ITV at odds with Sunderland Manager

England midfielder, David Beckham
(Courtesy of soccergoalx1)

ITV will not be best pleased with Sunderland manager and ITV football pundit, Steve Bruce, this evening as he conceded that England's international game against Belarus last Wednesday was "a pretty dull affair until David Beckham entered the arena".

Bruce was defending his decision to hand the man-of-the-match award to Beckham, despite the fact that he only played half the game and England striker Peter Crouch scored two goals.

The Sunderland manager has clearly forgotten the primary role of the modern day sports pundit: to exaggerate the importance of every pass, throw-in, substitution, even if the game is boring you to tears.

Antagonising ITV bosses

As well as perhaps antagonising ITV bosses with this comment, Bruce also failed to produce any tactical awareness in his analysis of what was largely an uncompetitive affair.

England had already secured qualification to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Belarus had no chance.

With nothing at stake, the game lacked tempo and aggression as it was a chance for England's fringe players like Ben Foster, Shaun Wright-Philips and Gabriel Agbonlahor to claim a place in the World Cup Finals squad.

So Bruce was right. The game was dull. But perhaps he could have cast off the mediocre punditry for once and explained as to why.