Danny Murphy hits out at TNT Sports for Noel Gallagher Champions League commentary

Pundit and former Liverpool midfielder says he hopes musician’s television appearance is not a portent of things to come

Danny Murphy says he will be “upset” and “annoyed” if celebrity co-commentary becomes a norm after Noel Gallagher’s appearance on TNT Sports’ Champions League coverage.
The Oasis singer-songwriter’s role alongside Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher for Manchester City’s 4-1 trouncing by Sporting on Tuesday drew criticism from footballing traditionalists.
Murphy, a regular co-commentator on the BBC, suggested it “doesn’t add much value” to hire partisan fans who have never worked in football. “It would upset me,” Murphy told Talksport radio as the station discussed the prospect of celebrity commentary becoming a trend.
“I wouldn’t want to hear that. Partly from a selfish perspective. Because I know how much work I put in and how difficult it is to try and see things, engage things, spend years watching different techniques and games to try and analyse them.
“So, yeah, that would annoy me. I’ve got no problem with listening to different types of people watching football, pre [or] post [match], maybe even after.
“As co-commentary, it’s neither here nor there. It doesn’t add much value for me. It’s a very difficult job. I know from doing it. As a third one [like Gallagher], it’s fine. But there’s not much there you’re going to learn.”
Gallagher’s appearance on TNT divided opinion, with many viewers also welcoming his insights about his “friend” Pep Guardiola.
However, fate conspired against the rock star during the match as he uttered “I wasn’t expecting this to be so easy” just 90 seconds before Viktor Gyokeres grabbed the equaliser and the game swung dramatically in the Portuguese club’s favour.
Prior to the match, he had spoken about his relationship with Guardiola as well as the manager’s impact on his club and the wider game in England.
“When he got here, we just scraped top four… he said to me, before the [next] season started, we were going to win the league,” Gallagher said. “I was thinking, ‘that is a big shout’. But he did the 100 points. He’s a wizard… The players are completely under his spell, and they run through brick walls for him… He’s got it all.”
“It feels like there’s an end of the era coming…” Noel Gallagher on life after Pep Guardiola and his impact on the English game 🧠📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/2OwQfidvnQ
He later added that: “I personally think he’ll stay for one more year because it gives everybody a chance to breathe and reflect on what he did.”
Murphy suggested Gallagher was better off providing input pre or post-match rather than during the game itself. “I’d rather see him before or after the game, giving his little anecdotes about Pep [Guardiola] and the players,” Murphy said.
“He gives you something different. Some people will like it because of the novelty. I wouldn’t want to hear it every week, put it that way.”