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

Stephen Craigan always appeared to be an odd choice

Fomer Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan always seemed an odd choice as a BT Sport pundit. Picture: Gary Hutchison/SNS

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.

Football 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.

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