12. Brian Kerr
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KERR MADE RTÉ’S co-commentary unmissable with his intelligent, frequently hilarious and almost always uniquely Irish observations.
11. Jamie Redknapp
A controversial choice admittedly, but Jamie Redknapp gets brownie points here for seriously upping his game in recent months. Originally a by-word for bland punditry, Redknapp has shown an increasing willingness to get stuck in of late, no doubt keenly aware that the likes of Neville and Carragher were beginning to render his initial style obsolete. And while he hasn’t quite gone full Dunphy, anyone who gets Jose Mourinho visibly worked up is surely worth watching.
10. Martin O’Neill
Another of the more sporadic pundits on this list, the Ireland boss is well worth listening to on TV, particularly when he’s slagging off Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro about their lack of Champions League medals.
9. John Giles
Two words: Granny-killing. No other pundit used such a memorable phrase in 2014, nor in most other years.
8. Graeme Souness
One of the wiser, more experienced members of Sky’s team, Souness’ no-nonsense call-it-as-you-see-it approach to analysis nicely complements some of the more sophisticated pronouncements of his colleagues. And as in his playing career, the former Scottish international is not afraid to stick the boot in to one of the more hapless players on show.
7. Tim Vickery
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By no means a frequent presence on our TV screens, Vickery’s cameo appearances during the World Cup were easily the best thing about the BBC’s coverage (aside from the actual games, I suppose). Whereas so many so-called experts resort to copious bluffing when quizzed on any player who doesn’t play in the Premier League, Vickery was the genuine article — his vast knowledge of South American football gave the BBC an edge over its competitors, while his ostensible understanding of the sensibility of the Brazilian nation and their feeling towards Neymar and co enabled him to provide viewers with unique and illuminating insights on a regular basis.
6. Liam Brady
Not as idiosyncratic as his fellow senior analysts (not to mention Kenny Cunningham, who’s become strangely aggressive of late), Brady is also probably the one member of the RTÉ team who it’s difficult to disagree with most of the time (with the notable exception of his persistent, unyielding defence of Giovanni Trapattoni during the Italian’s time as Ireland manager). For a panel that tends to be so divisive, it’s important to have a less extreme voice of reason every now and then, and Brady normally constitutes exactly that.
5. Eamon Dunphy
Balk all you want — but can you imagine how boring Ireland’s games would be without Dunphy? The swearing, the England-baiting, the love-hate relationship with Roy Keane… Yet when he’s not engaging in dramatic pen-throwing or singing on Miriam O’Callaghan’s show, there is substance to his showbiz — a mere one-trick pantomime act would not have lasted so long in the notoriously fickle world of television. His analysis of Martin O’Neill’s shoddy behaviour towards Tony O’Donoghue was a reminder of Dunphy’s passion and intelligence — two qualities that have perhaps been less pronounced as he’s become increasingly playful and knowingly self-parodic in recent times.
4. Roy Keane
While 2014 was another vintage year for Roy Keane the personality, his punditry was in disappointingly short supply, pulling out of the World Cup at the last minute for the second time in his career. However, this list values quality over quantity, and Keane’s brief stint with ITV this year was undeniably memorable — effectively ending Curtis Davies’ chances of playing for Ireland or England, and taking the occasional subtle dig at former boss Alex Ferguson along the way.
3. Jamie Carragher
Carragher surely wished he had remained with Liverpool for just one more season to shore up their defence as the Reds came agonisingly close to Premier League glory. However, football’s loss has been punditry’s gain, with Carragher slotting in seamlessly to the Monday Night Football lineup alongside Gary Neville and Ed Chamberlain. While initially seeming a little too impressed with Neville’s opinions, the former England centre-back has grown in confidence, and often disagrees with his Man United-loving colleague, most notably when it comes to zonal marking.
2. Richie Sadlier
The RTÉ panel has been in need of a shake-up for some time now, and Richie Sadlier has served as a refreshing counterbalance to the always fun but increasingly predictable quips of Messrs Brady, Giles and Dunphy. He has frequently shown he is not afraid to disagree with the elder statesmen of the panel, and with Dunphy and Brady no longer at loggerheads over Trapattoni, the former Millwall striker has brought some much-needed tension back to the discussion.
1. Gary Neville
Brilliant as always, Neville has raised the bar for football analysis, taking it to a new level with his perceptive assertions, in-depth experience of modern football at the top level and brainy, well considered tactical analysis, both when assessing teams in general or individual players. Most people wouldn’t get away with being England assistant coach on the side, but Neville is so good at what he does that few people seem to care.
