2 weeks Ago By The Telegraph
Noel Gallagher turned football analyst on TNT Sports last week; the Oasis bandleader joined Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist for co-commentary and punditry of in the Champions League. Some viewers thought his booking was beyond the pale, citing variously partisanship and Gallagher’s absence of playing credentials. Incorrectly, I would argue: he proved once again that he’s sharp, has a lifetime’s knowledge of City lore, and is a dry and mischievous communicator.
He was especially good on Pep Guardiola’s legacy and impact. I that Rio Ferdinand or Steve McManaman or whoever has missed out on an evening’s work. What’s wrong with shaking it up a bit? Should Noel wish to take further time away from playing the guitar, putting up with his brother and rinsing his loyal fans with exorbitant ticket prices, you’d imagine TNT would have him back in a shot for City games.
Competition for places is not intense. Unlike Liverpool, United and the north London clubs, there’s not a lot of depth on the bench with famous Manchester City faces. In none of the Graeme Souness (71), Gary Lineker (63), Roy Keane (53) or Rio Ferdinand (46) age groups is there an ex-Man City player of proper show-us-your-medals gravitas – mostly because City did not win any medals for two generations from Dennis Tueart’s 1976 League Cup final overhead kick to “Agüerooooooo!” Kompany on Aguero: "What a legend he is.
You take away the fact he has scored that many goals, I'm grateful for one goal. But when he scored against QPR and everyone said 'Agueroooo', you take that goal and he is always going to be a legend to me." — City Report (@cityreport_) When Gallagher was in his mid-1990s musical pomp, City were fielding teams of honest toilers whose names don’t exactly ring out for the Champions League viewer of today.
It is considered essential that sports broadcasting must appeal to der yoof; it’s hard to see Gen Z going wild on the TikToks for the sort of players that City had in the mid-1990s. While many of us might well like to hear the views of ‘Studs up’ Nicky Summerbee, Terry Phelan or Kåre Ingebrigtsen on the minutiae of Pep’s inverted lateral transitions, you have to concede that City don’t have the army of ex-player greats to flood the TV studios as their rivals do. Joleon Lescott is Wolves, for me; Danny Sturridge, Liverpool.
Niall Quinn, I guess. But the most storied City names are past working age or sadly no longer with us: Franny Lee, Colin Bell and so on. Obviously in a few years, Phil Foden or John Stones or whoever can occupy any pundit sofa they choose but there’s a vacuum in the 35-60 age group, and such space as there is has been ably filled by the enormous booming jollity that is dear Micah Richards.
Noel is beyond doubt the most famous Manchester City fan and, although ex-footballers might not love to hear it, just as capable of a bit of insight as most of them are. Of course, he’s expected to be biased and encouraged to be so, but hardly more so than, for instance, Gary Neville when Manchester United are playing. The uniqueness of City’s journey from loveable losers to remorseless winning machine – to say nothing of the petrostate/legal challenges angle – makes them a singular proposition and there’s a lot to be said for hearing about them from someone who suffered through, say, the Gillingham play-off final rather than just swanning in for the trophy guzzling.
It does round out the narrative beyond this current period of dominance, and clearly a songwriter of Gallagher’s pedigree knows all there is to know about storytelling. It would be good to have more pundits who are not ex-players but it’s very rarely experimented with. I recall Danny Baker, one of the most gifted broadcasters around, joining Alan Shearer in the BBC TV studio for a 2010 World Cup game and being dazzling and funny compared to the ex-Newcastle great.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” Shearer muttered defensively. It should be said that Wor Sir Al is a much better talker today than he used to be, but given that footballers have no compunction about broadening their opportunities into entertainment with podcasting and TV hosting, why should entertainers not likewise have a crack at the football?.
