Joey Barton

Originally Posted by Patty_b

Points pretty clear pal, that a pundit having played in the Premier League in their past has no relevance on the quality of their punditry.

Yes it does because they can talk from a place of experience. And the level of match dictates the level of pundit. Soccer Saturday got the bants brigade and some household names. Champions League matches gets players that generally have that experience and a bit more class.

Originally Posted by Fat Al

Souness used to be good pundit.
He's a £#%&!ing gibbering £#%&!wit now.

Age catches us all

Originally Posted by Fat Al

Souness used to be good pundit.
He's a £#%&!ing gibbering £#%&!wit now.

Weird how it went with Souness. He used to be decent but Ferie retiring seemed to send him into a huuuge mental spiral. Maybe he was just a coward.

I do think we're having women in the male game foisted and forced on us but it's also true that there's very few male pundits who you can listen to and enjoy these days either.

Originally Posted by silv

Yes it does because they can talk from a place of experience. And the level of match dictates the level of pundit. Soccer Saturday got the bants brigade and some household names. Champions League matches gets players that generally have that experience and a bit more class.


Age catches us all

The women on the football is just a transparent box ticking exercise by the broadcasters. I think it's pretty naive for people to argue otherwise.

Originally Posted by silv

Yes it does because they can talk from a place of experience. And the level of match dictates the level of pundit. Soccer Saturday got the bants brigade and some household names. Champions League matches gets players that generally have that experience and a bit more class.

If some of the ex-premier league pundits that appear on game coverage regularly provided anything close to insightful punditry, then I'd agree with you. But they don't. The only one I can bear listening to now is Keano, and even then it's more for entertainment purposes when he's hamming it up for TV while in punditry mode.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

If some of the ex-premier league pundits that appear on game coverage regularly provided anything close to insightful punditry, then I'd agree with you. But they don't. The only one I can bear listening to now is Keano, and even then it's more for entertainment purposes when he's hamming it up for TV while in punditry mode.

I hear ya, i’m not saying Charlie Nicholas and Perry Groves are intellectual heavyweights *dons Charlie Nicholas diamonte studs* but compare them to this shite that’s been served up lately and it’s night and day, men against boys Jeff *undons*

Originally Posted by Coracao

The women on the football is just a transparent box ticking exercise by the broadcasters. I think it's pretty naive for people to argue otherwise.

Not sure anyone is arguing otherwise Tbf, the discussion is more about who cares and does it matter.

I don’t think it’s any more of a box ticking exercise than the way football coverage also seems to be littered with YouTubers and streamers these days, which nobody seems to believe is part of some grand conspiracy.

To me it’s just an attempt to appeal to different demographics, rather than some ‘woke’ agenda.

Originally Posted by Ethers

I don’t think it’s any more of a box ticking exercise than the way football coverage also seems to be littered with YouTubers and streamers these days, which nobody seems to believe is part of some grand conspiracy.

To me it’s just an attempt to appeal to different demographics, rather than some ‘woke’ agenda.

If it wasn’t a “woke” agenda why would they have to surreptitiously force it on you? I’ve got the United app , notification “United sign world class star” turns out it’s Sally Turnbull who i have no interest in whose career means absolutely nothing to me. Why don’t they have a United’s Women team app so those who are interested can be interested? Like I said I’m not arsed about Sally being a woman I just couldn’t give a flying £#%&! about her playing for “United”

Originally Posted by believe

If it wasn’t a “woke” agenda why would they have to surreptitiously force it on you? I’ve got the United app , notification “United sign world class star” turns out it’s Sally Turnbull who i have no interest in whose career means absolutely nothing to me. Why don’t they have a United’s Women team app so those who are interested can be interested? Like I said I’m not arsed about Sally being a woman I just couldn’t give a flying £#%&! about her playing for “United”

Because women’s football is one of the few areas for growth left for the major football clubs in this country. They don’t just want to target people who are already interested, they want to attract new people to women’s football. If even 5% of people who follow the men’s team become interested in the women’s team as a result of them pushing it heavily, then that’s job done for them. And the only price to pay is people moaning about it.

The ideal situation for a club like United is to have a men’s team and a women’s team both generating a huge amount of money. Now clearly, women’s football is light years from making anywhere near the cash that men’s football does. And it almost certainly won’t ever reach the same level. But there’s certainly massive room for growth, and it’s probably a lot easier to do than grow the men’s game and the cash that generates, because it’s surely near the max already.

I genuinely think it’s mainly business driven, rather than the entire football world, broadcasters and clubs alike, being part of some enormous political agenda.

Originally Posted by Ethers

Because women’s football is one of the few areas for growth left for the major football clubs in this country. They don’t just want to target people who are already interested, they want to attract new people to women’s football. If even 5% of people who follow the men’s team become interested in the women’s team as a result of them pushing it heavily, then that’s job done for them. And the only price to pay is people moaning about it.

The ideal situation for a club like United is to have a men’s team and a women’s team both generating a huge amount of money. Now clearly, women’s football is light years from making anywhere near the cash that men’s football does. And it almost certainly won’t ever reach the same level. But there’s certainly massive room for growth, and it’s probably a lot easier to do than grow the men’s game and the cash that generates, because it’s surely near the max already.

I genuinely think it’s mainly business driven, rather than the entire football world, broadcasters and clubs alike, being part of some enormous political agenda.

I get that but why would the club try and up
sell the women’s game when they should be targeting the women’s market that aren’t football/United fans.
Rather that to help the game grow then existing United fans.

How come men don’t commentate on the women’s game?

I don’t see why women can’t stick to their game and visa Versa.


I’d rather we just had good pundits than pundits that tick boxes.
Same way i don’t agree with then rolling out Kevin Campbell for sky games for absolute no reason.

Originally Posted by marlo

I get that but why would the club try and up
sell the women’s game when they should be targeting the women’s market that aren’t football/United fans.
Rather that to help the game grow then existing United fans.

How come men don’t commentate on the women’s game?

I don’t see why women can’t stick to their game and visa Versa.


I’d rather we just had good pundits than pundits that tick boxes.
Same way i don’t agree with then rolling out Kevin Campbell for sky games for absolute no reason.

I’m sure they’re doing that too, but I doubt any of us would be exposed to it?
Trying to convert existing United fans to fans of the women’s team is a pretty easy and cheap win for them, given that they already have a huge audience. Even if the conversion rate is very low.

Originally Posted by Ethers

I don’t think it’s any more of a box ticking exercise than the way football coverage also seems to be littered with YouTubers and streamers these days, which nobody seems to believe is part of some grand conspiracy.

To me it’s just an attempt to appeal to different demographics, rather than some ‘woke’ agenda.

They bring these social media idiots in to try and bring their viewership with them, they have to do something because they know that's how kids of a certain age engage with football now.

It's why football coverage has now boiled down to people just going over the top with praise or absolutely ripping into players. That way they can go viral with a nice little 20 second clip of Gary Neville or whoever ranting about United, lots of engagement, lots of retweets and likes. That's all they care about.

Also I should say i couldn't give two shits who they have in the studios talking about the actual game in terms of gender, mainly because i don't really watch them anyway. I watch very little football now outside of United and maybe one or two other games a week if i can be arsed. It's £#%&!ing boring now.

Originally Posted by Ethers

Because women’s football is one of the few areas for growth left for the major football clubs in this country. They don’t just want to target people who are already interested, they want to attract new people to women’s football. If even 5% of people who follow the men’s team become interested in the women’s team as a result of them pushing it heavily, then that’s job done for them. And the only price to pay is people moaning about it.

The ideal situation for a club like United is to have a men’s team and a women’s team both generating a huge amount of money. Now clearly, women’s football is light years from making anywhere near the cash that men’s football does. And it almost certainly won’t ever reach the same level. But there’s certainly massive room for growth, and it’s probably a lot easier to do than grow the men’s game and the cash that generates, because it’s surely near the max already.

I genuinely think it’s mainly business driven, rather than the entire football world, broadcasters and clubs alike, being part of some enormous political agenda.

Exactly - it’s a huge untapped market. Go to the games now and you see miles more women attending. Can’t remember any in the 80’s - must be 10-15% at OT nowadays I reckon. It also detoxifies the atmosphere unfortunately.

45k were sold for united v city women last year. That’s more than most prem teams get.

The women’s game in the uk is a huge growth area for football. Heaven knows why United were so slow out of the blocks.

Probs prefer to watch United women than the men atm - better to watch people with actual fannies than men who behave like fannies.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

They bring these social media idiots in to try and bring their viewership with them, they have to do something because they know that's how kids of a certain age engage with football now.

It's why football coverage has now boiled down to people just going over the top with praise or absolutely ripping into players. That way they can go viral with a nice little 20 second clip of Gary Neville or whoever ranting about United, lots of engagement, lots of retweets and likes. That's all they care about.

Also I should say i couldn't give two shits who they have in the studios talking about the actual game in terms of gender, mainly because i don't really watch them anyway. I watch very little football now outside of United and maybe one or two other games a week if i can be arsed. It's £#%&!ing boring now.

That's the top and bottom of it. Can't remember the last non United game I was excited about. I used to watch anything. I absolutely hate the state of the game and most people involved with it.

Originally Posted by marlo

How come men don’t commentate on the women’s game?

They do. They have male pundits too.

Originally Posted by Ethers

I don’t think it’s any more of a box ticking exercise than the way football coverage also seems to be littered with YouTubers and streamers these days, which nobody seems to believe is part of some grand conspiracy.

To me it’s just an attempt to appeal to different demographics, rather than some ‘woke’ agenda.

As Bill Burr points out, they'd be better off having Kim Kardashian in the studio then. Or some bint off Love Island. Doubt the level of punditry would drop too much.

Originally Posted by Fat Al

Souness used to be good pundit.
He's a £#%&!ing gibbering £#%&!wit now.

Was scared of Ferie.

Not scared of Ole, Erik etc

Originally Posted by Denis Irwell

Was scared of Ferie.

Not scared of Ole, Erik etc

was pals with Ferie, not pals with Ole, Erik etc.

https://youtu.be/5ctkT-61gp0?si=6mOq8Em1VTcEHK33

Le Tissier looking well