| abstract
| - An honest pro is a description given to players who have a reputation for working very hard and playing at a decent level, often for a plethora of unglamorous clubs, whilst not having enough talent for a commentator to give them some actual praise. Once in a while an honest pro will have a good game and some will say he should be in the England squad 'on current form'. He generally never is, and rightly so. They tend to stay in the game well past their peak, prefering to drop down the leagues in order to stave the inevitable call of the guest presenter spot on the Match of the Day 2 couch. They are generally considered to make decent pundits, although this is due to their ability to state obvious truths with a level of bluntness that can sometimes pass for insight. It rarely is. Honest Pros are almost certainly not That Kind of Player , and commentators are quick to opine that they'd still be playing down the park every Saturday were they not being handsomely paid as professional footballers. 1) A lack of finesse, grace and technique 2) A predilection for scoring unfortunate own goals 3) Tremendous workrate 4) Ironic veneration from fans 5) Likeable, if dull, personas on and off the field. 6) Long, lucrative but ultimately uninspiring careers, usually spent entirely in Britain or Ireland. 7) Looking like someone you could conceivably have seen on the tills at Tesco.
|