Honestly, no they're not. But I'd love for some insight, non-pantomime characters to be allowed the chance. Commentary yes I can live with, although the various styles and competencies are noticable. Some commentators are all about getting every researched fact in and go overboard, forgetting to tell us what is happening, and others seem there for the jolly rather than to inform.
But punditry has largely become a clowns game. Stick a red nose and size 18 shoes on Carragher, Richards or Neville and it'd only suit their style further. It's more about them than the game, and I'm just not interested nor prepared to pay a dime to hear it.
I get more insight into the team we're playing, their tactics and best players, from the 5 minutes guest slot on the blue moon podcast than I do from most pundits. That's what I, as a consumer, actually want. Tell me how they're going to play, the mindset, the risk and reward of how they've set up, anything to watch for. But it's not what the big paying subscribers want, seemingly, as they're happy to pay the money to hear their sponsored bozo cheering for them and against anyone else.
That shows worry about losing the type of Neville/Carragher partnership they have in place speaks volumes about the kind of product they want to put out. It's not too many steps away from the professionally offended like goldbridge, and the relevance these kinds of players have towards the modern game is just too distant for me.
There's room for punditry and commentary evidently as appealing to the masses is the name of the game. But for those of us interested in the tactics, the former manager insight, the ex player who doesn't also have a marvel alter ego as captain cruddypants and his awesome giggle, then we're largely out of luck.
Big exceptions though are Izzy Christensen, Nedum, Joe Hart for a city point of view, albeit I think they're largely fair also, but beyond that there genuinely isn't one name I'd activity pay ot tune in to hear. There probably are a few non City ones too, but I fear they get so little opportunity to return if they don't make a favourable impression with key subscriber groups, that they're replaced by anybody with more than fifty games for a 'top' side who might enhance subscriber longevity of those same key groups.