O’Hara challenges Scholes, Butt for Prick of the Week as self-proclaimed ‘above average’ PL footballer

On days like this, it is a real shame that the Prick of the Week column is no longer a thing on this once-great site.

We are only on Tuesday, but we already spoiled for choice with plenty of credible nominees for this ever-prestigious award after Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt came out losers of a playground dispute with Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez. 

Scholes, and especially Butt, did not take too kindly to Martinez justifiably shooting down “three lads in a pub” pointing and laughing at the Man Utd centre-back in a juvenile manner, while showing no regard for the consequences of their actions or acknowledgement of the power of their words.

In their brief time together as part of a podcast trio alongside Paddy McGuinness (who has been chosen to hold court on this Man Utd-centric podcast despite being a Bolton Wanderers supporter), it has become clear that they will stoop to embarrassing lows in the means of content to get eyes on their podcast, which is far inferior to others in the same bracket.

READ: Are Butt and Scholes just ‘jealous’ as Man Utd fans turn on Class of 92?

But they are sharing the stage with fellow prick and renowned pundit troll O’Hara.

There is some good to be found on talkSPORT‘s website and radio stations, but some regular contributors, including O’Hara, are simply brought in to play up to their clown character and spout nonsense to garner angry reactions from their readers/listeners.

O’Hara has played the same role as part of a broken Sky Sports product for years and has presumably earned pretty well from doing it. He knows exactly what he is doing and clearly is not as stupid as he comes across, but this does not mean he is not a prick…

There is endless evidence of O’Hara making brainless statements, i.e. suggesting Xabi Alonso could replace Thomas Frank at Spurs after Robbie Keane takes interim charge. But his assertion that he would be an “above average” Premier League footballer if he played today takes the biscuit.

“I was an average footballer [when I played in the Premier League]. I think I would be above average now,” O’Hara said on talkSPORT.

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Carlton Cole responded: “Do you reckon?”

O’Hara continued: “100%. Everyone are crabs mate, all they do is pass it sideways, backwards, keep the ball, [everyone’s] scared to take risks. I see crab football 24/7. I think the quality in the Premier League has gone downhill and people are turning away”.

Then, Cole opted to gloss over O’Hara’s baffling claim about his own ability, or lackthereof, as a footballer and focused on current Premier League players often deciding against “taking risks” as they “rely more on the system to come through for them”.

This did not stop O’Hara from doubling down, though. He added: “When were talking about the top, the highest level is still there. I’m talking about the average Premier League footballer and I think [they have] got worse. I genuinely do”.

O’Hara has clumsily fallen en route to making a semi-agreeable point regarding the declining standards in the Premier League.

However, he does so by egotistically making it all about him and being miles off the mark in the process, which is par for the course with O’Hara.

For acknowledging and replying to O’Hara’s statements, we are feeding into what he and the outlets he works for want. But sometimes, a person’s prickery needs to be called out, and he is one of the biggest of them all in football today.