Player Journalists

[Catch and Kick]

Eugene McGee has a dislike for players taking on the role of reporters, analysts and commentators in his article today.
I'm not a fan of McGee, in fact he grates with me but there is something annoying about players turned opinion writers in particular.

When I listen to Parkinson on Newstalk talking about sledging and gamesmanship I cringe - there was no better ledger around. And now his fellow 'county' man Billy Sheehan has his column. And it's nauseating to read his piece this week about referees and discipline. Another master of the dark arts if ever there was one. He gets involved in more incidents and causes more rows on the pitch than the 29 other players combined!

Love to know what qualities the media look for in pundits!

[Syferus]

Is being a manager turned writer any fûcking different?

McGee talks a mountain of nonsense. Of all the people not deserving of a thread because of something he said..

[BennyHarp]

McGee most likely doesn't want any recently retired (or indeed current) players, who may actually have a clue about what's going on in the modern game, making his drivel look even worse than it is. I must say that I thoroughly enjoy reading the likes of Tony McEntee, Darragh O'Se, Jimmy McGuinness, Peter Canavan and most recently Dick Clerkin. I haven't bothered reading anything from McGee in quite a while.

[squire_in_navy_slacks]

Parkinson gave his piece on news talk this evening after bragging about his six day holiday in Barcelona and having watched the game in a bar .................. Amateur hour, called players by their wrong names and totally biased, a moron of the highest order

[screenexile]

Parkinson gave his piece on news talk this evening after bragging about his six day holiday in Barcelona and having watched the game in a bar .................. Amateur hour, called players by their wrong names and totally biased, a moron of the highest order

Who's this Parkinson you speak of... Do you mean Wooly??

[Bord na Mona man]

Parkinson gave his piece on news talk this evening after bragging about his six day holiday in Barcelona and having watched the game in a bar .................. Amateur hour, called players by their wrong names and totally biased, a moron of the highest order

Who's this Parkinson you speak of... Do you mean Wooly??

Emu destroyed Parkinson.

[vallankumous]

It is a problem. Most sports journalists have had the proper training but can't get jobs as the market fills up with ex players who often are just not capable of writing. They do offer different things.
An ex player can give a good insight to many aspects of the game but unless they can balance that with how the reader or listener receives it it becomes lost. Now you have a case as with the Sunday Game that the pundits don't report on games but offer how they want the game and often what's wrong with it rather than just take the game on it's merits. They find it difficult to change with the game.
It's assumed ex players know what they're talking about and it give them the power to do less work and research. A real Journalist would not get away without putting in the work.It's got to the stage now were qualified sports journalists need to lower their standards to compete.

[rosnarun]

Is being a manager turned writer any fûcking different?

McGee talks a mountain of nonsense. Of all the people not deserving of a thread because of something he said..

McGee was a Jorno turned manager and is still a peoper journalist writing on many diverse subjects.
he may  Grate but his Jornalistic credentials cannot be doubted

[Syferus]

Is being a manager turned writer any fûcking different?

McGee talks a mountain of nonsense. Of all the people not deserving of a thread because of something he said..

McGee was a Jorno turned manager and is still a peoper journalist writing on many diverse subjects.
he may  Grate but his Jornalistic credentials cannot be doubted

That's depressing because his articles are so filled with generic platitudes and analysis that you'd never guess he has any formal background over any of the players he's criticising.

[AZOffaly]

Wasn't/Isn't he editor of the Longford Leader?

[Dinny Breen]

Wasn't/Isn't he editor of the Longford Leader?

Owner too.

Great interview with Paul Kimmage here.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/eugene-mcgee-talks-to-paul-kimmage-i-find-it-hard-to-think-of-myself-as-anything-other-than-ordinary-31454305.html

[general_lee]

What I don't get is that some of these lads (who will remain nameless) can barely string a sentence together on Twitter, yet come May time they're doing pundit for RTE or BBC  and are as articulate as any of the hosts

[Bord na Mona man]

What I don't get is that some of these lads (who will remain nameless) can barely string a sentence together on Twitter, yet come May time they're doing pundit for RTE or BBC  and are as articulate as any of the hosts

It's the Fred Rickwood effect!
GAA player on tv vs. GAA player on twitter.

[haranguerer]

Mike Quirke is very good

[ONeill]

It's always good to hear an ex-county player's perspective on things but it's increasingly clear that many cannot preview or review a game any better than an excellent hack who has never played the game at any real level.