There\u2019s an element too in this of people getting a little bit uncomfortable when a woman is that confident in themselves \u2013 and Aluko is a very confident woman. I could only respect her for having the backbone to go on Talksport with Simon Jordan earlier this week to defend her views, when Jordan is someone who could tie you in knots. But even when he was attacking her, she took it and never got heated. And she was very measured.<\/p>\n
But I think she\u2019s wrong. Of course there should be a place for men in the women\u2019s game, so long as they know their stuff, as there should be for women in the men\u2019s game, so long as they know their stuff too. <\/p>\n
And Wright certainly knows his, having been a champion of women\u2019s football for years. And because of his profile and popularity, media-wise he has probably done as much to promote the women\u2019s game as anyone in England. So often men are asked to be allies in helping our game grow. That is what Wright has been.<\/p>\n
You have to put your logical hat on. The women\u2019s game is still in its growth phase, it\u2019s all about capturing people\u2019s interest in it, and you do that partly by using recognisable faces \u2013 such as Wright\u2019s. Frustrating as it might be that a woman with 100-plus caps for England isn\u2019t as recognisable, that\u2019s just how it is. <\/p>\n
So no, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s taking up a space that should be given to a woman, as Aluko argues. The fact is that we need men to help us grow our game, maybe they even need to be the face of it for now, until it can reach a point where, as Aluko suggests should happen now, they can play more of a supporting role rather than being front and centre. <\/p>\n
I agreed with broadcaster Laura Woods when she said we can\u2019t \u201cgatekeep\u201d women\u2019s football. We have to do whatever is necessary to develop it, and for now that certainly means sharing that space with male pundits who are more familiar to the viewers. <\/p>\n
Aluko just isn\u2019t seeing the big picture, really. Which is more important: growing the game or getting more air time? She has been too focused on herself in this, on what she sees as a lack of opportunities because of the likes of Wright. You have to care more about the overall picture than your own small part in it.<\/p>\n
![\"Eni](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FWSNFXAFXICBKDORPEIHKIX4VU.jpg\")
Eni Aluko won 105 caps for England. Photograph: Mike Egerton\/PA Wire. <\/p>\n
But, again, I do admire her confidence through all of this. I certainly couldn\u2019t cope with what\u2019s been thrown at her, and there is no doubt that black voices in football \u2013 and beyond \u2013 can often be held to a different standard. We saw what the likes of Raheem Sterling had to put up with when he was coming through with England. There are still barriers for men on that front too. <\/p>\n
All I hope is that the bile that has flown around in the last week won\u2019t put off people hoping to work in the media after their playing careers end. The online community, in particular, can be very, very toxic. I wouldn\u2019t be as confident in myself working on a men\u2019s game as I would being a pundit in women\u2019s football. That\u2019s really down to the kind of rhetoric that\u2019s out there, basically asking \u201cwhy is she there?\u201d. You end up feeling you don\u2019t belong. If you have the confidence to ignore that, that\u2019s brilliant, but I know I maybe soften my opinions for fear of getting something so wrong that it gets someone\u2019s back up. <\/p>\n