Sky Sports pundits sacked

It depends. If its because these people are better than who they are replacing then fine but if its just quota filling then people should have an issue with it. Alex Scott and Micah Richards are two that are rumoured and they have got a fair bit of backlash online which saw Ian Wright come to their defence but his defence was things like saying that Alex Scott is the most prepared pundit in the business, but being prepared is hardly a key part of being a presenter, you can be as prepared as is humanly possible but if you don't have that charisma it doesn't matter. I know personally I never think she comes across all that natural or comfortable in front of the camera.

 

See I think she is even less suitable as a main presenter than a pundit. You need natural charisma and an air of authority that she just doesn't have. Someone like Gabby or Rebecca Lowe who is great over in the States on NBC's coverage were better when they were first starting out on TV than Alex Scott is having had almost 2 years experience.

I actually think her and a couple of the other female pundits are actually being hindered by fast tracking them for 'woke' reasons. They would have been better off staying working on the women's game, a game they have more direct insight into having played in the women's game where they could hone their skills, find their own style and gain some confidence. Then if you promote them to the mens game they start from a better position.

 

With Carra and Neville though I think they have the balance perfect. They can have some good natured banter which is easy and fun to watch but both are immensely knowledgeable and prepared so can switch into the more serious analysis with ease. And in both modes they are confident, engaging and charismatic (even if Carra's strong scouse accent is annoying lol)

I actually think that's why the Soccer Saturday panel largely works as well, they can have fun with it but when needed switch into the serious mode. Where as Micah Richards has as you put it only been able to demonstrate being a clown, his actual analysis is often fairly weak and I've seen a few times where one of the other pundits has taken him to task over it. It's actually almost like he watched two complication tapes to prepare for the job, one of Ian Wright but only the bits where wrighty is being a clown rather than the bits he is being the intelligent pundit he can be and the other of Souness who lets be honest if anyone should be fired its him as like Micah he throws the idea of imparity out of the window. Again if you look at Neville and Carragher you might hate them for the club they used to play for and the passion they still show for that club but they don't let that bias colour everything they do

Personally if it was me I would have maybe kept them all on but either added an extra 'hotseat' which would rotate between a few until you find someone who works and then you remove one of the regulars or just rotate the whole panel a bit more so of those 3 maybe 1 sits out each week, again trying to find the best person to freshen it up. As it is even if they get the best people possible to replace them they are going to need to build a rapport

 

That pretty much sums up why she isn't very good though. A pundit can't be quietish, it comes across as not having confidence in what she is saying. Paul Scholes is a good example, you wouldn't hear a peep out of him as a player and when he started to be a pundit it carried over, he seemed to fairly quickly realise that as a pundit you have to have an informed opinion and express it with confidence. He is far from the best pundit but atleast now he comes across as authentic and his opinion 'trustworthy'. There is that sweet spot where you need to show your passion but also show you are prepared and knowledgeable. You get someone like Paul Ince (Or as I mentioned above Souness) as an example who shows his passion and speaks with confidence but fails on the knowledgeable and prepared parts on a repeated basis and you get someone like Alex Scott who may be knowledgeable and prepared but comes across scared and as if she doesn't really believe what she is saying.