The BBC’s Gary Lineker caught plenty of flak after lambasting Gareth Southgate’s England tactics at Euro 2024 – but there are other British pundits more guilty of driving negativity
Pundit Gary Lineker isn’t England’s most negative Euro 2024 pundit, despite his savage evisceration of Gareth Southgate.
The BBC broadcaster was taken to task for his comments calling the England boss “tactically inept” following their group-stage draw against Denmark. However, the social media statistics suggest there are several other pundits who rank higher on the bill of bleakness in Germany.
A study conducted by FairBettingSites.co.uk analysed the social media accounts (Instagram and X) of ex-English footballers, as well as YouTube videos featuring their commentary on Euro 2024. The content was then classified as positive or negative, and one former Premier League superstar came out as the clear sovereign of cynicism.
And not only did Alan Shearer emerge as the most negative Nancy of all with a ratio of 86% gloomy input, his words were found to have the biggest reach. The Newcastle icon’s social media output and YouTube views were seen and heard approximately 1.54million times, while Lineker – who ranked fourth on the list with only 68% negative feedback – reached around 568,000.
Lineker was speaking on The Rest Is Football when he described England’s performance against Denmark as “s***”. The result was a public back and forth with Three Lions captain Harry Kane, who encouraged pundits to find more positives and help the team, rather than focusing on the negatives.
The MOTD host defended his right to express an opinion at the time, particularly as it wasn’t on official match commentary but on his own podcast. However, the figures suggest other culprits are even worse when it comes to promoting pessimism.
TalkSPORT regular Jamie O’Hara and Sky Sports favourite Gary Neville sit second and third in the standings with respective negativity scores of 80% and 75%. O’Hara was one of only two inclusions on the list who never earned senior honours for his country, with the other being talkSPORT colleague Jason Cundy at fifth (67%).
Interestingly, the only two female footballers to make the top 10 – Eni Aluko and Karen Carney – are by some distance the most positive pundits, with only 9% and 7% of their comments being negative. Perhaps their male counterparts could do with taking a page out of their books in regards to finding something good to say despite England’s under-performance at times.
It may surprise some to see as much as 60% of the affable Micah Richards’ comments have been negative. Perhaps spending so much time in close proximity to The Rest Is Football colleagues Shearer and Lineker is starting to rub off on the ex-Manchester City defender.
Despite being something of a grump during his playing career, Manchester United legend and new Plymouth manager Wayne Rooney has proved positive, with only 33% of his comments being negative. However, no other male pundit has come close to matching the Ian Wright, who has espoused just 17% negative comments in his Euro 2024 opinions.
Most negative ex-English footballer pundits
1. Alan Shearer (86% negative comments)
2. Jamie O’Hara (80%)
3. Gary Neville (75%)
4. Gary Lineker (68%)
5. Jason Cundy (67%)
6. Micah Richards (60%)
7. Wayne Rooney (33%)
8. Ian Wright (17%)
9. Eni Aluko (9%)
10. Karen Carney (7%)
*Percentages calculated by classifying posts and videos on Instagram, X and YouTube as positive or negative
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
