Souness worked with O’Herlihy on the RTÉ panel for a period, and described his recollections of the Cork native in an interview on Newstalk’s Off the Ball last night.
“It was a shock,” he said of O’Herlihy’s sudden death. “He was great to work with, because he got the best out of people.
“I enjoyed my time coming over to RTÉ. He asked the difficult questions, but he asked them in a way that put you on the spot, but it was a nice way of putting you on the spot.
“His questions were deliberate, and they were to the point, and he asked them with a bit of mischief… He was a class act.
“You couldn’t help but like the man. You’d be talking about your family, you’d be talking about politics, you’d be talking people he’s worked with and people I’ve worked with back in England.
“He had a very charming way about him. I was no great friend of his, but I felt very comfortable in his company.”
The former Newcastle and Blackburn manager added that working with RTÉ was “very much” a different culture of analysis compared with punditry across the water.
“Sky send camera crews out to training grounds and there is a certain caution attached to the way they would approach things, whereas with RTÉ, it was very much pub talk.
“And I think Bill, although he looked charming and was charming, enjoyed the mischief and the cutting stuff.”
'You couldn't help but like the man' - Graeme Souness on Bill O'Herlihy
LIVERPOOL LEGEND AND Sky pundit Graeme Souness has paid tribute to the late Bill O’Herlihy.
The legendary broadcaster passed away unexpectedly on Monday morning, prompting countless tributes to the much-loved presenter.
Souness worked with O’Herlihy on the RTÉ panel for a period, and described his recollections of the Cork native in an interview on Newstalk’s Off the Ball last night.
“It was a shock,” he said of O’Herlihy’s sudden death. “He was great to work with, because he got the best out of people.
“I enjoyed my time coming over to RTÉ. He asked the difficult questions, but he asked them in a way that put you on the spot, but it was a nice way of putting you on the spot.
“His questions were deliberate, and they were to the point, and he asked them with a bit of mischief… He was a class act.
“He had a very charming way about him. I was no great friend of his, but I felt very comfortable in his company.”
The former Newcastle and Blackburn manager added that working with RTÉ was “very much” a different culture of analysis compared with punditry across the water.
“And I think Bill, although he looked charming and was charming, enjoyed the mischief and the cutting stuff.”
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Bill O'Herlihy charming Graeme Souness Reaction RTE Panel Sky