Weekly production in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries begins with a sigh. And not just any sigh, a Gary Neville sigh, a sound ingrained in the millions who have consumed his punditry over the years. “Uaaaah. It’s frustrating,” Neville says. “I’m a United fan, wanted to watch them . . . well, maybe I didn’t watch the last 20 seconds after that goal . . .” And he’s off, running through United’s problems (“complacent”, “lacked killer instinct”, the defending, the goalkeeping, the substitutions, a disjointed press). It is watched by 1.1million people — as many viewers as the finale of the most recent Love Island — confirming Neville is in the vanguard of an ex-footballer content boom that increasingly dominates the weekly conversation but which media experts believe is only in its infancy. “Fetch the list!” he barked, and a press officer sloped off, returning with a document showing the huge number of ex-Liverpool players with prominent punditry roles. This was the heyday of Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson on Match of the Day, and those such as John Barnes were also regulars on TV. Houllier felt their scrutiny put his side under more pressure than their rivals, making it harder to haul Liverpool (then more than a decade without a title) back to success. To the idea of becoming a media voice, Fergie once said: “Not a chance. Some of the ex-player, ex-manager pundits are the worst. It’s a disgrace the way they sit there criticising guys they used to play with.”   submitted by   /u/Sparky-moon [link]   [comments]