Giles, Dunphy, Brady and Billo

**pete** · 11/04/2006, 10:36 AM

Giles knows nothing about anthing other than the Premiership. He admits he doesn't watch european football dispite being a pundit paid to analyse CL games...

**eirebhoy** · 11/04/2006, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Dodge

Houghton and Trevor Steven are poor for RTE

If we're looking for Irish people than Steven isn't an option but I believe he is by far the most knowledgable pundit on RTE. He knows most modern day footballers and that is needed as the other's haven't a clue.

Giles is the most overrated pundit out there in my opinion. He not only knows very little about modern day football but I don't even know how he got into management. Wenger said the other day that Arsenal were a lot more conservative when they had the ball in the 2nd leg against Juve and that keeping possession was the most important thing. Giles said he didn't believe him and why would he change his gameplan for the 2nd leg. I think it's a bit obvious that when you're 2-0 up there's no reason to take risks. He also doesn't seem to understand that just because he may not have been affected by confidence or the pyschology of sport as a player, the same doesn't apply to every player out there.

I think Giles was taking over from the sick Dunphy on Wednesday. He also said that he didn't believe Strachan wanted to sign Keane. He said Barcelona are not a good team, they're probably the best team in the CL, bad teams don't win the CL.

Ger Gilroy: "So, John, what do you think of Spurs' knew manager, Jaques Santini?"
John: "Serious, I didn't hear anything about it".
Ger: "Yeah, it was announced today".
John: "Oh, Tottenham seem to be changing everything now. Who's Santini by the way?"

**Dodge** · 11/04/2006, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Giles knows nothing about anthing other than the Premiership. He admits he doesn't watch european football dispite being a pundit paid to analyse CL games...

So thats what he does. He doesn't bring (much) baggage with him but comments on what happens during the game.

**gspain** · 11/04/2006, 11:59 AM

What I like about Giles is not that he knows the career stats of the players but that he understands and interprets the game very well.

In fairness Andy Gray can do it on Sky but Sky is setup for tabloid banal coverage rather than deep analysis. RTE allow Giles et al to do proper analysis.

**geysir** · 11/04/2006, 12:01 PM

Next there will be moans about the type of adverts shown at half time.
Watching Ireland, enjoyment depends 100% on the game.
For any game I am watching I am happy enough with a commentator who efficiently names the player on the ball,describes the referees actions, says f'eck all else, and a co commentator who says little but agrees with me.
Too much emphasis is focussed on what the pundits are on about.
Can you imagine at half time in a game, the pundits taking their place in the centre circle and pontificating about the game to the crowd.
At 1/2 time I have more pressing engagements to fulfill in my home, at full time in the Kerr era coincided with too many post match despair moods to seriously care what the pundits say.
For neutral tv viewing, the 2 man show TG4 live coverage of the EL games is tops.

**geysir** · 11/04/2006, 1:06 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Giles is the most overrated pundit out there in my opinion. He not only knows very little about modern day football but I don't even know how he got into management.

That's because you know a lot less about Giles the footballer/ manager/'superlative soccer technician' than Giles in your opinion knows about modern day football.

**eirebhoy** · 11/04/2006, 5:40 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

That's because you know a lot less about Giles the footballer/ manager/'superlative soccer technician' than Giles in your opinion knows about modern day football.

I'm not going to let how good he was as a player cloud my views of him as a pundit. He's brutal on RTE and brutal on Newstalk, in my opinion. You'd have to be at least 45 to remember Giles playing football which I'm not so you're right, I know very little of Giles the footballer. Would you like to elaborate on why you disagree with my post other than the fact that Giles was a fantastic footballer and did ok in a management stint 30 years ago?

**geysir** · 11/04/2006, 7:25 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

I'm not going to let how good he was as a player cloud my views of him as a pundit. He's brutal on RTE and brutal on Newstalk, in my opinion. You'd have to be at least 45 to remember Giles playing football which I'm not so you're right, I know very little of Giles the footballer. Would you like to elaborate on why you disagree with my post other than the fact that Giles was a fantastic footballer and did ok in a management stint 30 years ago?

You are entitled to your views about Giles as a pundit.
But you wrote

I don't even know how he (Giles) got into management

I replied that you know little about Giles.... otherwise you would know how he got into management

He was nominated as the successor to Don Revie by Revie himself.
So obviously Don and apparently most of the Leeds players as well thought Giles was a natural for management.
You say he did okay as a manager.
He became player coach at West Brom and is well regarded there. Built up a very good team, played passing football and laid the foundations for Atkinson who inherited that good team.
His Irish managerial stint is well documented and the leap in standards for the Irish team is a matter of record not opinion. He frankly admits that he did not enjoy being manager.
I think you are letting your views on Giles as a pundit cloud your views on Giles the football genious and a more than decent manager.

**eirebhoy** · 11/04/2006, 7:36 PM

Originally Posted by geysir

I think you are letting your views on Giles as a pundit cloud your views on Giles the football genious and a more than decent manager.

This thread is not about how good he was as a footballer or manager though. I think he talks some rubbish on RTE which is why I questioned how he got into management. You're right, it is my opinion and I'm probably wrong.