game should be able to pass comment, whether that is an ex-pro, a journalist, a presenter or a fan like you and me. I have listened to your good self and many others on the albion roar for example and really enjoyed the views despite the fact none have ever played the game.

My point was (and maybe I put this badly) that when males try to comment on female issues, gender politics or women's sport they are often accused of mansplaining, told to shut up or at worst, misogyny. It seems to me that those who state these comments are falling into exactly the same pattern as men who say 'I do not like birds commenting on men's football'.

As previously stated, I think both men and women should both be able to pass comments on the men and women's games.

 

[Albion my Albion]

But why were the women in the studio? Just because it's now the thing to do. No other reason. Personally I want to listen to men talking about and commentating on men's football. And I know many women who agree with me. Similarly the women's game should be the preserve of female commentators. What exactly is wrong with that?

Sexist. Why can't any person comment about football in general? There is no reason you need to be a male to comment about males participating in football. Anyone no matter sex, height, sexual orientation, nationality, handicaps or vision may comment on male football as long as they have some knowledge of the sport.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

**** me the sexism around here is terrible.

:safeway:
regards
DF

 

[Swansman]

**** me the sexism around here is terrible.

Being a sexist, I disagree.

 

[surlyseagull]

You complain about prejudice by introducing a completely new and irrational one.

I’m six foot four, but deriding men for being short and using it as a lazy shorthand for being a loser is downright obnoxious in my opinion.

Absolutely ....talk about double standards.
Obnoxious sums it up nicely.