Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton appears to have come out in support of football legend Kevin Keegan's view of female footballers discussing the men's team as pundits. During 'An Evening With Kevin Keegan OBE' at the BAWA Health and Leisure Club in Filton on Friday night (September 29), the former Liverpool and Hamburg star said he felt women's experience of the game at national level differed from that of the male internationals.
Barton posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Keegan's analysis was "bang on". He also detailed some of Keegan's achievements, including the Ballon d'Or which he won in 1978 and 1979.
Speaking to an audience of around 250 people in Bristol, Keegan, who had some coaching involvement with the England women's team, said: "I’m not as keen, I’ve got to be honest, and it may not be a view shared. I don’t like to listen to ladies talking about the England men’s team at the match because I don’t think it’s the same experience. I have a problem with that."
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Giving his thoughts on punditry in 2023, 72-year-old Keegan said: "The presenters we have now, some of the girls are so good, they are better than the guys. It’s a great time for the ladies. But if I see an England lady footballer saying about England against Scotland at Wembley and she’s saying, ‘If I would have been in that position I would have done this,’ I don’t think it’s quite the same. I don’t think it crosses over that much."
Barton's tweet reads: "Kevin Keegan. Ballon D’or winner 1978. England manager. He’s bang on."
Jill Scott, Karen Carney and Alex Scott are among the former England internationals to regularly appear as pundits on men’s matches. Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has developed a reputation for her astute analysis and people like Lucy Ward are regular female voices as co-commentators.
Keegan went on to provide an anecdote of his personal involvement with the England women’s team. "It is a great time for the ladies’ game. When I was England manager I went to coach the England ladies and I had this perception of what the quality would be like and they were so much better than I thought they were going to be," he said.
"I joined in and then I thought, ‘I’m getting out of this.’ I couldn’t get the bloody ball and one of them nutmegged me, that finished me off."
Keegan was also critical of the wider punditry scene in the modern game. He believes too many of the current crop are guilty of talking too much while on commentary duties.
"I worked with Brian Moore who was the best. At a World Cup final he would say 'Kevin, don’t talk too much, let the pictures do the talking.’ A lot of the pundits now talk too much. Don’t keep talking, talking, talking.
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"They don’t want people like us any more, our day is gone, it’s time for the next generation. There are some very, very good lady presenters and I’m working with one in two days’ time, Terry Yorath’s daughter, Gabby [Logan]."
