Eamon Dunphy brands James McClean ‘a mouth’ and Roy Keane ‘a poor analyst’ | BreakingNews.ie

Eamon Dunphy has branded James McClean as “a mouth” in response to the Derry man’s debut as an RTÉ football pundit.

Dunphy, a former Irish international who is now a well-known podcaster and pundit, also called Roy Keane “a poor analyst” whose “knowledge of the game is thin”.

He made the comments in a column for the Irish Mirror about coverage of the European championships.

McClean has been a key part of RTÉ’s coverage of Euro 2024 this summer, while former Manchester United player Keane continues to be a leading pundit for Sky Sports and ITV.

“I’ve seen McClean a few times on RTÉ. Apparently, he is considered a find,” Dunphy wrote in the article.

“Well, whenever he appears on the screen, I switch channel because he can’t express himself.

“He is just a mouth and beyond the noise, there is no humour.

“From Keane, from McClean, you get rants. That wasn’t the case with John [Giles], Liam [Brady] or I.”

He added: “Giles educated viewers on the game’s nuances and tactical trends.

“Neither Keane nor McClean do that because they don’t have the verbal skills to do so. Each man is addicted to stating the bleeding obvious.

“All you come away thinking is whether their personal prejudices are colouring their judgement.

“For example, McClean’s implied criticism of Stephen Kenny, the manager who got his career up and running when they were together at Derry, was cringeworthy.

“The Derry man doesn’t deserve to be on television. It was bad enough having to watch him play — now we have to listen to him speak.

“Spare me the trouble, especially if we have someone as intelligent as Souness or Wright on the other channel.”

Dunphy’s comments come after McClean raised eyebrows in his punditry debut with RTÉ as he claimed Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice is “overrated” and “not world class”.

Speaking about Germany attacker Jamal Musiala, McClean said he “justifies the hype”, adding “I feel Declan Rice is very overrated”.

The Wrexham winger added: “Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a very good footballer, but the way the English media wax lyrical about him is completely over the top.

“For me, he’s not world class. To me world class is someone who gets in every side in the world. I don’t think he does that.

“I don’t think he gets in the Man City side ahead of Rodri. I know Toni Kross is now retiring, but to me Toni Kroos is world class. He dictates the game, Rodri dictates the game, I don’t think Declan Rice does that.

“He’s not someone who is going to get on the half-turn and play passes forward. He is very good at what he does.”