Gary Neville

It's insane. Manc guy, Man United fan, joined the club as a kid, 400 odd appearances and nearly as many trophies. Also bowed out of the club with more grace than 99% of players when he decided he wasn't good enough anymore.

You think that would buy him some credit.

Yer but he has opinions! And he praises other teams sometimes and criticises United. Bloke acts like he's paid to be a pundit or something...
 
It's insane. Manc guy, Man United fan, joined the club as a kid, 400 odd appearances and nearly as many trophies. Also bowed out of the club with more grace than 99% of players when he decided he wasn't good enough anymore.

You think that would buy him some credit.

It's too hard to look past that first half performance at West Brom.
 
It's insane. Manc guy, Man United fan, joined the club as a kid, 400 odd appearances and nearly as many trophies. Also bowed out of the club with more grace than 99% of players when he decided he wasn't good enough anymore.

You think that would buy him some credit.
Seems to be a tiny minority that vocally distain him.

He was always going to get torn apart by Hislop for his hypocrisy and rightly so.
 
Are we all meant to dislike G Nev or something? I didn’t get the memo..

No but on this issue he has decided to put money before beliefs and it’s something to be disappointed about when we see him preaching on Twitter everyday. When push comes to shove he’s the same as the politicians he despises.
 
Where on earth are people getting the idea that people in this thread hate Gary Neville? All I did was say it's good to see him getting pushed back re Qatar :lol:
 
Oh no. Ronaldo snubs Gary!…because…errrm…he was called out for being disrespectful to the club, his team mates and instead of fulfilling his contractual obligations, decided to have a temper tantrum

Ronaldo snubbing Gary tells us more about Ronaldo being an absolute plonker
 



Qatar bit starts from 17:15 if anyone interested. He had no answers. Got exposed and looked uncomfortable and embarrassed.


Yeah the Qatar commentary isn’t a great look. But people are having a go at him being a hypocrite because he thinks the Tories are a bunch of cnuts.
 
That was so awkward to watch! Neville melted.

Yeah he melted but I didn't think it was as bad as made out on Twitter having just watched the bit. He's obviously no match for someone like Hislop and I don't think he would consider himself to be considering he was extremely nervous about going on.
 
He has no defence. Well, not after the initial BS was shown for what it is. He’s going to Qatar for the money and that’s that.
I don’t think it’s for the money. Probably going for the same reason the players are going. Fame. It’s the world stage and he wants to commentate with the best of them. Stay relevant etc. I don’t blame him.
 
Yeah he melted but I didn't think it was as bad as made out on Twitter having just watched the bit. He's obviously no match for someone like Hislop and I don't think he would consider himself to be considering he was extremely nervous about going on.
I’m not quite understanding the hate towards him just because he’s going over there to do commentary and getting paid a lot of money. Regardless of the fact he’s spoken out about issues in Qatar, I’ve got no issues with him doing the commentary and getting paid well for it. If the argument is he shouldn’t be going at all, then shouldn’t that be the same for every player, coaching staff and pundit that is going over from England? In fact, aren’t we guilty to an extent as well as we’re contributing towards paying the broadcasters who are showing the World Cup. I highly doubt anyone is going to boycott watching the World Cup to show a stance.
 
It's insane. Manc guy, Man United fan, joined the club as a kid, 400 odd appearances and nearly as many trophies. Also bowed out of the club with more grace than 99% of players when he decided he wasn't good enough anymore.

You think that would buy him some credit.

He had masses of credit, until he decided to open his mouth. His brother opens his mouth, on occasion, but, mostly, bollocks doesn't come out.
 
He had masses of credit, until he decided to open his mouth. His brother opens his mouth, on occasion, but, mostly, bollocks doesn't come out.
I think that’s harsh. With regards to football he talks a lot of sense. No one is expected to agree with all his views but I wouldn’t say he loses all credit when he opens his mouth.

I do think he talks nonsense on some issues but in general, his knowledge of football and pundits is excellent.
 
He didn't seem very natural, definitely nervous.

He had no answers on Qatar, at least in the Friday edit. Just froze up. His half-baked excuse was feeble.
 
I’m not quite understanding the hate towards him just because he’s going over there to do commentary and getting paid a lot of money. Regardless of the fact he’s spoken out about issues in Qatar, I’ve got no issues with him doing the commentary and getting paid well for it. If the argument is he shouldn’t be going at all, then shouldn’t that be the same for every player, coaching staff and pundit that is going over from England? In fact, aren’t we guilty to an extent as well as we’re contributing towards paying the broadcasters who are showing the World Cup. I highly doubt anyone is going to boycott watching the World Cup to show a stance.

I think Hislop and the rest of the panellist's stance is that no one really should be going over from England, least that's my impression which I think is fair enough. I do agree that we are all guilty to some extent if we even follow a team during the World Cup which is why I think the whole thing is a tricky area.

I do think Neville comes across off badly here but I don't have any misgiving that he is a saint or anything like that. I give him credit for sharing his own nerves about going on the show which isn't a natural place for an ex-footballer generally
https://metro.co.uk/2022/11/04/gary...es-ahead-of-have-i-got-news-for-you-17699410/
 
I don’t think it’s for the money. Probably going for the same reason the players are going. Fame. It’s the world stage and he wants to commentate with the best of them. Stay relevant etc. I don’t blame him.

Yeah I'd go along with that.

Are there any of the big name pundits staying away?
 



Qatar bit starts from 17:15 if anyone interested. He had no answers. Got exposed and looked uncomfortable and embarrassed.

The second hand embarrassment set in & I had to stop watching. He had no ‘defence’ as the comedian said.
 
The second hand embarrassment set in & I had to stop watching. He had no ‘defence’ as the comedian said.
He didn’t hold back on going in on him. However, I think it’s easy for Hislop to sit there smugly when the truth is he would probably have gone too if he was offered the same in Neville’s position.

It’s easy to be the Jury when you were never invited to the party.
 
The second hand embarrassment set in & I had to stop watching. He had no ‘defence’ as the comedian said.

Hislop calmly listing a 3rd option was a devastating dagger. All he could do was sit there and smile awkwardly.
 
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They played him well. Gentle ribbing about Becks first to get his back up - a reducer.

I did like seeing him on the show though, he surely knew he'd be getting the stick. Just a shame he had no real answers, except a feeble excuse.

Wonder if he will do it again? They'd surely invite him, even if he was a bit wooden this time he is an interesting "character" for them.
 



Qatar bit starts from 17:15 if anyone interested. He had no answers. Got exposed and looked uncomfortable and embarrassed.

It was funny to see him attempt to go into one of his many monologues about educating Qatar like he does on Sky, only for him to get knocked down by Hislop.
 
He didn’t hold back on going in on him. However, I think it’s easy for Hislop to sit there smugly when the truth is he would probably have gone too if he was offered the same in Neville’s position.

It’s easy to be the Jury when you were never invited to the party.
Hislop has been on the BBC for decades and the editor of Private Eye for even longer. He'll have had a million opportunities to "sell out" but hasn't, smug git that he is.

I like Neville but he works for Sky and has written for the Daily Mail. He's sold his soul a long time ago, Qatar or not Qatar.
 
Programme's 100% scripted now of course. It's strange how Nev's quite fluent in off the cuff commentary but so wooden following a script, although he did seem to relax a bit as he went along at least.

As for what he does in Qatar, any plonker can predict what he's going to do according to their own prejudices but it will be interesting to see what he actually says now he's laid down a marker. I'd have thought the Qataris would have had clauses in their contracts saying they wouldn't pay if the employee brought them into disrepute, but I ain't no international lawyer so who knows.
 
Programme's 100% scripted now of course. It's strange how Nev's quite fluent in off the cuff commentary but so wooden following a script, although he did seem to relax a bit as he went along at least.

Not strange at all. Reading out aloud from an autocue always, always sounds wooden compared off the cuff commentary about a subject you are an expert in.
 
Yup. Clearly exposed his feeble excuse.
I don't think that really exposes anything. An football pundit sitting at home talking about working conditions or LGBTQ rights in Qatar is not going to really set any headlines or make any difference compared to bringing up those issues when you are actually in said country. He already did a piece for his youtube which I personally think showed Qatar in a pretty poor light for someone who is supposedly getting paid off by them to make them look good. I am sure a lot of football fans would watch that and learn from that video because he has a different audience than someone who is going to watch a BBC news clip on working conditions in Qatar.

If he goes to the world cup and talks about how amazing the infrastructure is and doesn't mention or criticize anything, then fine have a go at him, but he hasn't exactly been a pro-qatar propagandist. Some of the critiques of him just come off as extremely bitter.
 
If Hislop's take makes Neville think about what he is doing and if as a result he mentions what goes on in that country during commentary, or in opinion pieces, then fair enough.

Despite talking an awful lot of bollocks, he does have some principles, so let's see.
 
Amazing that Neville thought that flimsy excuse would pass. He’s obviously justified it to himself, the second realisation hit home was delicious. He looked a complete tool.
 
Amazing that Neville thought that flimsy excuse would pass. He’s obviously justified it to himself, the second realisation hit home was delicious. He looked a complete tool.
Aye. It looked like the first time the logic of his reasoning was tested. He gets a free pass when discussing it on Sky and no doubt it’s an echo chamber when he’s talked about it off set with his ex-pro mates.
 
Thought he did a good job in an uncomfortable setting for him. Always like seeing people try new things.

Qatar thing was funny mind he is in the wrong there, is anyone actually boycotting Qatar? Interesting to see if anyone does.
 
I don’t hate Neville, but it’s absolutely fair to call him out of the Qatar stuff… not because he’s a football guy accepting money to go to a football tournament (obviously) but because he’s specifically defended it by saying Qatar are no worse than Saudi or Abu Dhabi, did an Overlap with Beckham essentially promoting the place and failed to ask anything difficult when it was a big deal at the time, and most of all has hidden behind the idea that we need to speak out about Saudi/City more if we’re going to be consistent (which is true) whilst absolutely failing to do so himself the many times he’s had the chance. In fact he’s regularly defended City’s owners against FFP and praised their development, and when the Saudi’s took over Newcastle he played down the idea of sportswashing and said it was a good thing ‘cos they’d be forced to change!




So the erstwhile “we need to be consistent” comes across as hugely disingenuous self interest, whilst cloaking himself in righteousness. Which tends to piss people off
 
He rightly got caught out there but that's the show and he'll have expected it really.

Neville not going changes feck all really so I don't blame him. He wants to be part of sporting history commenting on the world cup and they'd only replace him with someone less likely to talk out.
 
Hislop is right but there is something gross about how that show acts as a right of passage for when people do shitty unethical things.

It’s like we’ve all somehow accepted that if Gary is going to take money from dictatorships then he’s at least got to feel uncomfortable while getting some mildly criticism from an tired old satirist and then forced listen to an hour of “comedy” from Paul Merton.

All very meaningless.
 
Seems totally daft Gary with his views and labour membership, who clearly wanting to take a run at it, would go to Qatar, and then go on to present have I got news for you.

Surely he knows this is a massive flaw against him that can be used against him. I highly doubt he needs the money, or maybe the losses over covid with the hotel etc has maybe forced him to turn a blind eye to it all.


Just seems a strange stance to take.



He should pull out.
 
He rightly got caught out there but that's the show and he'll have expected it really.

Neville not going changes feck all really so I don't blame him. He wants to be part of sporting history commenting on the world cup and they'd only replace him with someone less likely to talk out.
Then commentate for ITV or BBC. Or any non Qatari organisation.

But instead he’s chosen beIN, a Qatari media group. That’s where the hypocrisy lies, and the warranted criticism that’s come with it.
 
Gary is politically naive but media savvy. Hypocrisy and flip flopping are not punished, it's the inflexibility of integrity and principles that will kill a political career. I genuinely think he is a good bloke but that he thinks there is some sort of benevolent capitalism that is possible. After all, money is what made the world he lives in, so it's no surprise that personal experience will play a part. He'll be an MP yet.
 
Gary is politically naive but media savvy. Hypocrisy and flip flopping are not punished, it's the inflexibility of integrity and principles that will kill a political career. I genuinely think he is a good bloke but that he thinks there is some sort of benevolent capitalism that is possible. After all, money is what made the world he lives in, so it's no surprise that personal experience will play a part. He'll be an MP yet.

An MP or Andy Burnham's successor when Andy decides he's up for a Westminster return.

I don't even think it's as complicated as what you are describing. Unless it's something that directly affects us, most of us will compromise when it's made worth our while.

Gary's probably just been made an offer that's too good to refuse. I am sure that Gary would say human rights are important to him, like most people. However, also like most people in Britain, what the Qataris are doing/have done probably hasn't touched anyone he knows personally. This stuff always hits different when it affects you personally than when it doesn't.

To be fair to Gary, none of us are protesting against buying Qatari gas this winter cos we object to how Qatar's government runs things. We put our bills first. Gary is just doing that on a bigger scale.

PS) Not saying it's right. Not trying to defend it. Just being realistic about how things work.