Souness leaves Sky

[ClaretTony]

Jeff Stelling yesterday and now Graeme Souness has announced he’s leaving Sky. Today was his last day.

I actually liked him as a pundit.

[Bosscat]

Jeff Stelling yesterday and now Graeme Souness has announced he’s leaving Sky. Today was his last day.

I actually liked him as a pundit.

Probably didn't want to work with Jug Eared Crispy Lineker ...

[Boss Hogg]

Great. Can’t do with him.

[yTib]

Probably didn't want to work with Jug Eared Crispy Lineker ...

seriously? another reason to have a go at lineker?

grow up lad.

i also quite like souness and keane too cos they don't pander.

[claptrappers_union]

Sky are going for younger presenters. Just look at the presenters on SSN, they look like they're in their early 20s.

[ClaretTony]

The good thing with Souness is that he tells it how it is

[Hedontplayforyou]

Linekar is going to Sky?

[BurnleyFC]

Shame. I thought Souness was terrific pundit.

[Aclaret]

Souness & Roy Keane..Best 2 pundits on telly.

[Boss Hogg]

He said Dyche should stop getting involved with the longer term project and training ground at Burnley and focus on the here and now on the pitch only. Don’t agree and think this is one area where Dyche has left a legacy.

[TheFamilyCat]

He should have been reminded about Ali Dia at the start of every game.

[Rileybobs]

Shame. He is a bit ‘back in my day’, but always enjoyed his punditry.

[No Ney Never]

I appreciate the honest and straight forward approach by the likes of Souness and Keane, problem is that they are of a certain generation, mine included, but the demographic is changing.
If Sky are to stay in business, they need to be relevant and appeal to the subscriber of the future, you can see why they would be looking to refresh their offering.

[jrgbfc]

Used to like Souness, but in recent years he's become a bit too "back in my day".

[bfcjg]

Souness is very knowledgeable, gets to yhe point and speaks from experience, one of the few pundits worth listening to.

[Stayingup]

seriously? another reason to have a go at lineker?

grow up lad.

i also quite like souness and keane too cos they don't pander.

Does anybody need another reason to have a go at him? He sets himself up like a hoop la at a fair ground. He should stick to football commentary.

[NewClaret]

Souness & Roy Keane..Best 2 pundits on telly.

I do like their “grumpy old man” style. I can relate

[Bosscat]

seriously? another reason to have a go at lineker?

grow up lad.

i also quite like souness and keane too cos they don't pander.

Lineker should stick to what he does best ... Selling crisps

[4midable]

Great. Can’t do with him.

Always be a *******

[DXS]

Loved Souness has a pundit, along with Keane and Neville he said it how it was and didn't care who he upset, not wanting to be controversial but you could see it in his face when there are females commentating on male football, he really wasn't comfortable, and I must admit I think Sky are going to far with the diversity side of things. As a player, he could mix it with the best of them, if you wanted to play football, fine he'd use skill to get the better of you but if you wanted to play dirty then brace yourself, he's as hard as nails, some of the battles he had with Brian Robson would have seen them sent off within minutes of the start of the game

[Billy Balfour]

I'm thankful that Keane hasn't left. I like his entertaining rants.

[ClaretTony]

He said Dyche should stop getting involved with the longer term project and training ground at Burnley and focus on the here and now on the pitch only. Don’t agree and think this is one area where Dyche has left a legacy.

Souness got that wrong. That was back in 2014.

[Aclaret]

Used to like Souness, but in recent years he's become a bit too "back in my day".

Say that to his face.. ..if you dare.

[Billy Balfour]

I've yet to read anything about him smacking people for having an opinion.

[box_of_frogs]

Say that to his face.. ..if you dare.

Why? What would he do other than growl a little?

[HuncoatClaret]

Souness is a good and honest pundit and the thing I really like about him is that he is the only one who sees that Declan Rice is the most overrated player in world football.

[Casper2]

Horrible person who thinks he’s better than anyone else .

[ClaretPete001]

Horrible person who thinks he’s better than anyone else .

As a matter of interest, do nice people generally go onto public forums to suggest that someone they don't know and have never met is horrible?

[beddie]

Loved sourness as a player and as a pundit.

[Aclaret]

Why? What would he do other than growl a little?

He growls louder, harder & tougher than the likes of Paull Merson, Chris Sutton and the like

[Goodclaret]

Souness and Keane say it how it is. No higher authority telling them they must be "nice" or towing the channel agenda. They are refreshing to me.

[Aclaret]

Souness and Keane say it how it is. No higher authority telling them they must be "nice" or towing the channel agenda. They are refreshing to me.

Exactly GC.

[PremierLeagueClass]

Great loss that, him and Keane are the only pundits I’ll keep the channel on for. Of the two he’s probably my favourite as well. Whilst Keane can be excellent, his views are often tainted by personal resentment he has towards certain teams/individuals.

[Steve1956]

The best pundit for me this season has been Jobi McAnuff he's always intresting to listen to and knows his stuff,
And he has been very complimentary about us this season
SKY are just weeding all the dinosaurs out ...it comes to us all eventually when we are not needed anymore

[Jakubclaret]

Souness was ok he covered the basics but didn't reveal anything I didn't already know, to be honest none of them do it's all common sense the pundits just repeat what you already know or what you are thinking, Newcastle comeback today - Southampton didn't really need that.

[MrTopTier]

Souness.

Enjoy his punditry, as people have said he says it as it is and the reality of the world today is that people don’t always like it.

He is insightful, honest and can be very stubborn when he believes he’s right, which is often but not always.

As somebody said further up, he’s right about RIce, he was right about Pogba and today as a final send off, called out Harry Kane.

The bigger problem is the replacements, it has been obvious for a while that Souness is being eased out. Keane is also featuring less on a Sunday.
However last Sunday was Jamie Rednapp, Keiron Dyer and Danny Rose for the Newcastle v Tottenham game. It was like Amateur hour by comparison. You get the same vibe about Soccer Saturdays pundits

Stelling and Souness in the same weekend is not a good look for Sky. Might work for demographics etc but is a poor footballing decision.

[BFCmaj]

Does anybody actually bother with pundits any more?

[jrgbfc]

Souness is a good and honest pundit and the thing I really like about him is that he is the only one who sees that Declan Rice is the most overrated player in world football.

Is he really? He looks a pretty good player to me. Absolutely ran the game on the Turf last season in a way that not many other Premier league midfielders have done.

[Lancasterclaret]

Disappointed lads

A thread about a football pundit and Lineker has only been mentioned about eight times and only been told to stick to football once

Boards gone

[Hedontplayforyou]

He growls louder, harder & tougher than the likes of Paull Merson, Chris Sutton and the like

Sutton is a first class tit

[alf_resco]

Does anybody actually bother with pundits any more?

I certainly don't, nor presenters either.
MOTD I record, watch the match action and fast forward to the next match. At the end of last match, I delete the prograamme.
Live football, usually SKY, I have on mute until the starting whistle. Depending on commentator, I might have it on low volume (eg Bill Leslie) or on zero volume mute eg Martin Tyler or the 4 "commentators" they seem to need on BT. Final whistle, hit the off switch.
I don't listen to any pundits.
As for Sky Soccer Saturday, Jeff Stelling and the likes of Souness, we all know who/what demographic will replace them.
Let's tick a few boxes.

[HuncoatClaret]

Is he really? He looks a pretty good player to me. Absolutely ran the game on the Turf last season in a way that not many other Premier league midfielders have done.

He was so good West Ham got a 0-0 draw against a team that got relegated.

[Swizzlestick]

Not a fan as a pundit tbh. A lot of hot air but his actual analysis was often pretty under par.

[Transpennine]

Loved Souness has a pundit, along with Keane and Neville he said it how it was and didn't care who he upset, not wanting to be controversial but you could see it in his face when there are females commentating on male football, he really wasn't comfortable, and I must admit I think Sky are going to far with the diversity side of things. As a player, he could mix it with the best of them, if you wanted to play football, fine he'd use skill to get the better of you but if you wanted to play dirty then brace yourself, he's as hard as nails, some of the battles he had with Brian Robson would have seen them sent off within minutes of the start of the game

"Too far with the diversity side of things"?

As in...?

[kentonclaret]

Soccer Saturday with Sky was once the preserve of a group of middle aged white men namely Jeff Stelling, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson who will be the only one still remaining. In order to add diversity they now give pundit roles to Clinton Morrison and Sue Smith along with a number of others.

[Steve1956]

Soccer Saturday with Sky was once the preserve of a group of middle aged white men namely Jeff Stelling, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson who will be the only one still remaining. In order to add diversity they now give pundit roles to Clinton Morrison and Sue Smith along with a number of others.

The old brigade worked...the new brigade are useless,if it isn't broke don't fix it.

[Herts Clarets]

Always liked listening to Souness, despite his previous allegiances. Liverpool, Scotland, Bastards. But if Sky want to pander to a younger audience then he will not be relevant to them. Sadly I am losing patience with some of the sub standard pundits brought in as box tickers, Clinton Morrison for one. And Alex Scott last night on MODD. I always knew it as Match Of The Day but she seems unable to use 'The', preferring to use De.

[kentonclaret]

The old brigade worked...the new brigade are useless,if it isn't broke don't fix it.

It wasn’t broken but Sky would have been under pressure ( as are all broadcasters) to “add diversity” to an all male all white panel of pundits.

[Jakubclaret]

The old brigade worked...the new brigade are useless,if it isn't broke don't fix it.

That's the exact reasoning behind it AGE trying to appeal to a younger audience, won't be just football I think davis & parrot will be moved on or minimised from snooker, you get a certain run & your times up.

[elwaclaret]

Always liked listening to Souness, despite his previous allegiances. Liverpool, Scotland, Bastards. But if Sky want to pander to a younger audience then he will not be relevant to them. Sadly I am losing patience with some of the sub standard pundits brought in as box tickers, Clinton Morrison for one. And Alex Scott last night on MODD. I always knew it as Match Of The Day but she seems unable to use 'The', preferring to use De.

To be fair I think Alex Scott was nervous, but did a reasonable job. Clinton Morrison is clearly a lovely fella but offers nothing and comes across as an airhead.