Even before The Golden Age of Irish Soccer aka, The Jack Charlton Years for those who have forgotten as it ended so long ago, Irish or rather RTE, as to use the word Irish would be to give credibility to the diatribe served up by ITV or TV3 or…. Who can tell the difference, soccer punditry has been with us. The frequently garishly attired Bill 'Live' O'Herlihy, John 'The Good Honest Pro' Giles and that Custodian of Sobriety Eamonn 'Never Wrong' Dunphy have adorned our screens for almost a quarter of a century.
Although the coverage had been running for some time with just O'Herlihy and Giles it wasn't until the arrival of Dunphy in 1990 ahead of the World Cup that they caught the imagination of the nation. Dunphy's very public spat with the 'Patron Saint of Irish Soccer' and the manager Jack Charlton during the tournament not only made Dunphy a hate figure and a champion, but also made for great entertainment.
In recent years the trio has become the quad with Liam 'Monotone' Brady, possibly Ireland's greatest ever player, having been entered into the mix; after guesting during RTE's coverage of the World Cup in Germany last year, former Liverpool and Scotland legend Graeme 'Smooth as Velvet' Souness has been given a more frequent role as side-kick to the 'Holy Trinity' for the Premiership and Champion's League coverage. Coupled with cameo's from former England & Ireland international's Trevor Steven, Ray Houghton and rising star of RTE Sport Daragh Maloney, you complete a mix as diverse as it is opinionated.
The analysis, bickering and outbursts have often provided more entertainment than the matches they were supposed to be covering. But it seems this honest and forthright approach is what has made the coverage what it is, and now word has spread across the water as British audiences become increasingly disillusioned by the incessant drivel being fed to them on a weekly basis by Sky Sports, BBC et al.
Match of the Day the original Saturday evening highlights show has come in for the most criticism. Alan Hansen for so long the doyen of football punditry seems to have been replaced by an Alan Hansen impersonator with pre-programmed responses to every question; "shocking defending, genuine pace, unbelievable skill"; surely "That would be an ecumenical matter" can only be next.
Mark Lawrenson, Alan Shearer and Garth Crooks are equally guilty of similar inane prattlings. Perhaps it is because they were recently players that they fell unable to objectively criticise former colleagues and mates but this does injustice not only to the fan but also to the qualities that originally gave the show it's cult following. Blame for this must surely lie at the door of BBC programmers who have failed to give their anchors enough freedom, probably out of some misguided sense of political correctness, so they don't upset anyone.
This however does not excuse the continued appearances of Ian Wright. While his enthusiasm is infectious bordering on annoying, he has the insight of Dublin taxi driver,
"Well I think, definitely, in the second half they came out with a better attitude but I think I've seen Chelsea play a few times and they don't really play a lot more. Their tempo's not much more than they started there but they just didn't have the width. They still tried to play the ball to the strength but all the men are in that middle, so that's when they, that's where they're playing all the balls to. Now whether they're mental, I don't know what he means by that, whether they can, the intensity or what, even if they did start sharp, the men are still in the same places so they couldn't get the width. And that's what I couldn't understand."
This was the limit of Wright's contribution to the recent Chelsea vs. Spurs FA Cup tie.
BBC's most successful pundits in recent times have been Gordon Strachan and Martin O'Neill whose honest and insightful appraisal of the game was a refreshing tonic to the 'beeps' usual sterility. But alas Strachan and O'Neill both have day jobs.
When Sky Sports came along and revolutionized the way we watch sport Andy Gray was hailed as the pundit who would rival Hansen, however even he has become banal. Sky's saving grace however has been Soccer Saturday anchored by Jeff Stalling his regular guests, Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas, Alan Smith and Alan McNally offer more considered and honest views in comparison to their BBC counterparts.
RTE's trump card is undoubtedly Dunphy. Love him or hate him you cannot deny his honesty of opinion as well as his ability to stir it up. He is also in no doubt as to why the others are so weak.
"Match of the Day is pretty dreadful. They are part of the club, which you can't be as a critic…….they just talk drivel. Whoever's winning is great, whoever isn't, isn't. It's banal. And also semi-literate at times"
"The whole BBC, Sky and ITV approach is that the viewer is an idiot. They never criticise in any intelligent way: England were terrible during the last World Cup and nobody said anything until it was all over - so why are the pundits there?"
Dunphy thrives on the controversial and has never been shy on sharing his opinions,
On Mick McCarthy:
"Mick McCarthy is a boil on the arse of humanity. He's one of the biggest whingers in world football. He's a bloody eejit"
On Kevin Kilbane:
"Kilbane's head is better than his feet. If only he had three heads, one on the end of each leg."
He has however always saved his sharpest criticism for the FAI:
"They're evil Bill, evil!"
It has been on this bedrock that success has been built the unbiased and un-patronizing analysis and critique, the interaction of the panel and the guessing who will be the latest target of Dunphy's vitriol.
For once the major players should look to RTE for inspiration and while we may not always agree with what they say, we will at least for the time being bow our heads at the Altar of the 'Holy Trinity'.