THT High Five ai??i?? Carlton Palmerai??i??s Dumbest Statements As A Pundit

Anyone who follows football on television would no doubt be subject to the ai???expertai??i?? remarks and opinions of the ai???punditsai??i?? hired by that particular TV channel. The importance of these pundits in a match cannot be underestimated, for their opinions and views can singlehandedly make or break the viewerai??i??s interest in the match!

While there are divided opinions over the most popular pundits in the current setup, there seems to be a wide consensus over the worst ones ai??i?? those who make ludicrous comments that betray their astonishingly poor understanding of the game. Jamie Redknapp, Mark Lawrenson, Andy Gray(of late), David Pleat, Carlton Palmer and Andy Townsend, to name some,Ai?? make it to this elite list for their repeatedly unabashed, biased and foolish statements, making them a good topic over breakfast.

With Carlton Palmer being a part of the Ten Sports punditry team that covers the Champions League in Asia, it comes as no surprise that the former England midfielder has managed to become the butt of many a joke for his inane comments. Hereai??i??s a list of the top five ai???sensibleai??i?? comments uttered by this ai???top punditai??i??.

5. ai???Peter Crouch is a better striker than Ibrahimovicai???

This comes on the back of Tottenhamai??i??s stunning victory over AC Milan at the San Siro in the first leg between the two teams. A brilliant counter-attacking run by Aaron Lennon resulted in the ball landing at the English strikerai??i??s feet, and he buried the ball into the wide-open net. If this sort of goal is enough to merit such lavish praise for Crouchy, then even Emile Heskey deserves to be mentioned in the same bracket as Ronaldo, Del Piero, Raul, Henry and other legendary strikers!

Zlatan-Ibrahimovic — "I can't believe you said that, Palmer!"

The monumental win was the result of Tottenhamai??i??s defensive solidity, and their defenders did very well to keep Ibrahimovic in their pockets for 180 minutes, aided by the lack of assistance to the big Swede in Pirloai??i??s absence. It is true that Zlatan has been known to falter on the big stage despite his skills and talent, and has been more of a ai???small-team bullyai???, but his pedigree can definitely not be surpassed by Crouch. One can understand Palmer being biased towards his fellow countrymen, but making such a bold, albeit ridiculous, statement in public warrants a spank on the bottom for him.

4. ai???Kenny Dalglish is neither a legend, nor was world classai???

One could imagine Palmer saying this with an air of resentment, perhaps ruing the fact that he was unable to emulate the feats of the Liverpool legend in his footballing days. The Scot is one of the greatest players to have graced English football, and his record of 169 goals in 501 games in the Liverpool jersey is nothing short of extraordinary. He was voted No. 1 by Liverpool supporters in the “100 players that shook the Kop” poll. He is also the most-capped player for his country, scoring 30 goals in 102 appearances; had he been born in a bigger football nation like Germany or England, he would have become even greater.

Kenny Dalglish (c) commons.wikimedia.org — "Talk to the hand, Palmer"

But his success story doesnai??i??t end here; he has won many honors with Liverpool, both as player and manager, and also helped Blackburn secure their first and only Premier League title since the competitionai??i??s inception in 1992, beating his compatriot Sir Alex Ferguson. Seeing as how Liverpool have picked themselves up from disaster under his current tenure, it is obvious that the wrinkled-eyed gentleman exerts an aura of calm and confidence, very much like Fergusonai??i??s personality.

Kenny Dalglish is considered the best player in the all-conquering Liverpool sides of the 1980’s; one of the best sides ever in the history of football. Thus, why Carlton Palmer made such a claim is beyond comprehension, unless he is just let out all that bottled-up bitterness from his chest.

3. ai???Steven Gerrard was never world class.ai???

Now, this is one thing that astonished everybody ai??i?? Carlton Palmer refusing to acknowledge that an English star was actually good! Perhaps, the most complete of midfielders in modern times, ‘Captain Fantastic’ – as they refer to him on Merseyside – would’ve walked into absolutely any club in the world. However, he chose to stay loyal to his boyhood club.

Steven Gerrard had been the mainstay of Liverpoolai??i??s pursuit of the elusive Premier League crown and had helped his side come perilously close to achieving their dream in 2008/09. Not to mention his heroics on that day at Istanbul against the mighty Milan, helping his side claw back from a 3-0 deficit at half time and nicking the ai???Big Earedai??i?? Champions League trophy on penalties.

Steven Gerrard (c) commons.wikimedia — Palmer's cockamamie stymies Stevie Me

He is universally regarded as one of the greatest English footballers by the press and other players, especially Zinedine Zidane, and was voted second – only behind King Kenny – in the Liverpool fan poll ai???100 Players who shook the Kopai??i??. Despite having never won a Premier League medal, Gerrard has been at the heart of Liverpoolai??i??s successful campaigns in the last decade, and has also been an integral part of Englandai??i??s squad; his six nominations for the Ballon Dai??i??or and FIFA World Player of the Year puts all doubts about his abilities to rest.

Palmerai??i??s rubbish statement about the Englishman only serves to outline his absolutely disgraceful grasp of football, much like his own playing style; the day he makes some sense will be the day the world ends, as things stand.

2. ai???Paul Ince was better than Roy Keaneai???

In contrast to other proclamations, this one required some actual research to find out of Palmer had finally made a sane comment. Ince was one of Unitedai??i??s influential midfielders and was a part of the side which won the inaugural Premier League in 1992 and the double in 1993/94; he had a stormy relationship with Ferguson, and was shipped off to Internazionale in 1995. His record at United reads as two league titles, two FA Cup medals, one European Cup Winnersai??i?? Cup medal, one Football League Cup medal, and runners-up in League Cup twice and once in FA Cup.

Keane_Ince (c) epltalk.com — "What balderdash is Palmer speaking, Paul? Seriously!"

Roy Keane, who was Inceai??i??s natural replacement after the latter left for Italy, had a ruthless winning streak in him and instilled a ai???never-say-dieai??i?? spirit in the team with his on-field displays. He was at the fulcrum of Unitedai??i??s treble winning season in 1998/99 and their subsequent domination in the next two years. However, like Ince, he had well-documented disciplinary problems, and his temper often got the better of him, leading to unwanted incidents like the horror tackle on Haaland and his outspoken comments against his own team-mates and Ferguson.

His tenure at Old Trafford saw him win seven league titles, four FA cup medals, four community shield medals, and one medal each for Champions League and Intercontinental Cup; in 480 appearances in the famous Red shirt, he has scored 59 goals, most of which were game-changing ones. He has been credited as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation and has earned the respect of fans and players alike for his football abilities, though his brutally frank nature has landed him in hot water more often than not.

Sorry Mr. Palmer, but you just got egg on your face again. Maybe you have a soft corner for Ince as a fellow Englishman, but Roy Keane will always be remembered by Red Devils as a greater player.

1. ai???Maldini is neither a legend nor a world class player!ai???

Joke of the century, without doubt! Paolo Maldini was more than just a great footballer; he was the perfect role model for every child wishing to pursue a career in football, one of the greatest players ever to have plied his trade for the beautiful game. He spent 25 whole years at a single club, AC Milan, and his unflinching loyalty to the Rossoneri is matched only by Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

Maldini (c) typomilan on flickr — "No, even I don't know what Palmer was smoking... "

In a whopping 902 appearances in the celebrated Red and Black jersey, the legendary defender had accumulated 26 different trophies, including 7 Serie A titles and 5 Champions League titles, a feat that is unlikely to be overtaken sooner than later. Such is his stature and contribution to the game that Milan has retired the number 3 jersey, but will hand it to one of his sons should the latter join the senior team. Any follower of football would know about Maldini, and would also be dying to know what Carlton Palmer was smoking when he uttered this totally bizarre statement. Perhaps, someone slipped some absinthe in his water bottle?

A few other laughable comments of his, like ai???Unless Manuel Neuer plays in England, he is not a proven world class playerai???, shows how really short-sighted a pundit Palmer is. From his playing days to his managerial days, the Englishman has often failed to present a good picture of his abilities. By giving him and other people like Redknapp and Lawrenson a lifeline as a TV pundit, these channels are more likely to end up with a lot of discontented football followers!

High Five ai??i?? Carlton Palmerai??i??s Dumbest Statements As A Pundit

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