The change of seasons, from flat to jumps, has a guarantee for me: Monday morning phone calls from Ruby Walsh.
Ruby is an emblem for the modern expert. Relentless in his search for the right information and unyielding in the amount of time he will spend getting it correct, you can see why his first career as a jockey was so successful. No corners are cut, every little attention to detail is important.
That’s why I know he’ll call at the beginning of a week if we work together. We’ll be in Cheltenham for three days next weekend and Ruby will already be getting things in his head – he’s the closest to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher I’ve seen in terms of his forensic approach. Punditry is one of the most popular discussion topics on social media. Thanks to guys like Ruby and my old Monday Night Football colleagues Gary and Carra, what’s said after the action is, in some ways, almost as important as the action.
I’ve seen it my entire career. I covered rugby union with Sean Fitzpatrick and Zinzan Brooke – there was nothing they couldn’t tell you about the game, but they were so confident in what they were doing that they would jump on eBay if the match they were covering was boring used to be.
This never stopped them finding something interesting to say at half-time, just as I remember David Ginola spending a Newcastle match smoking a cigarette for the first 45 minutes, barely looking at a kick, before he turned on his Gallic. charm during the break.
Ruby Walsh is the emblem of a modern expert, who pays attention to every little detail
Next weekend we will be in Cheltenham for three days and Ruby will already be making plans for work
He comes closest to Gary Neville (left) and Jamie Carragher (right) when it comes to forensic approach
That’s why everyone feels compelled to have an opinion about experts. They are able to evoke such feelings and emotions that viewers will tune in to, even if they don’t necessarily like who they are watching. Roy Keane would be the main proof of that.
The problem with experts is that there are no rules on how you do it because everything is subjective. Ruby, Gary and Carra have one way of doing things and that would be different from, say, Graeme Souness or Sir Anthony McCoy.
You wouldn’t go to Souey for an in-depth analysis of the Hull left-back. You also had to ask him good questions or the look you get back would make you tremble, but some of my favorite moments in a studio were with him and the great Ray Wilkins, who loved to tell you that he was doing ‘dangerously well’ .
It was an education working with both of them – I miss Ray very much – and the same goes for AP: you wouldn’t go to him for the form lines of the 3.25 at Wincanton. But you certainly would in the aftermath of something important.
AP is at its best under those circumstances, for example when he spares no anger for the demonstrators who tried to cause chaos on the day of the Randox Grand National in April, or when he describes Paul Townend’s winning ride at Galopin Des Champs as ‘ the best me’. have seen in a Cheltenham Gold Cup’.
AP McCoy is at his best when something momentous happens, like when protesters tried to cause chaos on the day of the Randox Grand National
Punditry can be done in a number of ways: David Ginola’s relaxed style works well on TV
The late great Ray Wilkins also thrived as an expert when he was in the studio
Johnny Murtagh is another cut from AP. He will show up at Royal Ascot armed and ready for the controversial moments, without shying away from what he says. When I work with these people I try to give them the challenge of scoring a goal every time they speak: Murtagh and AP never miss.
But then again, neither is Jason Weaver – such an important and respected team player at ITV – Adele Mulrennan, who always tells viewers things they don’t know, Mick Fitzgerald and Luke Harvey, the first names I would have put on a team.
Luke didn’t perform as well as Ruby or Gary Neville, but what he adds through his knowledge of racing and his on-screen attitude is invaluable. And that’s the thing: to make programs work and entertain viewers, you need several qualities.
And the different qualities you see every time you tune in, whether it’s racing or football, rugby or netball with the exceptional Tamsin Greenway, you’ll be entertained and educated. This is the golden age of experts.