Expert Opinion

Its nothing new and profound to expect more of a designated experts opinion. But if only they could say something new and profound.

Its difficult to accurately define what “professional” or “expert” opinions should provide, but if they leave the viewer shouting at his tv set to correct the “expert” opinion, then something is wrong.

On Sunday, Andy Gray professed his disgust for Thierry Henrys gesturing towards Chris Kirklands time-wasting after Arsenal had equalised against Wigan. He pointed out that there is nothing in the rules to tell Kirkland he has to take the goal-kick as quickly as possible. But there is also nothing in the rules to tell Henry that he cannot criticise a player for perceived time-wasting. It could, however, as Gray insinuated, be deemed as unsporting conduct. Much the same as Kirkland repeatedly moving the ball prior to taking a goal kick could also be classed as unsporting conduct. Not to mention that Grays assertion that there is nothing in the rules about this does miss the point that it is stated that players should look to return the ball to play as quickly as possible.

Gray clearly puts time into his current profession, but as a result of this his status seems to have been elevated to that of “super pundit”. Yet, his knowledge of the rules frequently turns into “Who knows what Fifa have come up with this time, Richard?” type of comment, which ought to be left in the pub. Or on “Hancocks half-time”. Similarly, circling players in “super slo-mo” replays, to highlight the moment when they stepped out of position and played the attacker onside, is not proffering an expert opinion, its playing a form of “Wheres Wally”. For every goal, there is always a mistake and it doesn’t need an expert to point it out.

It was astonishing to watch the entire cast of Skys Soccer Saturday debate whether they thought Frank Lampard would be leaving Chelsea in the summer, yet conclude that it was just “agent talk” since Lampards contract isn’t about to expire anyway. Whilst all were able to offer an opinion on what might prove fruitful for Lampards future career, it was nothing more than pub talk. Not one of them was able to inform the viewer of exactly why his agent had commented on the situation in the first place- Lampard has two years remaining on his Chelsea contract in the summer, meaning that he, or his buying club, will be eligible to “buy out” his contract, whether Chelsea want him to leave or not.

For Liverpool fans concerned at their club being sold to US investors, the opportunity to hear the “expert” opinion of a former Liverpool captain must have been welcome. So Phil Thompson assessment of the situation had apparently become a positive one, based on the press conference to announce the new investors. “They didn’t use the word “soccer” once, Geoff, and that’s important”. He further added that the “naming rights” on the new stadium are an important revenue source, but he understood that fans are very precious about the name Anfield. Its hard to quantify just how many Liverpool fans would have become enlightened about the weeks developments as a result of Phils analysis, but its fair to say that most Liverpool fans realise that the importance of the name “Anfield” is completely irrelevant as soon as they move into a new stadium.

There are plenty of footballers who would endorse the comment “I cant stand watching when Im injured; I just want to play football”. When a former player becomes a manager, ex-team mates can readily be found to comment “You could always tell he was going to be a manager, he was always asking questions and taking notes about tactics”. The inference being that most footballers do not do this, and those that do will become managers. I have yet to hear a former team mate say “He was always asking questions and taking notes about tactics; I always knew he was going to be a football pundit”.

Quite simply, these people are being paid as professionals, yet dedication to their profession does not seem to extend beyond turning up on a given day and applying a degree of guesswork and summation, which can pass as “expert opinion”. Pundits are not alone in demanding that players give the kind of effort to their profession that is expected, both on the pitch and away from it. When those pundits are former players, they ought to take note of those very same standards themselves.