Sports View: Chappers – From Radio 1 to MOTD2

Match of the Day 2 will be given a shake-up from the beginning of the 2013/14 season when Colin Murray hands over the presenting baton to 5 Live colleague Mark Chapman.

‘Chappers’ is regarded by BBC bosses as a more suitable host than Murray, who began anchoring the show in 2010 after Adrian Chiles left for ITV. The Northern Irishman often generates a tidal wave of negative opinion from football fans when the show airs on Sunday nights.

Our new regular columnist Vernon Grant tells us why he thinks the BBC made the right decision in substituting Murray for Chapman, plus how he would solve the current widespread disgruntlement felt by fans with the current MOTD format.

Since 1980, Vernon has been a producer of a number of televised sports programmes for major broadcasters, including Sky Sports, ITV and Channel 4, as well as several independent production companies.

He now runs the sports betting website VG Tips, and will give SOTB his unique and informed take on a number of topics and issues related to sports broadcasting both past and present.

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Follow Vernon on Twitter: @lecrin

Match of the Day was once a programme you would not miss. That is no longer the case.

I find my dreams more entertaining so I go to bed. I often record it with the intention of watching it back later.

That way I can fast forward through the painfully complacent chat between the likes of Alan Shearer, Mark Lawrenson, Alan Hansen and their mate, Gary Lineker.

I have had more interesting and informative conversations with myself.

I know when a programme requires not just a makeover, but a kick up the backside.

As I see them the solutions for Match of the Day on Saturday night are one of the following three options:-

• Change the panel of so called experts for people who can offer insight and enthusiasm. After all Lord Reith, the first head of the BBC, claimed the broadcaster would educate, entertain and inform.
• Put a firework up the rear end of Hansen, Shearer and Lawrenson
• Ditch the panel altogether. This would be my choice. Get a presenter whose has an engaging and enthusiastic style of delivery and simply show the action.

This will come as a shock to younger readers, but there was a time when you had to be a broadcaster to broadcast on sport. Former footballers need not apply.

Now the crocked and the has-beens have their agents wining and dining BBC Sport executives, all claiming their man can do a better job than the incumbents.

I was reminded of the good old days when the news broke that Match of the Day 2 was to have a new regular presenter. And it was an appointment I approved of.

I have not seen one tweet complaining about the replacement of Colin Murray with Mark Chapman. It is rare that football fans agree on anything on social media sites. But this change seems to have won unanimous approval.

I am not sure at what point did Murray went from being popular with those who listened to him on radio, to a man who irritated the hell of out of those who stayed up on a Sunday night to watch MOTD2.

I stopped watching the show because of him. The guests were often better than those on the Saturday MOTD.

But the presenter got on my wick. I found myself longing for the days of Adrian Chiles. Funny that. Some presenters are simply more suited to one broadcaster.

I am reluctant to mention Adrian Chiles and Des Lynam in the same sentence, but they do have a couple of things in common.

They went to ITV for the money, and their on screen strengths became weaknesses.

‘Marmite’ presenter: Colin Murray axed from MOTD2 after three years

(Pic: Radio Times)

For all I know Colin Murray is probably a nice enough chap to work with. I have no idea. I have never worked with him.

But as a viewer he annoyed more viewers than he charmed.

Too keen to force a joke he alone thought was funny.

Too ready to insert what he believed was his expertise on all things Merseyside.

I am pleased Mark Chapman has got the job. Whether it has been hosting the Monday Night Club on BBC 5 Live, or Final Score on Saturday afternoons, Chapman is a far more interesting and, crucially, interested presenter.

He listens to what people say. Now you may think that would be an obvious requirement of a TV presenter. But take time out to watch and listen to other presenters. How many of them actually listen to the answer to a question they have asked?

Chapman does engage with the interviewee or contributor. He does say: “Hang on a minute, did you just say….?”

He does develop debate and makes footballing conversation more interesting.

Time was a lad from Rochdale would never have got a job in front of camera at the BBC. But, as we all now know, a regional accent is now a mandatory requirement if you want to be a broadcaster.

I sense that Chapman (for the record, another man I have not worked with) is increasingly respected by those in the game. Or as respected as something stuck to the bottom of your football boot can be.

Footballers look upon the media as the enemy. It wasn’t always that way.

In the age when sports journalists like me actually travelled on team coaches (and not as a way to cheat on expenses), or were on the same plane as England teams playing abroad; there was not the mistrust between players and the press that exists now.

I know of senior members of the written press and television reporters who will go to their graves keeping secrets about players of yesteryear. That is what happened then.

Now a footballer would have to be clever enough (unlikely) to bribe a journalist with cash (even more unlikely) to prevent a story from reaching the papers.

Chapman follows in a good tradition of Grammar school boys who went on to present sports programmes for the BBC. But his route was somewhat different from the likes of David Coleman and Frank Bough.

Mark Chapman worked at Radio 1 for ten years.

I can hear Lord Reith muttering in his grave… “a broadcaster of popular music on the wireless presenting television? Not at the BBC!”

 

Safe pair of hands: Mark Chapman is a rising star within BBC Sport

(Pic: Getty Images)

But I think Match of the Day 2 will be in good hands with Chapman as host.

I hope he keeps his level head. I cannot envisage him falling into the trap of thinking he is the most important part of a programme.

It can happen. I have produced a handful of presenters whose ego went into overdrive. I always think the really good ones don’t let that happen.

They are confident, not arrogant. They know they are good at their job but not in that “over here, get that camera on me, I’m the star” way.

In the 1980’s I had the pleasure of working with someone who, years earlier, I used to rush home from school to watch.

HOW? (younger readers ask an elder to explain that feeble pun)

Fred Dinenage was a consummate professional. He was brilliant at taking direction in his earpiece.

I worked with Fred at Yorkshire Television and, other than his reluctance to say “It’s my round”, he was a joy to work with.

But he came into his own when acting as a stand in presenter for the absent, suave Dickie Davies on World of Sport.

Decades later, when producing at Sky, I regularly witnessed another superb broadcaster at work. Jeff Stelling.

Like the very best sports broadcasters before him, he does his homework.

It might be as early in the week as Thursday, but I used to hate interrupting Jeff as he prepared for Soccer Saturday.

His head buried in books, studying club records or calling people in the game to make sure he had his information right, be it how to pronounce the name of the latest foreign import or to learn a nugget of information about a player that no other broadcaster would know.

I know how difficult it is to master presenting televised sports programmes.

As a producer I have seen many fail. The former Wolves legend Derek Dougan tried his hand at presenting a live Saturday night football show at Yorkshire Television in the 80’s.

As a striker for club and country Derek was a powerful force. Not to be messed with.

But as a TV presenter he was more Coogan than Dougan. You didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

If I close my eyes I can still hear that long, nervous Dougan laugh as he linked to the wrong game or tried to fill time at moments when technical faults developed around him.

It made for painful viewing. But then I have always had doubts about the merits of employing ex footballers as broadcasters. Why do it?

There is plenty of trained talent in TV, just waiting for a chance.

Gary Lineker is crisper with his delivery these days. No wonder!

He took over from the incomparable Des Lynam in 1999 and, after a shaky start, settled into the role.

These days he is too settled. He is far too laid back.

A recent newspaper report claimed he was about to take a £500.000 pay cut to continue presenting the Saturday night Match of the Day.

So leaving him being paid a mere £1.5 million pounds a year.

Now I have worked with presenters who were paid lots of money.

David Frost comes to mind. But Gary Lineker is no David Frost and never will be. What’s more, Frost owned the company so he could pay himself what he liked.

The BBC is paid for by you, the licence payer. You tell me. Is he value for money?

I know there are far better television presenters working in TV who would do a better job than Lineker for a fraction of that sum.

Who tunes in to Match of the Day because Gary Lineker is presenting? Hands up.

Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan are the best the BBC have when it comes to presenting the likes of ‘Final Score’ and ‘Match of the Day.’

Neither played football at a professional level.

The legends of broadcasting football programmes from a studio were David Coleman, Sam Leitch, Frank Bough, Brian Moore, Dickie Davies, Des Lynam and, today, Jeff Stelling.

All television professionals. Legends in their own on air time.

Mark Chapman has every chance of joining those ranks and I wish him well.

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Visit Vernon’s sports betting website VG Tips – www.vgtips.co.uk