Wayne Rooney’s Punditry Struggles: Low Fan Sentiment at Euros
Former England international Wayne Rooney was part of the BBC’s coverage team for the European Championships in Germany. Despite his extensive football experience, Rooney was not assigned any of the Three Lions’ games, who made it to another final. According to a study by BetVictor, which used social media monitoring to gauge public sentiment, Rooney earned positive feedback from just 3.6% of fans.
Punditry Positivity Rankings
Rooney wasn’t alone at the lower end of the positive sentiment spectrum. Fellow pundits and co-commentators Martin Keown (4.2%), Eni Eluko (4.9%), Gaizka Mendieta (4.9%), and Jermaine Jenas (5.1%) also received similarly low positivity rankings.
In stark contrast, Scotland international Rachel Corsie emerged as a surprising favorite among fans, topping the positivity charts with an impressive 74.7% rating. Corsie’s insightful commentary during Scotland games in the group stage resonated well with the audience, marking her as a standout newcomer in the punditry scene.
Insights from BetVictor
BetVictor spokesperson Sam Boswell commented on the findings: “Away from the drama on the pitch as Spain defeated England for their fourth European Championship title on Sunday, there was also the debate to be settled as to who came out on top in the battle of the punditry line-ups between BBC or ITV over the duration of the tournament. While the usual suspects such as Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards were all out in force in Germany for their respective channels over the last month, it’s refreshing to see a relative newcomer to the punditry scene in Rachel Corsie finish top of our list, having spoken excellently on the BBC during Scotland games in the group stage.”
Boswell added, “Perhaps most eye-catching of all however, is that Wayne Rooney sits bottom of our ranking, with Eni Aluko also joining him in the bottom three. Given Wayne Rooney has since been appointed as the new Plymouth Argyle manager, perhaps it’s for the best that his punditry days are now behind him for the time being!”
Wayne Rooney’s stint as a pundit during the European Championships did not resonate well with fans, earning him a low positivity ranking. In contrast, Rachel Corsie’s commentary was highly praised, highlighting her as a rising star in the punditry world. As Rooney transitions to his new role as Plymouth Argyle manager, it seems his focus will shift away from punditry, at least for the time being. This tournament’s punditry rankings serve as a reminder of the diverse opinions and preferences among football fans when it comes to game analysis and commentary.