GARY NEVILLE has criticised the BBC for the way they handled his brother Phil’s co-commentary career.
After hanging up his boots in 2013, Phil began doing punditry work with the Beeb.
Having appeared on Match of the Day, the ex-Manchester United and Everton star was selected to work as the BBC’s co-commentator alongside Guy Mowbray for England’s 2014 World Cup opener against Italy.
Neville went on to have a difficult debut, with his bland performance drawing complaints from viewers.
Appearing on Stick to Football, Gary Neville used his brother’s experience as an example while discussing Michael Owen’s media career.
Owen, 45, recently made headlines when he compared his playing days to Wayne Rooney’s.
After admitting that he understands criticism of Owen’s playing career, Gary Neville said: “I thought it was scandalous the way he was treated in his early media career. The way people commented on it.”
When Ian Wright claimed “they hung him out”, Neville went on: “Absolutely. Wrighty, you’ll know this. Co-commentary is the hardest thing to do.
“This happened with my brother. Where they put him in his first game, the BBC put him in his first game in the World Cup, England v Italy, with 20 million people watching.
“Sky, with me, when I first joined… it’s still the worst thing I do now, co-commentary, it’s the toughest thing I do.
“They (Sky) put me on eight games, 10 games, that were like, Fulham v Blackburn, I remember doing that game on a Sunday.
“Not a lot of people are watching but it beds you in, it eases you in. Villa v City which wasn’t a big game back then. I did loads of games on MUTV.
“They (Sky) put me on a big game in March, it took them eight, nine months of trialling me and testing me and feeding back to me and being harsh on me by the way.
“I remember once in January saying ‘this is not for me’ to the producer. He said ‘stick at it, but you need to be more conversational, more yourself’.
“I had loads of advice. To give Michael Owen Premier League games on TNT first up, and to give Phil that World Cup…
“Honestly, you are throwing a lamb into the lions’ den.”
‘LEARNED THE HARD WAY’
In a BBC column in 2014, Phil admitted that his debut performance wasn’t up to scratch.
He wrote: “As a co-commentator, 60 per cent of your job is to get your content right, to see what is happening in the game and the little patterns that are developing. To spot things and give them to the people watching at home.
“And the other 40 per cent is in your delivery, which is something I have obviously learned the hard way.
“The content of what I was saying was fine, it was just the tone of my voice that was the problem.
“I played it back the next day and it did not sound like it was me commentating. I was trying to be somebody I wasn’t, and I knew I could do better than that.”
The Beeb stuck with Neville that summer, giving him three more commentary gigs in Brazil – albeit not on such big matches.
He has since moved into coaching and has managed the Lionesses and Inter Miami.
Neville, 48, is currently head coach of the Portland Timbers.
Owen, meanwhile, went on to be replaced as BT Sport’s, now TNT Sports, primary co-commentator by his former Anfield team-mate Steve McManaman.
The ex-England striker is now a regular on Premier League Productions.
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