Alan Smith replaces Andy Gray for FIFA 12 punditry duties

The former Arsenal and England forward and current Sky man joins long-time FIFA commentator Martin Tyler for voice duties. At least it wasn't Chris Kamara...

"How did such a boring, anodyne (but very, very nice) man make it so far?" was Rich's summary of Alan Smith when I asked him this morning what he thought about today's announcement from EA that Smith will be taking up commentary duties on FIFA 12. Ouch.

“The natural chemistry that Martin and I have developed working live matches for TV has transferred very well to the virtual broadcast booth,” said Smith. “I’m really looking forward to FIFA fans hearing our work this fall as we bring all the match day emotion and excitement to this year’s game.” You can listen to the pair recording some stuff for FIFA 12 here.

Former FIFA pundit Andy Gray lost his job at Sky earlier in the year after being caught making offensive remarks about women off-air, so it's no surprise that EA have also chosen to replace him.

While I have no desire to hijack this post to bemoan the ongoing administration circus/financial meltdown at my own lower-league club, Plymouth Argyle, or indeed point to the multitude of issues infecting all areas of football that have caused me to near-completely fall out of love with the game, both of these things mean that I hardly ever watch Premiership football (and hence Sky Sports coverage thereof). My only real experience of Smith is as a match reporter on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, where there's not really enough time for him to bore my pants off.

But what do you reckon to Alan Smith's appointment? Is it going to make you mute the commentary while playing FIFA 12? Let us know below.

Check out our FIFA 12 hub page for everything you need to know about the new season's game.

The FIFA 12 release date is 29 September.

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