Gary Neville sums up Dominic Cummings press conference performance in perfect comparison
The former Manchester United defender was quick to prepare the Downing Street adviser's performance in front of the camera to his own managerial career
by Mark JonesGary Neville perfectly summed up Dominic Cummings' performance in front of the media on Monday with a comparison to his own managerial career.
Downing Street special adviser Cummings held a press conference in the gardens of No.10 in which he gave a series of flimsy explanations over his apparent breach of coronavirus lockdown.
Cummings refused to apologise either for travelling from London to Durham or for a later trip to Barnard Castle, all when his wife and later he had coronavirus symptoms.
The special adviser's display in front of the media led to huge criticism from many, with Cummings resisting calls to resign amid mounting pressure from the public and even a sizeable number of Tory MPs.
One member of the public watching on was the former Manchester United defender Neville, who chose to compare Cummings' floundering display in front of the cameras to his own short-lived managerial career.
Neville took over as Valencia manager in December 2015, but he only lasted 28 games in charge before being sacked four months later.
The undoubted lowlight of his time in charge at the Mestalla was a 7-0 loss to Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, and Neville recalled the painful experience of that game when he tweeted: "The most uncomfortable I’ve seen an Englishman in a press conference since a 7-0 defeat in Barcelona."
Gary Lineker was another football figure who was unimpressed by Cummings' display, with the BBC Match of the Day presenter tweeting a series of criticisms.
He wrote: "Oh dear. By his own account he broke the rules three times. Apologising is the least he could do when so many people have made such enormous sacrifices. Just say I’m sorry."
Lineker later added: "The least impressive performance from a member of the Westminster elite in living memory."