Some respite for Manchester United this weekend: their match was not on Sky Sports, so diminished opportunity for their noisy former players to crucify them on air. But United’s gain was TV viewers’ loss. The fixture against Fulham was televised on TNT Sports and the pundit pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Karen Carney is just not in the same league as a combo permed from Gary Neville , Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards.
Neville and Keane’s withering deconstructions of Man United have become a Sunday essential up there with papers, lie-ins, roast potatoes and a creeping sense of nameless dread in the late evening. The Sky firebrands were missed yesterday. Ferdinand and Carney do not have any chemistry whatsoever as a duo.
It is said of centre-halves that if you have one really good one, then you have a good pair, because the more experienced central defender can guide the weaker one into competence. Holds for TV as well. But neither Rio nor Karen is anywhere near strong enough individually to carry a sub-standard partner.
Host Lynsey Hipgrave, blameless as per, teed up Carney for an analysis of the United starting XI; Carney reckoned it was the best team United could put out. Ferdinand upbraided her: “Surely you would add Kobbie Mainoo into that team, no?” Karen basically gibbered in response. And again later, Karen suggested that you would not sack a manager who has got a club to a final.
Rio did not agree with that either. Obviously there is nothing wrong .
