Well I am not sure he counts as a pure pundit, but for me its a no brainer. Garry Bloody Richardson! I love listening to BBC Five Live and most sunday mornings I go for a jog or to the gym to burn off the empty calories from the night before. God only knows why I never learn, but I always end up with "Sportsweek" or whatever its called, on the earphones. I do not pay my licence fee for this egregious twat to ask interviewees again and again and again for minutes on end questions which they are never going to answer and which they have told you they are never going to answer. All though I am from Wythenshawe I now live in soft, southern Berskhire and you can imagine people's surprise when i start shouting abuse at Garry whilst running along the towpath or on some treadmill in the gym. I remember him askling the Chelsea chairman half a dozen times whether ranieri was staying or going, the Newcastle chairman at least 8 times whether Bobby Robson was staying or going and every week in the summer he is asking the england cricket selectors whether Harmison will ever play again. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TELL YOU MATE! MOVE ON! YOU CAN ASK 12 TIMES - they still wont tell you! A grand example of why journalists can be dickheads at times, is when Mr Potato-Head Rooney was still with the Toffees. And Garry R had Arsene Wenger on "is there any limit to how much you would pay for a player?"....."mmm, je ne sais pas," says Arsene umming an Ahhing. But Richardons badgers and pesters and bullies him and says "how much would you pay for Rooney? £10 M, £20M, £30M?" next thing you know, the station is running the headline all day "Wenger says Rooney not worth £30m". Wanker!!!
Favourite pundit/commentator? Well its a no brainer. I think John Murray on Five Live is really excellent and underrated, but it just has to be Stuart Hall and his "base theater of comedy". I am 43 and i never remember a time when he wasnt on TV or radio (any fellow mancs remember his cooking slot on look north west - gold medallion, stripey shirt with white collars etc?) also his unfortunately named business "Stuart Hall International Travel" (think about it). What a man? (And I suspect a closet blue)
The worst pundit I ever saw though wasnt on footy it was during the Olympics when the BBC hired former ausssie gold medallist Cathy Freeman. She was like Patsy Stone on ab fab "yeah, cheers, thanks a lot" she never appeared again!
And possibly the best in any sport is Michael Johnson on the Athletics. What a guy!
And finally, who can forget ex Rags boss and oompah Loompah, ron atkinson calling the capped 100 times for France, world cup winning captain Marcel Desailly a lazy black good for nothing? Shrewd Ron, Shrewd. But we are talking about the guy who signed Ralph Milne
David