Kevin Keegan does not believe that female pundits should be employed to talk about the England men’s team.
Keegan managed England between February 1999 to October 2000 and scored 21 goals in 63 appearances for the national side between 1972 and 1982. The 72-year-old has disappeared from TV screens in recent years and is currently embarking on a speaking tour.
And it was during ‘An Evening With Kevin Keegan OBE’ that he offered his thoughts on the current state of punditry. Speaking to around 250 people in Bristol, he said: “I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest, and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that.”
He added: “The presenters we have now, some of the girls are so good, they are better than the guys. It’s a great time for the ladies. But if I see an England lady footballer saying about England against Scotland at Wembley and she’s saying, ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same. I don’t think it crosses over that much.”
Jill Scott, Karen Carney and Alex Scott are among the former England internationals to regularly appear as pundits on men’s matches. Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has developed a reputation for her astute punditry and people like Lucy Ward are regular female voices as co-commentators.
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Keegan went on to provide an anecdote of his personal involvement with the England women’s team. “It is a great time for the ladies’ game,” he said. “When I was England manager I went to coach the England ladies and I had this perception of what the quality would be like and they were so much better than I thought they were going to be.
“I joined in and then I thought, ‘I’m getting out of this.’ I couldn’t get the bloody ball and one of them nutmegged me, that finished me off.”
Jill Scott worked as a pundit for Scotland vs England in September (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)Keegan was also critical of the wider punditry scene in the modern game. He believes too many of the current crop are guilty of talking too much while on commentary duties.
“I worked with Brian Moore who was the best,” he said. “At a World Cup final he would say ‘Kevin, don’t talk too much let the pictures do the talking.’ A lot of the pundits now talk too much. Don’t keep talking, talking, talking. They don’t want people like us any more, our day is gone, it’s time for the next generation.
“There are some very, very good lady presenters and I’m working with one in two days’ time, Terry Yorath’s daughter, Gabby [Logan].”
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