Owen Hargreaves - The Pundit

[Brightonian]

BT Sport are killing me, what with Owen and Hargreaves I basically have to mute everything I watch on there now.

It got pretty embarrassing listening to him trying desperately to tell us that Bayern were bossing it all game, especially during the first half when Walcott was getting free pretty much every time Arsenal picked up the ball. Arsenal would have needed 22 men on the pitch to 'double up' on everyone Hargo wanted them to. And constantly telling us they needed a higher press, despite the fact that the disciplined approach was so obviously working perfectly. 'You just can't give Alonso that much space', he said, three hundred times, as Alonso shuttled the ball pointlessly between his CBs and threw up his hands in frustration at the lack of free options in front of him.

He gets games featuring United - who he hates - and Bundesliga teams, over whom he very clearly wanks himself to sleep every night.

 

[Phurry]

Oh joy....is it possible to watch a whole match on mute? He's just downright boring to listen to but he's much better than Hargreaves

Yes, it is, I do it every time Niall Quinn hoves in to view. Sometimes I even put the radio commentary on then pause either tv or radio to sync up as best I can.

 

[Minimalist]

Actually about this, with the technology today how is it possible that we still cannot just push a button and then just get the sound from the stadium with no commentary??

I've been asking that question for at least five years.

Football on TV (I argue) would be much more enjoyable without pretentious twats 'telling us' what we should be looking at or how we should be judging the game.

Aside from Martin Tyler's odd orgasm, TV football commentary/punditry is a real immature part of the game. I have eyes and ears - just let me pretend I'm in the stadium (as much as possibly can).

 

[NoPace]

BT Sport are killing me, what with Owen and Hargreaves I basically have to mute everything I watch on there now.

Arsenal would have needed 22 men on the pitch to 'double up' on everyone Hargo wanted them to.

He didn't annoy me as much as he did you, but this part killed me. He wanted Costa double teamed whenever he had the ball, which makes sense, but he also wanted Alonso picked up and at this point, we're surely into 13-14 Arsenal players on the pitch to effectively do all these things and not be comically shorthanded somewhere else.

 

[SirAF]

I've been asking that question for at least five years.

Football on TV (I argue) would be much more enjoyable without pretentious twats 'telling us' what we should be looking at or how we should be judging the game.

Aside from Martin Tyler's odd orgasm, TV football commentary/punditry is a real immature part of the game. I have eyes and ears - just let me pretend I'm in the stadium (as much as possibly can).

Completely agree.

Come to think about it, I'd honestly rather listen to a foreign commentator so I can't understand their idiocy

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Come to think about it, I'd honestly rather listen to a foreign commentator so I can't understand their idiocy

Definitely. Games that aren't on telly, I much prefer foreign streams to the utter toss they've got on Setanta or any of the US channels. It's easy to tune it out since I can't understand it and just focus on the game.

Muting commentary needs to be an option. BBC used to offer it behind the red button, but now they rarely even show football.

 

[Sigma]

If you guys all muted commentary then you would have nothing to moan about

 

[LeChuck]

He gets games featuring United - who he hates - and Bundesliga teams, over whom he very clearly wanks himself to sleep every night.

such a funny image.

 

[SirAF]

If you guys all muted commentary then you would have nothing to moan about

Nah, we'd still moan about the ref and the shitness of certain players

 

[SirAF]

Btw, is the MUTV radio commentary available outside of the UK? Would be amusing to try to sync up once.

 

[Carlsen19]

I don't care how shite the commentator's are, there's no way on earth I could watch a game without them. Even when I'm in the pub or something I need some kind of commentary otherwise it just doesn't feel right.

 

[Sigma]

I don't care how shite the commentator's are, there's no way on earth I could watch a game without them. Even when I'm in the pub or something I need some kind of commentary otherwise it just doesn't feel right.

yeah same with me.

 

[Welsh Wonder]

I think it was @Pogue Mahone who speculated that Hargreaves' manner of speaking (and perceived harshness) when it comes to United is that of a fan. You see a lot of his comments mirrored in the match threads on here. He also refers to us as 'we' on occasion and not just when he talks about his time here.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I think it was @Pogue Mahone who speculated that Hargreaves' manner of speaking (and perceived harshness) when it comes to United is that of a fan. You see a lot of his comments mirrored in the match threads on here. He also refers to us as 'we' on occasion and not just when he talks about his time here.

Yeah, that was me.

I was thinking about changing my opinion while listening to him wanking himself into a frenzy over Bayern's superstars last night. Then I remembered that would still be behaviour consistent with a whole bunch of United fans on here!

 

[ZupZup]

Could he have been any more negative about United tonight?!

Full of praise for Bayern and their players last night despite them losing to Arsenal and not creating too much... and listening to him tonight you'd think we were the Dog and Duck pub side!?

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Yeah, that was me.

I was thinking about changing my opinion while listening to him wanking himself into a frenzy over Bayern's superstars last night. Then I remembered that would still be behaviour consistent with a whole bunch of United fans on here!

I think it simply that he looks at his Bayern days fondly as the best part of his career and when he thinks of his time at United all he can think about is the injuries.

 

[.Rossi]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

 

[SirAF]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

lol

 

[Hammerfell]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

There's no way he said that, surely? He can't have...

 

[Jazz]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

What a twat he is!

 

[Fiskey]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

Randomly, I think he meant Seville. Stupid either way.

 

[Jazz]

The thing is Hargreaves has something against the club and uses his opportunity to shade United. Remember he blamed our medical team for making his injuries worse? Then SAF wrote in his autobiography that he never really liked him or words to that effect?? After this, he hates everything United. Not surprised at the shit he comes out with. All personal with him.

 

[Adisa]

Feck the cnut.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

Said City don't spend the kind of money we do yet, put in better performances........

No, he didn't. As @Fiskey said, he was talking about Sevilla not spending a tonne of money and giving City a proper game. Whereas, we spend millions upon millions and can only match the mighty CSKA Moscow.

 

[drmuji]

Cant seem to digest why is he so disgruntled with united. I thought we played better than them in the second half and created a few chances. We still are a project in the phase of building but this guy .........

 

[Ekeke]

I think he's a better pundit than he was a player. And he's a shit pundit

 

[Kag]

Lineker asked him specific questions about something relating to the game on two separate occasions and Hargreaves ignored the topic completely, proceeding to rant on about something "not being good enough." He'd then prat on about spending £200 million, like the magic number all of a sudden changes what's happening on the pitch.

He's a cnut. There is no other word to describe his exploits on my television screen.

 

[Brwned]

He's undoubtedly bitter - and probably justifiably so - but I don't think he's said much wrong. He's just being critical about a team that frequently warrants criticism. He criticised English teams as a whole for simply not being up to standard so it's hardly United-specific.

In general I find him more sensible than they others. Boring and annoying, but he knows what he's talking about when it comes to European football.

 

[Kag]

He's undoubtedly bitter - and probably justifiably so - but I don't think he's said much wrong. He's just being critical about a team that frequently warrants criticism. He criticised English teams as a whole for simply not being up to standard so it's hardly United-specific.

In general I find him more sensible than they others. Boring and annoying, but he knows what he's talking about when it comes to European football.

Why would he be justifiably bitter?

 

[Bojan11]

Bitter because we paid his wages whilst he was injured for 3 seasons?

 

[Angelinho]

On previous occasions he has been over the top with his criticism of United, but I thought he called things about right tonight.

 

[Fiskey]

He just said 200m again, 5th time.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Ashamed to say he was my favourite player during the Champions League winning season.

 

[Offside]

Horrifically bitter ever since he did one.

 

[Kasper]

I think he's a better pundit than he was a player. And he's a shit pundit

That is completely ridiculous.

 

[Lowkey]

all 3 ex United players were so salty tonight. Sad to see. 'It's not the United way'. That is such a stupid thing to say. Spoilt players playing under one of the best managers of all time. We are a different United playing a different brand of football. Deal with it

 

[DeafMUFC]

He's a bitter twat simple as that!

An earlier post said these pundits are ruining TV football coverage, I couldn't agree more. If their views were so fecking important & as accurate as they believe they'd be in line for every managers job that comes up!

Playing a sport & coaching one are two hugely different viewpoints! And it is well known the best managers have never been the best players.

And what else fecks me off about them is they can't wait to criticise LVG & the style but feck me when we do get results & good performances they are surprisingly silent.

I don't care what style the team plays or whether it's shite to watch, I support United not their style of football, not the class of 92, not Fergie & not the seemingly endless list of ex players that want to slag off everything the manager does. Football evolves, unfortunately ex players don't!

Where's those feckers now who were criticising the Martial transfer???

 

[Randall Flagg]

Don't think he said anything overly wrong tonight. Certainly nowhere near as harsh as most of you lot

 

[El Zoido]

He clearly really hates us, and it's quite funny.

 

[Ronaldo No.9]

No, he didn't. As @Fiskey said, he was talking about Sevilla not spending a tonne of money and giving City a proper game. Whereas, we spend millions upon millions and can only match the mighty CSKA Moscow.

And yet CSKA beat City at the Etihad last year