Robbie Savage has doubled down on his dismissal of Eamon Dunphy’s view of Ireland midfielder Wes Hoolahan.
The BT Sport pundit was introduced to Dunphy on Tuesday night while watching analysis of Ireland’s 1-0 defeat to Serbia on RTE television, and immediately tweeted out what he thought of his fellow analyst’s opinion.
In Ireland… great result for Wales! Just listening to this guy on TV talking nonsense about @FAIreland performance… who is he?!! pic.twitter.com/QB2aKS5bXy
— Robbie Savage (@RobbieSavage8) September 5, 2017
With Savage in Ireland to help launch eir Sport’s new season Dunphy, naturally, was always going to come up as a talking point and so it proved as he was indeed one of the very first points of discussion. Savage admitted that, having no idea who Dunphy was, he had to google him to get more information on the divisive pundit.
“I found out who he was on social media. I’m a bit bemused by all the fuss. It was a genuine question. I was in the hotel. I’ve never worked in Ireland on TV, I don’t get his TV station in my house. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play football.
“I was in the hotel last night, watched the Wales game. As the Wales game finished, they were doing their analysis and there was this gentleman – well presented – speaking for three or four minutes but no caption came up. I just put a picture asking ‘who’s this guy talking nonsense on the TV?’ I didn’t know who he was. Obviously then my timeline went… I was trending in Ireland. They were telling me who it was and sending me clips.
“No disrespect, I’ve Googled him since – I had to Google him – listen hee’s a man of opinions and obviously he must be doing something right because he’s been working in the industry for a long time. I just thought he was talking nonsense, which I’ve done at times.”
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Expanding on his initial views expressed in the tweet, Savage explained that it was Dunphy’s opinion that Wes Hoolahan would have been the difference between one point and three in Tbilisi last Saturday that be found particularly perplexing.
“I think he said, correct me if I’m wrong please, that if Wes Hoolahan had started against Georgia, they would have got three points – which I find absolutely bizarre. It’s OK saying that but you have to back it up. I look at Wes Hoolahan’s career and I feel sorry for Wes Hoolahan. I only played against him on one or two occasions because he played the majority of his time in the Championship and he was a fantastic Championship player.
“Yet, you’re telling me Georgia is a very difficult place to go, been there with Wales many times. Georgia were the better side against Wales in Cardiff, should have won the game, Wales got the draw. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, difficult places to go.
“Yet, Eamon Dunphy was suggesting that a guy who is 35 and can’t get in Norwich’s side on a regular basis in the Championship, if he’d have played, Ireland would have won the game. I don’t want to be disrespectful to Wes Hoolahan, he’s nice on the ball, but if that particular pundit is making such an emphasis on that player, I just thought it was bizarre.
“If he was playing exceptionally well and could pick the perfect pass all the time, surely he’d be srtarting for Norwich every week.”
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