Ex-Manchester United star Paul Parker has suggested that Sky Sports audiences are becoming ‘fed up’ with pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
The duo faced backlash from Rio Ferdinand after Arsenal’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Manchester City, where they criticised Myles Lewis-Skelly for his imitation of Erling Haaland’s ‘zen’ celebration after scoring Arsenal’s third goal. Ferdinand urged people to “let the kids come out and express themselves” and specifically called out his former teammate Neville for lacking taste, considering his own history of celebrations during matches.
Parker, who shared the pitch with Neville at United and played for the club from 1991 to 1996, has now voiced his belief that fans are growing weary of seeing Carragher and Neville on Sky Sports. He claimed that the pair often display their loyalties openly rather than maintaining impartiality.
In a conversation with MyBettingSites, Parker said: “In the past, as a pundit or commentator, you had to be as neutral as possible. If you had grievances with a club or an individual, you kept them to yourself and just did your job.
“Now, pundits openly wear their allegiances on their sleeves. Whether as a commentator, co-commentator, or analyst, they make it clear who they support. People are fed up with it. They’re fed up with Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.
“They’re bored. Fans want to watch the game and listen to analysis from someone who has played at the highest level, someone who understands the realities of professional football,” reports the Express.
In addition, Parker highlighted that fans are eager for new insights from the nation’s leading broadcasters, saying: “People don’t want someone constantly dissecting every issue at a club. They just want clear, unbiased analysis. Fans are complaining.
(Image: (Image: Getty))
“Sky is alienating its audience. Viewers respect Jamie for the number of games he played and Gary for the titles he won. But while Gary can talk about winning trophies, Jamie can’t. We need impartial pundits. The system needs to change. We need to bring in different voices – referees, fresh faces in the studio, players who have recently retired.
“It’s becoming tedious. Instead of the same people saying the same things on different platforms, we should give new perspectives a chance.” It comes as Carragher recently faced criticism for his commentary during Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Wolves, particularly concerning a penalty incident involving Diogo Jota.
The forward was initially given a penalty after a clash with Emmanuel Agbadou, but VAR later annulled referee Simon Hooper’s decision, citing no foul had occurred. Carragher, on air, noted a minor contact and appeared to justify Jota’s fall, which sparked debate among viewers.
Some accused the pundit of bias, with one social media user commenting: “Jamie Carragher doesn’t even try to hide his bias… that’s the most obvious dive when watched back and he’s saying ‘Jota has been clever there’. Let that have been any other team and he’d saying how disgraceful the player is.”
Another added fuel to the fire by questioning Carragher’s reluctance to condemn the act: “Why isn’t Jamie Carragher calling that dive out instead of saying there’s not much in it?! Clear as day he dived, no contact at all and neither commentator calling it out.”
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