Jeff Stelling, the talkSPORT Breakfast presenter, recently shared a humorous incident that left him feeling a tad embarrassed. During a conversation with co-host Ally McCoist, Stelling revealed that his career hit a low point when Paul Merson corrected his pronunciation on Soccer Saturday. It seems that Stelling was pronouncing Norwich manager David Wagner’s name wrong, and Merson couldn’t resist pointing it out.
Stelling explained to McCoist that he had been using the ‘w’ in Wagner’s name like a ‘v’, which is a common pronunciation in the German language. However, Merson clarified that the correct pronunciation is simply ‘Wagner’, the English way, owing to the manager’s American family background. Stelling’s mistake was particularly notable given Merson’s own struggles with pronouncing names on Soccer Saturday, with clips of his attempts often going viral.
Naturally, being corrected by the Arsenal legend was not Stelling’s finest moment. He jokingly referred to it as one of the low points in his career, admitting that Merson was right and he was wrong. It seems that even McCoist couldn’t resist making light of the situation, quipping, “Paul Merson? Who can’t get Paul Merson right?”
The incident serves as a reminder that even seasoned professionals can make mistakes from time to time. Stelling, known for his quick wit and banter on television, took the correction in good humor and shared the amusing anecdote with his listeners. It’s moments like these that humanize public figures and remind us that they too can have their fair share of blunders.
In other news related to football, former Huddersfield boss David Wagner is currently managing Norwich. His team recently suffered a 5-2 defeat against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round. Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, and Ryan Gravenberch were all on target in the match, which marked Klopp’s announcement that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
While Stelling’s mispronunciation may have caused a momentary embarrassment, it is clear that he continues to entertain and engage his audience with his lively commentary on talkSPORT. As for Merson, well, perhaps he can now sympathize with those whose names he has struggled to pronounce in the past. After all, we all have our moments of slip-ups and blunders, even in the world of sports broadcasting.