Do you have to be a top player to be a top pundit?

Much has been made of John Terry's public spat with Robbie Savage earlier this week but I feel it has highlighted a topic that has long needed debate.  As a professional footballer, with a sports journalism degree, I was fascinated to see his Champions League press conference unfold.  It raised the question of what qualifies a pundit in the modern game and how you gain both validation and respect.  Terry was not shy in letting his feelings be known but was his reaction emblematic of those playing at the upper echelons of our sport?

I love being a professional professional footballer and I count myself fortunate to be living my childhood dream.  Of course I set out to conquer the world and play for my beloved Manchester United but not all dreams can come true.  Sometimes you have to move the goalposts.  The need to cultivate a second career has led me to gain a number of qualifications and my degree is one I am extremely proud of.  It's in my DNA to be the best I can be so I can't allow myself to think I'm potentially entering an industry where doors are closed before I even have a chance to walk through them.

That's why I disagree with Terry.  That's why I have to think a different way.

I look towards Robbie Savage, the victim of his tirade, as a source of inspiration.  Now, I'm not for one minute comparing my own career to the one enjoyed by Savage but, whether you like him or not, there is no doubting that he was one player who squeezed every ounce out of his ability.  Has he not now tackled the world of punditry implementing a similar strategy?

By embracing his 'marmite' persona he has created a niche for himself within the media and his response to Terry was simple and concise: "The no career jibe, played a really bad level, it was personal," he said, "there's lots of opinions about me and I take them on the chin.  In punditry and co-commentary I get hammered, 50 per cent of people love me and 50 per cent of people hate me, if I responded to all of them it would be madness."

I remember watching Savage play for Crewe Alexandra as a youth team player from the terraces.  Having not made the grade at Manchester United despite being part of the 'Class of 92' he arrived at Crewe with the determination to fight his way back to the top level.  A place he felt he belonged.  His enthusiasm and appetite for the game left a lasting impression on me and is why I try to look beyond the controversy he causes.  One of his teammates back then was Danny Murphy, who I believe is one of the most articulate and insightful pundits around.  Their experiences of the lower leagues provides a different dynamic to the opinions they have to offer and will undoubtably have helped them in respective roles since retirement.

I have played in six out of the top seven levels of the English football pyramid but unfortunately the Premier League is the one which has eluded me.  What I may lack in top flight action I make up for with a true footballing grounding.  The rollercoaster which is a footballers life at my level helps you to see the game from every perspective possible.  I've gone toe to toe with players from the Premier League to the Evo-stick league but I would respect the opinions they offer in no order of hierarchy.

It feels to me that some of the players at the elite level have become increasingly disconnected with the realities of the lives of the people who watch them.  Terry's outburst could have been seen as an act of defiance in the face of his teams recent struggles.  He is a fiercely proud leader and as a player he has my upmost respect.  But in the act of condemning Savage he unwittingly alienated 99.9% of the footballing population as well.  The very foundations of football are built on the passion we have and the perspective we provide.

Would Terry have been so forthright if it had been a manager or coach who had criticised him in the way Savage did?  Because the two people he works with each day at Chelsea, manager Jose Mourinho and first team coach, Steve Holland, did not enjoy stellar playing careers.  I first worked with Holland at the age of 11 at the Crewe Academy and it was clear then that he was destined for greatness.  Yes, he had to work his way up the coaching ladder but ultimately the system he is part of allowed him the opportunity to do so.

The worlds of coaching and punditry both centre on having an opinion and your ability to act upon it so I look to draw parallels between the two.  It is common practice that playing at the top level is not a prerequisite for coaching or managing at it.  Will or should the world of journalism ever follow suit?  I am not alone and there are many players who, like myself, have educated themselves to become students of the game both on and off the pitch.

Maybe it's time for a different opinion to be heard.