Jeff Stelling names Gary Lineker's Match of the Day replacement with warning to BBC
Gary Lineker will soon depart Match of the Day and that leaves the BBC seeking his replacement with Jeff Stelling tipping Mark Chapman to step in after years with the corporation
by Samuel Meade · The MirrorJeff Stelling is adamant that Mark Chapman is the best man to replace Gary Lineker as the Match of the Day host.
The BBC have confirmed that Lineker will leave his post with the corporation once the season comes to an end. That will bring the curtain down on 25 years in the role with attention now turning to who will replace him.
Despite the current trend of switching up programmes to attract a younger audience Stelling insists that Chapman, who is already on the BBC's books and currently presents Match of the Day 2, is the ready made man to fill the sizeable void that Lineker will leave - although he has reportedly rejected a job-share situation which could have seen hosting duties divided between him and Kelly Somers.
Stelling told the Telegraph: “Chappers is the man for the job. Great presenter, nice sense of humour, good rapport with the guests, he’s got to be the man, surely.”
Stelling, who fronted Soccer Saturday for almost thirty years, stopped working with Sky Sports recently but is renowned as one of the finest sports anchors of his generation. He has aired concerns over how the TV world is changing, with demographics becoming increasingly influential.
For Stelling though a strong product will always come before the optics as he bemoaned the introduction of those who've become influential figures on social media.
“Demographics? I’ve never bought the stuff about a new demographic," he added. "It’s a forlorn pursuit to look for a younger audience that probably aren’t interested in the programme anyway by having younger presenters, influencers, social-media types. I’ve never believed that was the way forward.
"Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt the way to attract an audience of any demographic is to make sure you put out a high-quality product. If the programme is watched by mums and dads in their forties, make sure it is good enough so that when the new generation reach their forties it is something they want to watch.
"If I’m going to hear somebody talking about a football match, I’d rather it was somebody who had played the game and is able to see things people like me standing on the terraces can’t see, than is a big figure on social media.”
The BBC have a number of people being linked with Lineker's post. The former England international has made his pick known to the corporation, but has kept that private. Alongside Chapman and Somers the likes of Alex Scott and Gabby Logan are also being considered.
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