There was playfulness – how may there not be? A brand new period dawned for a much-loved establishment at 1020pm on Saturday and it did so with a respectful, and fantastically delivered, nod to the previous.
‘Good night,’ mentioned Mark Chapman, one prong of the highly effective, revamped presenting trident. ‘Match of the Day is again – and the Premier League is again. Now you will have heard however there’s a large change this season… and that’s Wayne Rooney is becoming a member of us as an everyday pundit.’
It was very a lot Gary Lineker’s type to start the present with a quip you could possibly see coming a mile off, a ‘Dad joke’ type he perfected over 25 years, however he has now gone and plenty of questioned how MotD will fare with out him within the hotseat.
If the opening programme of the brand new marketing campaign is something to go by, Chapman – who will share internet hosting duties with the equally exemplary Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan – will guarantee there is no such thing as a drop within the high quality or familiarity of a present that’s a part of this nation’s cloth.
Chapman isn’t a novice and has been the face of Match of the Day 2 for a decade however you may be certain there would have been some nerves as he took maintain of this specific wheel, because the accountability and status of being on Saturday night time tv is large.
However like a participant who finds his man with the primary move in an enormous recreation, Chapman was instantly into the swing of issues – Rooney chuckled alongside because the digicam panned to him earlier than the tone was maintained with the following hyperlink.
Mark Chapman will share internet hosting duties with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan on Match of the Day this season
Gary Linekar perfected his presenting type over greater than 25 years earlier than leaving the BBC earlier this 12 months
‘Somethings by no means change,’ Chapman continued. ‘Alan Shearer continues to be right here – and he’s completely delighted that Sunderland are first up!’
With that, we had been off as much as the Stadium Of Gentle, for the newly-promoted membership’s 3-0 skewering of West Ham, a bit stat working throughout the underside of the display advised us this was the primary time Sunderland had scored two headers in a Premier League recreation since October 2014.
Again within the studio after these highlights, Chapman started to indicate why it was such a good move to nominate him. This, to be clear, isn’t any criticism of Lineker, who it was maybe by no means appreciated simply how good he was – and the way a lot he improved – after succeeding Des Lynam.
Chapman, although, comes from the identical journalistic background as Lynam with a watch for a narrative and the power to ask a brief, easy query that may carry perception, inviting the ex-pros to take the viewer or the reader into the areas that may’t be accessed.
It was a triumph having Rooney – who clearly had some nerves himself – on, as he was capable of present perception into Sunderland, having managed in opposition to them within the Championship final season when he was answerable for Plymouth.
‘I’ve received first-hand expertise of taking part in in opposition to them – and we beat them as properly,’ Rooney, with a wry smile, reminded the viewers.
The present actually got here into its personal, although, in the course of the part allotted for Aston Villa and Newcastle’s goalless draw. Shearer was given a platform to talk with ardour and authority on Aleksander Isak’s motion over the previous month, whereas Rooney was invited to make key observations of his personal.
One reply grabbed the eye when Chapman, leaning again in his chair, highlighted that Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe had turned Joelinton from a striker right into a midfielder and he requested whether or not he may now make Anthony Gordon a striker.
The present featured Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney as pundits on the opening weekend of the Premier League season
Rooney, who hasn’t managed since he was sacked by Plymouth Argyle, will likely be an everyday on MotD this season
‘No,’ Rooney replied. ‘I wouldn’t have thought so.’
Rooney by no means hid away from speaking about how he as soon as requested to depart Manchester United however burdened he continued to coach and play with the group, to retain their respect – not each pundit can be so sincere or so ready to revisit a time of controversy.
‘Is that the form of participant you need?’ Rooney requested, when Liverpool’s curiosity was introduced up.
And it was to Liverpool the place the 80-minute present concluded, Chapman seamlessly transferring from the seriousness of the racist abuse Antoine Semenyo obtained to the heartbreak of the tributes to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva to the motion itself.
Fittingly, issues wrapped up with Shearer and Rooney discussing Hugo Ekitike and Chapman not lacking his alternative to impishly carry up a submit from Shearer on social media on Friday night time, questioning why Isak would wish to go to Liverpool with the younger Frenchman wanting so good.
‘Alan,’ mentioned Chapman, with the glee of a batsman who has been provided a full toss outdoors off stump. ‘I can’t think about why you probably did that!’
Once more, there was chuckling and there would have been in loads of households throughout the nation. That is what Match of the Day is about – lightness, perception and an opportunity to recap on the motion in an simply digestible type. It’s labored for 60 years and it received’t cease working due a brand new presenter.
‘The extra issues change, the extra issues keep the identical,’ mentioned Chapman, as he wrapped issues up. ‘Gabby is right here tomorrow. Goodnight.’
