Match of the Day Enters a New Era
The BBC's iconic football highlights show, Match of the Day, has entered a new era with Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan at the helm. After Gary Lineker's departure following 26 years, the broadcaster opted for a triple-threat approach, replacing the big beast with three of the most solid professionals in the business. Lineker's dad jokes and social media controversies are gone, but the trio ensures that the game's major issues are not sidestepped. Each of them is a fully trained broadcast journalist with a wealth of experience. While Chapman retains a residual, clubbable blokiness and his trademark giggle from his Radio 1 days, both Logan and Cates bring icy, sardonic wit to cut Micah Richards and Alan Shearer down to size when needed. All three have even managed to make Danny Murphy laugh. The revolving cast has provided a largely seamless transition, lowering the heat on a BBC often targeted by certain critics, and proving a definite success.
Joe Hart's Punditry Evolution
During his playing career, Joe Hart was often criticized for being slow to learn from mistakes, particularly beaten to his left too often. His early punditry efforts were similarly unpromising, with a monotone voice and anodyne analysis reminiscent of Alan Shearer's early days. However, this season Hart has come into his own. Among goalkeeper pundits like Shay Given and Peter Schmeichel, Hart has added bite and expertise. He has responded well to coaching, delivering smooth analysis, especially when narrating over video tape. Hart is unafraid to express opinions, but not in the scattergun manner of Roy Keane. "He just says stuff," Hart said of Keane, who has verbally lashed him in the past. "I know the impact, especially now with social media. He doesn't care but I take huge responsibility in my new role." This new brand of ethical, holistic punditry appears sustainable, as Hart is a man in demand.
Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist
It seems that Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist spend more time with each other than with their respective spouses. A significant portion of the populace may also spend more time with them than with anyone else, especially during European weeks on TNT. Their ubiquity has its problems; as a comedy pairing, they still search for a catchphrase beyond "I'll tell you what, Fletch" or "in the Champions League/Europa League/Conference League." Fletcher's statistical recitations are helpful but relentless, occasionally clashing with key moments. McCoist's everyman charm persists from his days on Question of Sport, though a Sue Barker figure to hoot along with them might be considered. Occasional interjections from Steven Gerrard as a disembodied third wheel are not cutting it.
Kate Scott's CBS Success
Some TV shows seize the zeitgeist to create a template that is widely imitated. CBS's Champions League productions have had a similar effect to Channel 4's The Word in the 1990s, when rival broadcasters tried to match its zoo TV style. Like fellow Mancunian Terry Christian on The Word, Kate Scott's job is to maintain a semblance of control as Thierry Henry, Micah Richards, and Jamie Carragher let loose anarchy, with behavior unallowable on more staid broadcasters. This has made for a worldwide hit, even when most of the anglophone world cannot watch the show live legally. This is the era of the viral clip, and few have been as successful as Scott's show. In this brave new world, the BBC's venerable Football Focus was forced to hang up its boots. With CBS sister company Paramount capturing UK Champions League rights from 2027, it is likely to import Scott's expert corralling of her three stooges.
Jason Cundy and Jamie O'Hara
TalkSport's Sports Bar is not to everyone's taste. This late-night, post-pub banter zone is where Angry From Manchester and Desolate of Theydon Bois coalesce to sizzle piping hot takes on football issues. The aim is ratcheting up hysteria, and few are as adept at winding up the audience and each other as Jason Cundy and Jamie O'Hara. Both former Premier League footballers, they were hardly star names in their previous profession but are bigger names now, with definite chemistry. The football phone-in show has taken several, often regrettable turns since Danny Baker pioneered the genre. Cundy and O'Hara's approach is unapologetic. "Has anyone seen?" is Cundy's intro to the latest club or individual he is digging out. O'Hara's smirks and rising to his mate's jibes add to the fun, along with custom-designed masks that lend proceedings a Punch & Judy quality. It shouldn't work, and for many it might be unlistenable, but few shows fit these football times so readily.
