Once Duffer jumped the fence we knew the jig was up.
Ireland’s most reticent and media shy footballer has done a “Paul Scholes” in recent weeks and become a glorious source of top class interviews and almost enthusiastic punditry.
On Tuesday we learned that one of the few heroes of the Republic of Ireland’s 2002 World Cup adventure not to hand up his boots is also making the leap into television analysis.
Stoke and Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given will run a critical eye over his former club Manchester City as they take on Dynamo Kiev on BT Sport as he continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered in the famous 1-0 win over Germany.
Who else from that famous team has taken the punditry plunge and how have they fared?
Shay Given
Making my @btsport debut tonight with @GaryLineker @rioferdy5 & Glen Hoddle, hope @MCFC can finish the job off & get in to the last 8 #UCL
— Shay Given (@No1shaygiven) March 15, 2016
The 39 year old’s best hope of travelling to Euro 2016 at this stage may be as a television analyst. Best to start showing off his wares now, just in case his knee does not recover in time to feature in Martin O’Neill’s plans.
Gary Kelly
We stand to be corrected but the only footage of the Leeds stalwart talking football on TV was from a 2008 episode of Goals on Sunday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akXOmQrtafc
Steve Staunton
The legendary full-back and slightly less legendary former manager has dipped his toe with a few international fixtures for Sky Sports. Also took a call when his successor Giovanni Trapattoni got the bullet from the FAI: “Who knows who the FAI have in mind or what road they will take?” They have been known to throw the odd curve ball, alright.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrMHAzS6gq0
Gary Breen
Doing a fine line in cranky co-commentary on Newstalk for a few years now. Also a regular on Setanta. We all dream of a studio etc etc
Ian Harte
The recently-retired dead ball specialist is biding his time before taking over from Joe Rogan as the UFC’s go-to guy.
@TheNotoriousMMA what am I seeing not 1 Brazilian but 2 that have pulled out of a fight!!! Because they are afraid of the fighting Irish 🇮🇪
— Ian Harte (@ianharte23) February 23, 2016
Steve Finnan
Happily living a low-key retirement, the Champions League winner is more likely to turn up on the side of a milk carton than on a studio panel.
Mark Kinsella
Has made the odd foray in TV and radio. Much like his midfield play, the Drogheda coach’s analysis was tidy and no-nonsense.
Matt Holland
He’s better than SportsJOE’s Darragh Murphy (1’38” below). We’ll give him that.
Kevin Kilbane
Like the British Empire at its zenith, the sun never sets on Killer’s punditry. No matter what time of day, if you listen hard enough, you will find Zinedine talking about football.
Damien Duff
No one was more surprised than Duffer to see him chatting with Darragh Maloney and the lads on RTÉ a few weeks back: “I never liked punditry, I never liked pundits but at the same time you’re sitting at home and you need to go and try something, I guess.”
Robbie Keane
Robbie is too busy banging in the goals in the MLS to talk football. The Ireland captain is a doer, not a talker. But when he inevitably picks up the over-sized iPad we hope he adopts the US-style of talking straight into the camera. Get Dan Marino on their ass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa9LNPwZIGA
Honourable mentions to Roy Keane and Niall Quinn, who both do a healthy sideline in punditry with ITV and Sky Sports. One is infinitely more entertaining than the other, mind.
