Stephen Halliday: Some BT Sport pundits will be missed more than others


As BT Sport ended their seven-year association with Scottish football with their final magazine programme on Friday night, there are plenty of reasons to regret the loss of their admirable and often innovative coverage of our national sport.
From the enthusiasm and knowledge of presenter Darrell Currie to the entertaining punditry of Chris Sutton and Ally McCoist, there has been much to commend the way BT Sport has promoted the Scottish game as a product and brought it into living rooms.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdFootball pundits, of course, can be Marmite figures and some will be missed far less than others. Stephen Craigan, the former Motherwell captain, always appeared to be an odd choice for the BT Sport line-up.
Throughout his playing career, Craigan carried a disdainful demeanour whenever it came to media duties and consistently rejected requests for post-match interviews.
Yet he is now happy to accept media commissions, including a weekly column in the Belfast Telegraph. Last week, Craigan used that platform to question why Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is “treated differently” to his predecessors Pedro Caixinha and Mark Warburton for his failure to deliver a major trophy at the Ibrox club.
It’s a curious comparison to make, given the clear improvements made on the pitch by Gerrard. Craigan goes on to answer his own query, merely confirming the obvious.
A message from the Editor:
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Joy Yates
Editorial Director
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.