Dunphy: Liam was in awkward spot
In a rare move, fiery RTÉ soccer pundit Eamon Dunphy this morning expressed his sympathy with Liam Brady after their highly-publicised bust-up on RTÉ on Tuesday night.
Dunphy admitted putting fellow RTÉ pundit and soccer legend Liam Brady, in an awkward position on Tuesday night.
Dunphy was involved in compiling a clip comparing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to Monty Python star John Cleese, and his ‘ministry of funny walks’, following their Champions League exit.
Brady, head of the Gunners’ youth academy, reacted to the segment, saying: “I wouldn’t have come on the show if this was already in the can.”
Today, Dunphy understood Brady’s unease when speaking on radio.
“I must admit it was awkward for Liam because he saw a close colleague being mocked,” he said.
“I fully understand how he felt and it was a difficult and awkward moment for him.”
Brady failed to show for last night’s analysis of the remaining two quarter-finals.
An RTÉ spokesman said Brady was “unavailable”, but would return for the semi-finals and final.
Brady had a long day on Tuesday, taking his first press conference in his new role with the international management team before dashing to the RTÉ studios.
Dunphy attacked Brady’s position during Tuesday’s tetchy segment.
“You missed the bus. While you were giving press conference, we have a job to do.
“You jumped the fence, baby,” he declared.
It’s not the first time Dunphy has fallen out with a fellow member of RTÉ’s soccer panel.
Dunphy, John Giles and Brady have been dubbed the ‘three wise men’ for their incisive analysis, but Dunphy previously fell out with long-time sidekick Giles.
Brady’s elevation to the Irish management set-up is likely to compromise his position as an analyst, and it’s possible viewers have seen the last appearance of the ‘three wise men’ analysing a big game.
