Man City news: Pundit slams ‘pathetic’ Premier League plans amid Pep Guardiola claim – ‘can you imagine?’
Noel Whelan has urged Man City and fellow Premier League clubs to reject “ridiculous and totally unprofessional” plans for half-time interviews with managers.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested Man City boss Pep Guardiola would be a particularly staunch opponent of the proposal.
According to the Daily Mail (18 April), half-time television interviews with managers may be part of live broadcasts from next season – with proposals already sent to Premier League clubs.
A vote is set to take place at the top flight’s June AGM, but the plans have reportedly received a “warm reception” from media departments within the league.
The report claims managers would be limited to five interviews per season and only sides who were winning on the game would be approached.
Whelan slammed the proposals as “pathetic” and claimed interviews would take valuable time out of the half-time team talk.
He told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “Can you imagine the likes of Pep Guardiola doing that?
“It’s pathetic. It’s ridiculous and totally unprofessional.
“That half-time team-talk is massive for managers and for players, and they certainly don’t need to have a TV camera in their face instead of doing it.
“They need to be left alone. You want to do interviews? You do it before or after the game, there’s plenty of time.
“I think the Premier League shouldn’t be meddling here. Leave the managers be. It’s their job to prepare their team to win the game – it’s not about the TV screen.”
Premier League managers are currently required to give pre and post-match press conferences for every fixture.
Interviews during live matches are commonplace throughout many US sports.
In other news, pundit claims Erling Haaland move could hit the rocks after “worrying” update from Germany.