GARY NEVILLE’S FOOTBALL analysis is nothing revolutionary, according to Irish international great Ray Houghton who says the punditry poster boy is only following in the footsteps of RTÉ’s three wise men.
Neville was in the spotlight again last week following his criticism of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
This outspoken approach and strong tactical focus have made the former United defender a favourite among fans since his switch to the studios.
While Houghton — a regular on RTÉ’s Premier League and Champions League coverage himself — enjoys watching Neville at work, he says he’s still playing catch up with the likes of Eamon Dunphy, John Giles and Liam Brady.
“It’s as if this has never happened before,” Houghton told TheScore.ie at an ESPN event in Dublin today. “It’s been happening over in Ireland for donkey’s years.
As long as Eamon, Johnny and Liam have been on the panel, they’ve always been very open and forthright with their views and tell it how it is.
“That’s what Gary’s trying to do with Sky and he does it very well. I actually enjoy him most on a Monday night where he’s got a bit more time to show you things. He’s very good at the defending; he’s got to brush up on the attacking options a little bit but he’s very good at the defending.”
“He’s not doing anything revolutionary,” Houghton added. “It’s been happening here in Ireland for a long time.”
Neville’s TV turn has put the focus on the current state of football punditry. Match of the Day, the flagship BBC highlights programme which is approaching its 50th anniversary, has come under fire from those who see its analysis as lightweight but Houghton feels that there are still plenty of fans who enjoy the Beeb’s offering.
“The BBC is an institution and Match of the Day has been going as long as I can remember. It’s been there forever.
It’s a little bit different to what we do in Ireland with RTÉ but we’re not going to meet the managers. We don’t have to get the managers or the players after the game so we can be as critical or not as we like whereas Match of the Day probably pander a little bit to the fact that they need to get the players in or the manager in to speak to them.
“For every person who doesn’t like it or who thinks it’s a bit lightweight, there’ll be plenty of others who enjoy it.”
He added: “It’s not a cross-section of people that we’ve ever got a true reflection from. The ones who come out and say things are the ones who aren’t happy with it.”
