As a footballer, you won trophies in Scottish football and English football, as well as representing Scotland at major international tournaments. What are your personal highlights from your time as a player?
“As a teenager, I dreamed of being a footballer, so the highlight for me has to be the fact that I was able to become a professional player and play for as many years as I did.
“I left home in Scotland for London at the age of 14, and I battled homesickness, which was tough. I had to show a lot of resilience during those early years, and that helped me break into the team at Chelsea, win an FA Cup, and play week in and week out in the Premier League.
“Playing for Celtic and winning the league title that stopped Rangers from winning ten in a row, while also winning Scottish Player of the Year that season, was also very special. As was playing and scoring at a World Cup with Scotland.
“My career was the stuff of dreams for me, and I don’t look back with many regrets. I do have some frustrations around fitness because when I look back now, I would’ve taken that side of the game much more seriously.
“In the 1990s, British football was much more relaxed in its attitude towards fitness and recovery compared to today. Sports science and nutritionists weren’t as common at football clubs like they are now.
“Despite that, I would never change the era I played in. We had great times at the various clubs I represented – whether that was Chelsea, Scotland, Celtic, or Derby. I look back on my time in the game with real fondness.”
You retired from football and moved into punditry. Was that an easy transition for you to make?
“Punditry was something I first tried in my late twenties while I was still playing. I knew a few people at BBC Scotland and Colin Davidson at Sky Sports from my playing days. I did some work with them and also with Richard Keys on Super Sunday at Sky.
“Despite having those experiences while playing, I didn’t think I would automatically transition from being a player into becoming a pundit. Things sort of fell into my lap.
“Setanta Sports surprised everyone by buying exclusive rights to showcase Scottish football in the UK. They recruited Colin Davidson from Sky, and he gave me a call to see what I was up to. I had just left Derby County and was feeling frustrated with injuries. I told him I wasn’t enjoying my football as much.
“He replied with an old Scottish phrase – he told me I sounded ‘scunnered’ – and asked if I’d be interested in working on Setanta’s Scottish football coverage. The only question I asked was, ‘Who would I be working with?’ And when he told me it would be Rob MacLean, I said yes immediately.
“That’s how my punditry career started. I was lucky Setanta signed Colin and that he wanted me involved. But on the other hand, I’d done the work earlier with Sky Sports and the BBC while I was still playing. So, I think it was a mixture of luck and a willingness to put in the work and learn how to improve as a broadcaster.
“The hardest part early on was realising which side of the fence I was now on. I was no longer Craig Burley the footballer – I was Craig Burley the pundit. I had to make sure I didn’t let past relationships from my playing days stop me from giving honest opinions. That was key.”
Given that early realisation, what do you believe makes a good pundit?
“Everyone will have their own opinion on that, but for me, it comes down to honesty.
“When you’re a pundit, you have to accept that you’re not being employed by football clubs – you’re being paid by a broadcaster to give an honest opinion on the game you’re covering.
“You can’t say, ‘Oh, I can’t give an opinion on that incident because the player’s a mate of mine,’ or ‘I used to play for that club.’ That’s not your job.
“You’re not there to be popular. Sure, if you are, that’s a bonus. But your role is to call things as you see them. I don’t want to just give easy pats on the back to people within the game—that’s not the reality. You have to judge each game, player, or incident fairly, and be able to back up what you say.
“As long as your view is genuine and not something you’re saying just for effect, then you’re doing your job. I don’t say things just to get a reaction or for clickbait. Maybe I’ve made a mistake or two on that front over the years, but on the whole, I don’t go into a game with preconceived ideas. I just call it how I see it.
“Punditry should be about honesty and being forthright – not just telling people what they want to hear.”
You experienced a unique scenario early in your punditry career when your uncle, George Burley, was Scotland manager during a tough time for the national team. Did calling those games test your beliefs about punditry?
“No, it didn’t make things harder for me. I believe forthright honesty is essential in punditry, but that doesn’t mean it has to be personal. There’s never a need for character assassination.
“You just call it as you see it.
“George was in charge of Scotland during a difficult spell, and I had to be honest about what I was seeing. He knew that as the Scotland manager, results were what mattered. And he also knew I had to do my job.
“You can’t lie to the viewer at home. They see through that right away. I approached George’s games the same way I would for any other manager.
“I know it’s become fashionable now for pundits to openly support teams and wear their allegiances on their sleeves. That’s not really my style – but I understand that things evolve, and working in TV is no different.”
Featured image: ESPN FC
Callum McFadden 