Jamie using his Gray matter

Grand Slam Sunday is always hyped to the extreme and earlier evidence would suggest that there is a great chance of it being a complete let-down. December 16th’s reverse fixtures saw only two goals, no red cards and no real scandal. As loyal fee-paying customers, all fingers and toes were crossed for some better viewing. Thankfully for Sky Sports did the four sides fulfil their duties and give two three-goal thrillers and one of the most talked about sendings off of the season.

Yet for me the most enjoyable segment of the Sky coverage was not something that could be seen on the pitch. Forget Nani’s smartly taken finish and Drogba’s brace to snatch the match from Arsène Wenger’s grasp, the blood-boilingly obnoxious attitude of Andy Gray and his heated argument with fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp was the highlight of the day’s coverage. Instigated by Javier Mascherano’s idiocracy, the closely-avoided bust-up on the pitch was quickly followed by similar scenes in the studio after Gray empathised with the Argentine. Cue a heated studio with Richard Keys sitting pretty like a rose between two thorns. It would never happen on the BBC.

Critical of Steve Bennett’s handling of the situation, Gray entrenched himself firmly at the other side of the battle line drawn by the commentary team and supported by Redknapp, all who believed that Mascherano was firmly in the wrong and the referee should be commended in his actions. Gray took the stance that players are unable to ‘talk’ to the referees in the current climate, particularly after Ashley Cole’s petulant treatment of Mike Riley in midweek. I am no qualified lip-reader, but the filthy verbal tirade that the Liverpool midfielder had been consistently giving Bennett ever since he was rightfully booked for a late challenge on 11 minutes is a different definition of ‘talking’ to what I am familiar with.

Nevertheless Redknapp, a former Liverpool midfielder himself and a novice in the Sky broadcasting hierarchy, put club allegiance and Sky pecking order aside to fervently criticise Mascherano’s actions and Gray’s substantial point of view. Something that did not go down too well at all with the Scotsman.

“Can’t you talk to a referee and ask what’s happening anymore? Is that what you want Jamie?”

Indeed, Gray must be a worse lip-reader than I; either that or we were watching different matches. Whether I would have had the self-assurance to stand up to an Aston Villa-legend certainly makes me an inferior man compared to Jamie. If the verbal disagreement in the studio had deteriorated into a fist-fight (with Richard Keys acting as guest referee), it would have been a mismatch akin to Henry Cooper throttling his badly-behaved eldest son for speaking out of turn. But an entertaining mismatch nonetheless.

Gray will have lost the respect of many views of Sky Sports coverage after becoming part of the ideal and untouchable commentary package alongside Martin “And it’s live” Tyler. But all the same, if there is a rematch between the broadcasting titans anytime soon, Sky will be foolish not to get it on a pay-per-view, one night only boxing match and show it in its own right.