Where And What Next For Wembley Match-Winner?

Broadcast Duo Hail End Of An Era 

Wembley match-winners Andy Gray and John Richards back together at the stadium in 2017.

Andy Gray hinted to Wolves Heroes as far back as 19 months ago that he was coming towards the end of his long working stint in the Middle East.

Now his long-time studio partner, Richard Keys, has gone further by suggesting it might now be time for a hanging up of the microphone(s).

Their contracts with beIN Sports in Qatar ended with the last weekend of the Premier League season and we are left to wonder where or if they will turn up regularly on our screens in the future.

Britain, and in particular the Midlands, will presumably be seeing considerably more of the man who famously touched in Wolves’ League Cup final winner against Nottingham Forest in 1980.

Gray still has strong family links to this area, mainly through his grown-up children, and we would hope that he will find time to squeeze in a trip or two to Molineux among the Champions League night attractions that will be on offer for him at Villa Park.

We also wait to see whether new work opportunities tempt him at the age of 70 because his has certainly been one of THE authoritative and powerful voices of the Premier League and satellite TV era.

John Barnwell’s one-time record British signing became Sky’s lead football pundit and co-commentator in 1993 following a period of combining his media work with his role as Ron Atkinson’s assistant at Villa.

He became a highly respected pillar of the English game for almost two decades before he and Keys departed following the Sian Massey controversy at Molineux.

The duo initially linked up again on talkSPORT but are better known for working together in Doha for beIN Sports, presenting and commenting on Premier League and Champions League games for audiences in 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

Gray at the Cleveland Arms 19 months ago.

We have our eyes and ears open as to what Andy might do next – other than play more golf! – and have unsuccessfully tried to reach him this week.

But Keys has recently been on social media to mark the end of their time in the country in which they loved being so close to the action in the 2022 World Cup.

“It’s the end of an era,” he posted. “K&G host PL football for the last time today. 1992-2026. What a ride – 34 years, countless games and goals. We’ve seen them all.”

Gray appeared in November, 2024 with Kenny Hibbitt and John Richards at a q&a night at the Cleveland Arms in Willenhall after which we posted this story Golden Touch Of Serial Winner – Wolves Heroes