Worst: Keegan

Best : Marcel Desailly
Worst: Andy Townsend (closely followed by Alan Shearer)

Clarence Seedorf is good.

Friend of mine out drinking in Amsterdam with his girlfriend get talking to Edgar Davids. They end up in a nightclub with him til the early hours. They even exchange phone numbers at the end of the day.

Next day my friend says to his girlfriend "That Edgar seemed like really nice bloke. Not what you'd expect from a footballer at all."

His girlfriend says "Bollocks. Every time you went to the bar or the toilet he would hit on me and tell me to leave you here and come back to his hotel with him."

Footballers?

Worst - where to start?
Chris Coleman

Best: Seedorf (very refreshing to have someone who doesn't fall back on tired clichés - see below)
Worst: A tie between Hansen and Shearer (dull, dull, dull - and that's just their shirts)

Best: Seedorf.
Worst: Bloody Alan Bloody Shearer.

Best: Seedorf, Desailly, McCarthy

Worst : Adebayor, Davids, Shearer, Townsend, Coleman (did he know he was on telly?)

Worst would have to be anyone on SBS

Best: Alan Hansen

Worst: Shearer. Not only is he a terrible pundit on the BBC, he's also a nightmare on those Morrisons' adverts on ITV.

but I like Coiln Murray and Marina Hyde as always is enjoyable in the paper.
Worst has to be Edgar David who seems to be happy to take ITV shilling but seems to have no interest in Football.
worst gimic :the BBC's "Battle Bus" it's pointless and just plain annoying yesterday they went on SAFARI and we learnt stop the press they have large wild animals in Africa. Why don't they just burn individual licence fee payer's cheques instead I don't know.
Oh and if Gaby Logan updates us on England team's washing again she might as well get back on the plane home too.

Best : Dixon / Seedorf. Dixon very underrated.

Worst : Shearer. Has not said one thing of interest and never will.

Worst; Mick McCarthy. Perpetually sounds like a Yorkshire butcher describing how he's been forced to bulk up the meat content in his sausages by Trading Standards.

In the Radio Times. His 'vision' on the upcoming games is ... er ...exuberant.
Worst: Alan Shearer - 'I'm serious, me'.

Worst: Alan Shearer, Andy Townsend

Lee Dixon and Alan Hansen have their moments (they work well with Seedorf, but it's a bland out when they're sat with Shearer)

I've only heard Chris Coleman co-commentate on 1 match but he sounded lethargic

Not just because he's so boring and rubbish as an "analyst". But because he was so, so, so unhelpful and objectionable towards the media when he was a player. You'd think media organisations would favour those people who, as players, were co-operative, friendly and helpful - there are a few, believe it or not (and it's probably why Gareth Southgate, for instance, gets media work). But Shearer always knew very well what the balance of power was, i.e. they needed him more than he needed them, and played it to the hilt. He was rude, arrogant and seemed to really enjoy the fact that the media would lick his boots to get his banal "quotes".

p.s. Paul Ince is working on some Soth African station: his "analysis" of the Robert Green incident: "he'll be disappointed with that."

Imagine my surprise to discover that the endless droning sound on the BBC 1 audio was not the massed vuvuzelas but the far-from-dulcet tones of Mick McCarthy.

JIm Beglin is superb.

Mark Bright? - explain it to me please.

In the studio - Seedorf is superb. Davids makes my arse tighten with the anticipation of awful TV death for the wonderful Chiles.

Shearer being out acted by a burger bun on the Morrison's advert. Maybe he should sprinkle some sesame seeds on his head and double his appeal.

Worst....Adebayor. With kids making noise, GLW getting up to make cuppa, I just cannot understand a word he says. He's probably easy to understand for everyone else, but I'm just too slow.

I haven't seen much yet, but I agree Marcel Desailly is always worth hearing. I was quite impressed with Emanuel Adebayor the one time I saw him. Lee Dixon is easily the best of a bad bunch when it comes to the Beeb's regular team. Hansen used to be brilliant, but he needs a kick up the arse now.

Shearer is obviously the worst (haven't seen Edgar Davids yet!).

Articulate, intelligent and not afraid to give a personal opinion.

Surprised that the Beeb put him and Davids on the same sofa. They should, by rights, be knocking seven bells out of each other by now. Just get Frank DeBoer in as well for a real spectator sport.

Worst - Beglin. How someone so biased and ignorant gets a crack on prime time national tv is a nonsense.

The best (by a country mile): John Giles, Liam Brady, Eamonn Dunphy and Graham Souness (on RTE).
The worst: As James Hutton said about time: "No vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end".
The RTE panel is excellent for lots of reasons: Dunphy can be infuriating and hugely entertaining, but he's kept in check by the others; they are really well marshalled by host Bill O'Herlihy; they have lots of really good insights to the game (in general) and to the specific game in particular; they are funny, angry and really passionate about the game.
And the evening show is immediately followd by the 10 minute Apres Match where they are ruthlessly skewered.
It's probably all available through rte's website (rte.ie).
http://tvsales.rte.ie/autumn/images/stills/sport_premiereship.jpg

But, Mark Lawrenson is having a shocking World Cup. Is he upset at not being in the studio? We can all see that the matches have been a bit dull and things only get better after a sending off. But for the love of Motson, cheer up. You are enjoying an all expenses paid trip to the World Cup and all you have to do is trot out cliches from the usual list of tempo, lines of four, naive Africans, physical South Americans, clinical Germans etc.

either Seedorf or Hans-Joerg in our office.

The worst is Clive Tyldesley. OK, I know he's a commentator but he remains The Worst Football Commentator in the Entire Known Galaxy.

Best - Gareth Southgate - who'd have thought ? I think Hansen & Seedorf are also excellent

Worst - Graham Taylor ("That's what we call 'a foul'"), Alan Shearer (Yet to offer a single insight in all the years he's been there).

As some wise soul commented in the tweeterverse (was it sheev?) - "Tyledsley & Townsend - the worst double act since Peters & Lee"

...isn't covering himself in glory just now....

http://twitter.com/FootballRamble/status/16219226069

Seedorf's arrival seems to stirred both Hansen and Dixon into raising their game and offering some proper analysis rather than relying on cliche.

Despite typically dull contributions from members of the BBC Old Boys' club (Shearer and Lawro)I would also have to go for Davids who is clearly only there for the money.

Really missing Martin O'Neill.

Would also agree that the RTE's coverage is excellent (watched the last WC from a cottage in Connemara) and knocks both BBC and ITV for six.

... speak better English than ours.

... Lee Dixon - always talks sense.
Jamie (wot due fink Ruud?) Redknapp - enthusiastic.

Worst...

Souness - the dourest of individuals with absolutely no sense of humour.

and worse than pundits...

Mike Ingham (BBC Radio 5 Live) - a buffoon with totally bizarre thought patterns.

and

Gary Richardson (BBC Radio 4) - a total cock.

Best - Lee Dixon (the way Hanson & Shearer patronise him, cos he was just a mere full back who won fewer caps than them, even though he is MILES better at their current jobs than they are, is unforgiveable)

Worst - Patrick Vieira. It pains me to say so but he contributes nothing.

Even though he is not the worst pundit, Chris Bloody Waddle is getting on my t1ts too. He talks like he was a Bobby Charlton or Bobby Moore and that he should be acknowledged as a true great of international football. For youngsters or those with short memories, he was the first man ever to be booed by England fans, he was frustrating in the extreme most of the time, had silly hair, missed a vital penalty, and cannot speak his own language correctly. He might think he has a football brain, but it aint the size he thinks it is.

Best: Seedorf, Hansen
Worst: Oh God, all of them. Whither Martin O'Neill? Why couldn't BBC or ITV break the bank and get Fergie (possible for ITV only, admittedly) or Wenger on board? They'd be worth a dozen Andycockingtownsends.
Lawrenson is getting worse, because he thinks he's funny. In his head, he's Jack Dee. To everyone else, he's Barry Chuckle minus the physical comedy timing.
I don't think Shearer is quite as execrable as everyone's making out. He's the holding midfielder of the BBC panel, playing short verbal passes safely but accurately. Hardly verbal fireworks, admittedly, but he's like Larry David compared to Patrick Vieira. At the risk of sounding radioist, why are the BBC only using David Moyes on 5 Live? Surely he'd be more insightful than most?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/15/world-cup-itv-robbie-earl...

Dropped by ITV due to allegedly selling off his non-transferable complimentary match tickets. Oh dear.

tv sports events?
Outside the actual commentators (on the game itself) without exception it's sportsman brought in to explain and discuss the game. Even on TMS it's the likes of Boycott and Tuffers making comments. Given the poor showing of ex pro's described above why not more Journalists ? On cultural review shows it's a mix of pros and hacks etc and anyone is allowed to discuss science but sport is left to dull former pros speaking in cliches and monosylables and passing on doubtful insight. Considering how well Richard Williams writes on sport why isn't he on the sofa with Hansen or other alumni of the press box?

No wonder Hansen and Shearer always seemed in awe of him. He was good looking, won the world cup, and spoke fantastic football sense with a ladykiller - not-quite-placeable- foreign accent, plus he had comic timing:

I miss David Pleat.

Everyone seems to have had a shocker in this World Cup so far.
Has the whole tournament been replaced ('Captain Scarlet'-like) with teams from the Essex Senior League?

I like the sound of the RTE panel above and believe we should have gone a bit more Celt and less English (O'Neill, Keene, Dunphy etc. etc.) just to jazz it all up a bit. (e.g. 'England are rubbish, Gary, and you're a tool.').

I know he's not everyone's cup of tea but at least Robbie Savage goes off on one on Radio Five Live. At half time during this current dire game (Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0) he said there was 'simply nothing to say about such a poor game' and so he didn't say anything about it!

Who wants analysis?
I want stand up rows.....especially if the football isn't all that.

who thinks Clarence is a class act. Also like Lee Dixon and McCarthy as a co-commentator.
ITV are garbage.

I love the Guardian podcast team - James Richardson, Barry Glendenning, Sean Ingle et al - informed, funny, self deprecating. Better than all the TV lot.

Another vote for Clarence, who has been interesting and cliche-free.

Adebayor, to be fair, may also have been interesting and cliche-free but I have not yet understood a single word he has said.

is doing a reasonable impersonation of Sly at his most stoned.

Why doesn't Pat Nevin get more TV work? He's best of Radio pundits imo.

He's not bad at all. Quietly spoken and diffident, but he did have some reasonably cogent analysis of the first half of Brazil's match against the Dear Leader's boys.

co-commentating with Tyldsley on ITV just now? He is rank rotten.

took David Pleat on during another tedious England discussion on 5 Live the other day. Just what's needed with some of those stale pale males clogging up the World Cup coverage.

But I wouldn't put him down as the best (or worst). Best are probably Lee Dixon and Alan Hansen. I enjoyed the only time I saw Adebayor.

Worst: so many to choose from but Mick McCarthy would be top of the list.

on the things you'd noticed about the World Cup how I am strangely drawn to Clarence Seedorf. He has that indefinable presence that means half the battle is won, then he speaks with sense and I find myself smiling at the telly like a child. He definitely has upped Hansens and Dixons game he's even taken the edge off Linekars smugness. He is a proper legend, a proper footballer and a proper man. Good god he's on now in a black v neck with Shearer in a beige shirt, nuff said.

Worst is Davids, bloody awful no wonder the Dutch were always fighting.

Funnily enough, I looked on the internet this morning to see if anyone else could actually understand Chris Coleman and here I am, back on the WORD website!
I feel sorry for him, as he seems a good bloke. But the combination of those bloody horns and the low frequency of his voice, combined with his mumbling (I am as bad myself!) meant I couldn't understand a word he said. I tried every sound setting on my TV and eventually gave up, and switched off the sound. Surely the TV producers can do a bit of EQ ing on it?

As for the best, Mr Hansen by the proverbial mile. Commentary wise, I like Lawro's wry comments.

The best football pundit is the BBC's South American Football correspondent, Tim Vickery. Read his blogs on the BBC site or, even better, listen to him on the world football phone in during the middle of Friday night / Saturday morning on FiveLive. He puts the rest to shame. His knowledge of football is second to none and the perspective he shines on British football, as well as world football, is always illuminating. He is essential listening. Yet the BBC and ITV insist on placing in front of us a load of ex-players who don't have a new or interesting thought between them. Are the television broadcasters genuinely terrified of putting an unfamilar face or voice in front of the public? Yes, we recognise all these players but they are dull and predictable.

And the best article I've read about the World Cup so far is by the poet Simon Armitage:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2010/jun/15/simon-armitage-goalkeepers

Come on broadcasters, take off the blinkers!!

Yes I know everyone wants to knight him, but his performance tonight has been really good. He and Seedorf together, the dream team, if only Shearer didn't keep interupting.

DB was just in the BBC studio for 10 minutes and showed us exactly what someone with
wit, broadcasting experience, and opinion, can do - he took over the entire
programme with a mixture of anecdote, comment and views on various teams and their
prospects, which ended with Alan Shearer wanting to have some of ' whatever
he's on' . Which says it all really - get rid of the ex pros and get some professional
journalists and broadcasters who aren't afraid of opinions.
As a slight aside, but an example - why is it if an ex player is asked to predict the score
of a game involving an ex club, he is absolutely never, ever able to be predict that his team may lose?

anyone missed DB on match of the day he's on from 10 mins from the end here http://beta.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sr5wg/Match_of_the_Day_Live_201...

I have to turn the volume down when Mark Bright is co-commentating...... verbal diarrhoea.
Marcel Desailly seems to be the only pundit who actually wants to be there.

Was brilliant last night, interesting to hear his thoughts on France on Domenech. If they only want ex-pro's, managers etc, Danny Baker could have a regular slot even if it's only 5-10 mins each time?

He was astounding today on Italy v New Zealand. His 'mate' was playing for New Zealand and he was loud, exuberant, opinionated and even a little biaised. Far more entertaining than the match. His commentator didn't know what to make of him.

Can't he pundit every match??

itv please release mike mccarhy into the african bush where he can bore a hole to the centre of the earth ,instead of my fucking brain

As far as Radio is concerned.... has anyone mentioned the insufferable Alan Green. What an arse. Alan...you're commentating. We don't care what you think!!!!

The best pundit of all isn't there - the magisterial Jimmy Armfield.

Of those in SA the best for me have been Robbie Savage, Graham Taylor, David Pleat and of course....D Baker.

Just watched USA v Ghana, with Jim Rosenthal at the end having a chat at with the world's most famous French-Ghanaian, Marcel Desailly ... Marcel enthused, smiled, analysed, danced a bit, shouted over the crowd noise, then smiled some more ... ("Ghana!")

And I thought of Alan Shearer. And I thought, there really is no contest here.

Whoever it was that commentated the England v Slovenia game on SKY. Lots of withering, miserable asides about England's shortcomings and then an annoying habit of not pronouncing the "d" at the end of Lampard and Gerrard. What's going on there?

English commentators, with the honourable exception of Motty, tend to enjoy wallowing in a bath of sarcasm when England stuff up, and I find that a disappointingly easy path to take and, above all, boring.

It's like standing next to a droning, miserable bloke in the pub who says things like "about f***ing time!" when England score a goal.

A couple of days ago, I was about to go to the red button on telly to watch some tennis. So I switched to BBC1, hit the red button, and in the few seconds before BBCi kicked in, was treated to a soupcon of forensic analysis from Mr Shearer. He was talking about England v Germany. What would his Spitting Image caricature be saying in the build-up to the match? Something like "They'll be hard to beat, well-organised"? Got it in one!

...the sort of person who doesn't get the joke everyone else is laughing at, but decides to laugh anyway.

Special mention for these oafs who, having variously managed, captained and played for Ireland now insist on using 'we' when talking about Engerland. Small-mindedly Irish of me perhaps, but GRRR anyway.