Been impressed with this guy for years where I first heard him on The World Football phone in on Radio 5.

Seems extremely knowledgable on the subject of South American football, and is great at presenting his thoughts, and how the South American nations view football.

There has been some negativity towards some of the BBC team, so I think it's worth noting when they have an excellent journalist on their team.

Agree with you - his articles on the BBC website are easily the best, better than that numpty Phil McNulty.

aka Phil McManUtd

What I like about Vickery is that on TV he really doesn't seem too "camera aware", unlike say someone like Robbie Savage he doesn't need to make exaggerated points to try to justify him being there.

I have heard Vickery being asked a relatively seemingly simple question, where you might expect a clichéd answer, but he will come out with some great knowledge and thoughts in response.

I've liked Tim Vickery as a print journalist since reading World Soccer magazine. His writing is always extremely knowledgeable on South American football, and it's good to see him also putting this across well on television. He's a great asset to the BBC's coverage this year.

I can heartily recommend the World Football Phone in on 5Live Friday Night/Saturday Morning at 2am for 2 hours. It's available as a podcast for those who keep reasonable hours. Vickery is on every week (as he has been for the last 15 years) and they have very good pundits from the other regions (Africa/Asia/USA/Continental Europe) as well.

Just heard him on Talksport with Hawksbee and Jacobs (two other great presenters, only reason to listen to Talksport)

He laughed at his big nose appearing everywhere on TV these days.

Top man.

Love Tim Vickery - tha man's knowledge on South American football is second to none. He is being very underused by the BBC in my opinion

Been a fan of Tim Vickery for over a decade.

It confirms in my mind that ex footballers DON'T make good pundits, but educated journalists & broadcasters do!

If you have never tuned into the World Football Phone in on BBC Radio 5 Live, you dont know what you are missing!

I doubt Tim has had any sleep since the WC started - he is constantly on air with a host of media outlets.

What? McNulty is flagrantly pro Liverpool and Everton and anti-Utd, he doesn't even try and hide it.


Yep.

Yeah I always thought he was a Liverpool fan, but it doesn't matter if he is, his articles are always the same, someone has a good game - they're the best in the world or vice versa if they have a bad game followed by 500 comments from the public of, my team is better than yours, they get sucked in by his articles.

Could have fooled me, McNumpty can't help himself & have a snide dig at Liverpool, laughable he's the chief BBC Football writer the drivel he writes.

Tim Vickery on the other hand is a an excellent journalist/pundit, knows his stuff on South American football.

Also love him on the world football phone in.He must be making an absolute fortune with this world cup!! I wish i could see more of him though.have only heard him interviewed a couple of times.

Anyone see Lawrenson try to talk over Tim, and to cut him off whilst he was giving an interesting take on Brazil last night ? (The highlights show).

Looked to me like Lawrenson doesn't like someone who actually thinks about his points and not trundling out the same lazy old rubbish (like he does).

i actually know a fellow Exeter City supporter who lived in Rio for a while and knew Tim Vickery. He told me that Tim Vickery was a great bloke and that he "exponentially increased my understanding of football"

Some may ask why he still supports Exeter City then.

And I might beat them down.

It's not just his knowledge of South American football that impresses me - it's his knowledge of football in general. For example his unusually cogent tactical analysis of games, his fascinating assessment of players and peerless insight gleaned from anecdotes and testimony direct from the many important figures of the past he's spoken to and the extensive reading he so obvioulsy does. I would agree with others who have recommended the World Football phone-in. it makes such a refreshing change from the "two banks of four" inanity you often get on Match Of The Day.

I know he isn't from overseas as such being British but I do get the impression pundits who aren't based here seem to be so much better in terms of knowledge and understanding of teams/players etc.

I sense they work harder at it, and as a result are more valued. The Irish RTE panel can be a rabble at times but the depth of analysis is tremendous and you cannot ignore them.

On topic, props for Vickery. He really does know his shit.

Yeah Lawrenson cut him off by saying "He needs you to shut up now", pointing to the presenter. There was absolutely no need to do that. it was incredibly petty. BTW both Lawrenson and Pearce took a hell of a lot of criticism at #bbcworldcup for their dreadful commentary yesterday.

He does have an excellent insight but at times it's like listening to a tape playing over and over again. I'd like to know how many times he has said the following in the past month

"Brazil love their cup competitions"

"Neymar played on the right in the Confederations Cup"

"Brazil beat you on moments"


That said he is a breath of fresh air on the whole

Good, well deserved.

Haha, yeah well he has been a bit over exposed a bit, and his well researched and thought out points are to be found on bbc, Talksport, 5 live, bbc news, (and itv I think), last night an hour after he was on with Lawro, he then spent two hours on the World Football phone in, and I think he had been Hawksbee and Jacobs for half an hour or so earlier I the day...

give me his insight above Waddle (why did they dig him up again) / Lawro / Shearer any day.

He has been pretty correct about many things too, particularlyhow ggood Chile and Columbia would be to watch, and his "moments" thing is so true, particularly when he expands on it and says how the rise of Tiki taka totally took Brazil by surprise as they had just begun their policy of bug muscular cm ' s, etc.

The difference between Vickery and most of the pundits is that he actually gives insight. Shearer will say things like "He's gotta score from there" whereas Vickery will tell you something you didn't know. I rarely listen to the half time and post match analysis these days as I may as well phone a mate and he'll tell me the same things. It's money for nothing just saying "the defending has been poor" and all the other clichés. Most people watching can read a game. What we wanna know is what Vickery tells us. A true insight into the team you are watching

TBH there will always be a difference in what an ex footballer is able to say and what a journalist will say.

The latter have greater vocabulary and intelligence.

To be fair a lot of reporters in this country are no better than the ex-footballers. Vickery is far from your run of the mill journalist - he's on the way to becoming another Glanville or McIlvanney.