Gary Neville - Pundit

Jamie Shawcross said:
I totally understand the need for him to be impartial, but does that really mean he has to go the other way? You don't have to constantly criticise to be impartial! He's not always wrong either, but he seems well too keen to have a pop.
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Do you think we have been playing well enough to be in the position we are? I'd argue we are a little too high personally.
 
But isn't it factually true that we've been struggling to amass points this season? Yesterday was memorable, but remarkable in that it was an outlier of a performance. Neville would have been a shameless homer had he not been critical of our performances this season.

That said, if he's gone off on a rant on how we didn't deserve to beat Leeds yesterday, we'd have a serious problem and the thread title far more compelling.
 
Neville has joined the media club of knee jerk overreactions to a single result. He’ll always be a legend but his recent piece on Sky regarding our form was outdone by a much balanced opinion of our season to date by Micah Richards on BBC.
 
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YAMS49 said:
Do you think we have been playing well enough to be in the position we are? I'd argue we are a little too high personally.
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I'd argue that the amount of points we have dictate where we are on the table, and thats how it works and always has. We haven't been pretty but we have earned every point.
 
Utd could play well for 70 mins, have a quiet 20 and Gary will rinse them over those 20.
Like his fact that Utd dont play well until going a goal down that wad plucked from thin air v Wrst Ham. We generally concede far too early for a pattern to emerge
 
I too hate the negative and OTT criticism that Neville and other ex United players turned pundits throw at our players.

It’s not really what Neville has said but more the tone, almost as if he’d be angry if we go on to win the league.

Based on the majority of our performances does it look like we’ll win the league ? No. I even wrote recently that “we’re never as good or as bad as we appear when when we receive the highest praise or worse criticism” and said based on how close things are during certain stages of this season we could find ourselves anywhere from 2 to 14th and will probably finish between 5-8th.

Do I hope we stay where are and mount a title challenge? Of course, do i think we will no. But should we be in a position to be able to challenge? Yes when you consider all the money we’ve spent.
 
I will never understand why people get remotely bothered about what pundits say.

I mean, it's other people's opinions... who cares?!
 
People are too sensitive. He’s obviously a United fan and always will be. However, it’s his job to say shit like this. If he blew smoke up our arse all day every day, he’d be some has-been on MUTV.
 
Neville is alright. As a commentator, you sign up for at least an attempt at objectivity. It’s a hard balance to get right. There’s the tricky thing of commenting on your ex-teammate. Even the relationship with the owners is a minefield- like do you burn your bridges with the club, etc? I don’t agree with the man a lot of the time, he frustrates me sometimes. But I’d have the cream of the ex pros (Cantona, Neville, Roy, Evra, Ferdinand, etc) before the owners of the so-called “CEO” anytime. You can tell when someone loves a club.
 
RedChisel said:
It's like listening to that Goldbridge fella. Every slight negative is jumped on and blown way out of proportion. He barely ever gives us any credit and seems to put most of our wins down to the opposition being poor.
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Really? I listen to every United Stand episode because I enjoy the community banter and he's been very positive about the team and Ole numerous times, as well as being quite negative with other aspects (like picking Dan James yesterday). I dont agree with everything Mark says, but its my experience that he's good at giving credit where credit is due. Enough with the DvB love though, he's not been good the last few times he's been given a chance. Are you listening Mark?
 
Jamie Shawcross said:
As a die hard United fan, I obviously have loads of time for ex players but I have run out of patience with Gary Neville. When he first burst onto the punditry scene he tried too hard with his impartiality and quickly just turned into someone who constantly stuck the knife into us at every given opportunity. I used to think "calm down Gary, we get it you can't be biased" but the thing is, it seems to be getting worse as time goes on. Everything that seems to come from the guy regarding our club is negative, always wanting to level us when things seem to be going alright. His latest article on sky sports news about it being "bizarre" that we are third is just the straw that's broken the camels back for me. Why is it bizzare? One minute the table doesn't lie, next minute he's perplexed as to how we are third. Its the results Gary, the points tally. He always seems to want to knock us down a peg. Am I barking up the wrong tree here or what? Can't remember the last time he said something that showed his love for the club. Perhaps he's bitter because the super sub is doing a decent job at a big club whilst he nearly sent Valencia down.

Maybe I am overthinking it, but its one thing after the next with him. It hurts.
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Before Ole was hired he was so excited I thought he was going to start kissing him after the Paris game.

It's his job as a neutral journalist to be critical of every team, as well as positive. Journalists should never be outright positive, but critical and analytical. I'd love for Gary to fangirl hard, a bit like Rio when we score until he remembers he's not on the pitch and calms down a bit.

Michael Owen however, can eat a 3 day old potato.
 
RedChisel said:
It's like listening to that Goldbridge fella. Every slight negative is jumped on and blown way out of proportion. He barely ever gives us any credit and seems to put most of our wins down to the opposition being poor.
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Goldbridge is pretty fair. He gives Ole credit when it’s due, like yesterday. He’s one of the few United fans who is spot on about Maguire being the biggest problem in the team.

He’s harsh on McTominay & has his favourites but I don’t think he’s as agenda driven as most football YouTubers.
 
Even when I disagree, I never mind him, it's Gary. How can you not like him? Mostly I enjoy when Keane is in the studio with him and we see that hierarchy of respect :D
 
Hes right and usually is. We're all on a high because we thrashed one of our biggest rivals, but a week ago we were getting knocked down to the Europa League, and we'll probably drop points against someone like Wolves next week. We're third mostly because the rest of the league is equally shite at the minute. Whoever gets their act together first will run away with it this year.
 
11101 said:
Hes right and usually is. We're all on a high because we thrashed one of our biggest rivals, but a week ago we were getting knocked down to the Europa League, and we'll probably drop points against someone like Wolves next week. We're third mostly because the rest of the league is equally shite at the minute. Whoever gets their act together first will run away with it this year.
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I wouldn't have us as favourites unless Liverpool get about another 10 injuries, but in fairness if we weren't dissadvantaged by having little time to prepare for the season compared to other teams, and having played a game less, it's not unreasonable to assume we could easily be top at the moment.

The league form really hasn't been bad and it was only one disaster game in Istanbul and some poor game management from Ole againat PSG that stopped us qualifying from a CL group that we had no right to get out of.

I don't think we've been amazing but things have definitely been skewed by the lack of fitness for the first few games and people like Neville constantly putting a negative spin on everything we do. Apparently we keep having to come from behind in games because we are awful then only wake up half way through. Against Newcastle, Everton and Southampton we went behind despite playing well and being comfortably the better team for the whole game. Against Sheffiled United we were in control of the game by half time. THat only leaves West Ham and Brighton and the later of those was the second game of the season where fitness was a clear issue.

Some of our football going forwards has been really good. Comfortably better than any season post Ferguson. I think it's been quite obvious for example that we've looked a better side than Chelsea so far, yet until the last couple of games they have received almost entirely positive analysis.
 
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Pissed me off calling Pep the greatest manager of all time. Done with him even if he is trying to be impartial. Saf deserves more respect from him than that
 
Just what was needed, another Gary Neville doesn’t agree with me so he’s a dick thread.
 
I find it stunning anyone considers Neville anything but red to the core. He has greater ties to the club than anyone on this forum.
 
Club legend saying club is playing well: Uncontroversial
Club legend saying club is playing poorly:
Controversial
Being controversial gets clicks, which gets you ad revenue. He's a paid employee earning his employer money.
 
It's ironic that, in his quest to 'prove' how non-biased he is, he has actually ended uo becoming biased against us.

Funny how often things like that turn out.
 
Prefer him to always make praises and positive comments about the club and players? always?

I'm not interested in his opinions. It's too dull and boring. Stopped listening when it's his turns. No offense of course. I value his pure tactical analysis, not sure if he's making one this days.
 
He's spot on though? We've pretty much been dire at home for a while and been going off of away form, where we've played quite poorly in a lot of the matches (except Leeds) but produced the quality when needed. On top of that we've been kicked out of a CL group that at one point we looked set to win. It is quite bizarre we are third, we haven't looked like a team to challenge for the title at all not that anyone is complaining.
 
It's an unusual thing to have such a poor home record and be on the precipice of being 2nd place. This season is an anomaly and quite frankly any insights of punditry perhaps should be taken with a grain of salt. A good away record and a poor home record ought to be enough for 4th or 5th place; such as it is, everyone is dropping points. In the end, we are where we are and it doesn't matter much how or why, although, it should be said that continually underwhelming performances will be our undoing if the perennial challengers get their stuff together.
 
Hyperbole much. He is not saying we are undeserving to be in top 4 or be 3rd or anything like that. He says he does not believe we are title challengers though we are just one win away from 2nd. We don't look like a team that will be able to do what is needed to stay there abouts.

I think it is a fair assessment. We have blown hot and cold all season. There is a good chance we go complete downhill. We are nowhere consistent or dominant enough to say we can grind it out all season.

The only thing that irked me about the article that he claims it was all expected against Leeds. I mean if our performances in some games have been horrible, it seems a bit weird for him to expect us to fully turn up and overwhelm Leeds at home. Seems a bit like hindsight nonsense.
 
Gary was a great player, owned his position for years and one of the reasons Beckham looked so good down the right wing (I watched a LOT of games and replays in the 90s and Neville’s ability to provide balls to Becks AND cover him defensively were a largely misunderstood aspect of David’s play).

As a pundit I find him astonishingly anti-United - it’s ok to have a little bias for your former team but Gary goes right up the other end of the spectrum and often is the first to criticise and berate. C’mon Gaz, put your heart back on yer sleeve and remember the badge you wore with pride.
 
FFS, ye sound like a a bunch of 12 year old girls , saying he is dead to ye just because now and again he has a different opinion to ye.

His paid to call it as he sees it and not what you would like it to be..

Some of ye are very paranoid seeing conspiracy’s against us everywhere , be it refs , opposition keepers , pundits et etc
 
Widow said:
I must be the only GNev fan.....and I don't really care :wenger:
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Gary Neville is a Red through and through, hes desperate for United to not only do well but to be the best again, and it hurts him we have fallen behind and more so that we're behind Liverpool. So yes, hes hard on United because he so much wants them to do better.
 
Always find the criticism of GNev bizarre really. This guy is United through & through . I swear if we win the league again he is going to probably celebrate more than most of us . He is working for sky and has to give his opinions about United. Majority of United fans including me know inside their heart that while it feels great to be second or third but this doesn't seem sustainable. He really has no agenda against us at all ffs
 
I think he loves united more than prob any pundit or coach we've had, ole and Carrick included. Doesn't mean he should be a manager or coach at the club or anything, but in terms of loving the club, how could you ever question Nev. At least Liverpool fans have the excuse that Carragher was an Everton fan
 
To answer your question: you're barking up the wrong tree.

He's right: we shouldn't be 3rd given our atrocious home form and our pattern of, up until recently, playing in isolated moments and not dominating games that we should be dominating.

Forgetting our last couple of matches, it doesn't seem like we've been playing like a '3rd best in the league' team, and that's what he means. Yes, we obviously are 3rd best and no one, including him, is disputing that. But it seems almost wrong, at least taking United in isolation and forgetting other teams doing their best to fck up.
 
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