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      Major hint over next Match of the Day host as pundit reveals they have been practising Gary Lineker’s job

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      JERMAINE JENAS has revealed he has been practising Gary Lineker’s job as Match of the Day host.The pundit often appears alongside Lineker on the weekly highlights show.Jermaine Jenas has hinted he could one day host Match of the DayCredit: GettyThe pundit revealed he has been practising Gary Lineker’s jobCredit: EPAHowever, he has now hinted he could one day replace him in the presenter’s chair.Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Jenas explained: “When I do Match of the Day, there used to be a woman called Michelle who used to do Gary’s autocue.”So when Gary was in makeup I used to go run and jump in the seat and be like ‘look Michelle let’s do the autocue’.”She was like ‘go on quick do it’ and we’d just run through the whole show.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLineker has been the lead presenter for Match of the Day since 1999 after turning to presenting after retirement.Meanwhile, Jenas has also tried his hand since becoming a pundit, having presented the draw for the 2022 World Cup.He has gone on to host The One Show on BBC One as well as TNT Sports’ coverage of Formula E.The 41-year-old continued: “I was just practicing and that wasn’t me going ‘oh I want to do Gary’s job’.Most read in FootballCHELTENHAM BETTING OFFERS – BEST FREE BET DEALS FOR THE FESTIVAL “It was me just thinking ‘right, what’s it like in this seat, for him, to present’, because I wanted to know what it felt like.”She’d kind of go ‘ah yeah you’ve messed up there’, we’d have a laugh with it. Then he’d come and go ‘get out the seat’.Peter Crouch in stitches over what Rio Ferdinand was given on return to Man Utd before being ‘pumped 5-0′”I think it was more, I knew I didn’t just want to be a pundit my whole life, as much as I love it.”Jenas scored once in 21 caps for England before retiring aged 31 in 2014.He also made 280 Premier League appearances for Tottenham, Newcastle, QPR and Aston Villa, scoring 32 goals. More

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      MOTD2 host Mark Chapman finds love again with glam estate agent after death of wife Sara from cancer

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      MATCH of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman has found romance again after his wife’s death.Chappers, 50, has been dating estate agent Clere Collier for months.
      Widower Mark Chapman has found love againCredit: PA
      Chappers is dating Dubai estate agent Clere Collier
      It is his first relationship since wife Sara, 44, died of cancer in 2020.
      Mum-of-two Clere, 43, was once linked with pop singer Dane Bowers and is based in Dubai.
      She uses her contacts there to invest in London’s property market — and makes regular UK trips for work and to see Mark in Manchester, where the BBC broadcaster is based.
      Mark had three children with wife of 19 years Sara.
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      A source said: “It’s early days but Mark and Clere are in a good place and enjoying each other’s company.
      “Mark’s focus has always been his children and work, so a relationship was unexpected.
      “He and Clere are taking things slow and just seeing how it all plays out, but it’s clear to see they are really into each other.”
      Mark, who had three children with wife of 19 years Sara, is a Radio 5 Live regular and occasionally steps in for Gary Lineker on Match of the Day.
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      He also fronts Sky Sports’ Carabao Cup coverage and is regarded as one of the industry’s most talented presenters.
      Mark, affectionately known as Chappers, made his name as the sports presenter for Radio 1’s Newsbeat and was part of Sara Cox’s team when she hosted the station’s Breakfast Show.
      Premier League cult hero makes ‘excellent’ BBC MOTD debut as impressed fans say ‘give me more’
      He later went on to perform the same role for Scott Mills before going on to become a fixture at 5 Live and BBC television, which also saw him front the corporation’s NFL coverage before it moved to Channel 4.
      This is Mark’s first relationship since wife Sara died of cancer in 2020 aged 44Credit: Twitter
      Chapman has hosted Match of the Day 2 for over a decadeCredit: BBC More

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      Where is Gary Lineker and why isn’t he on Match of the Day?

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      GARY Lineker has been the backbone of the Match of the Day presenting team for almost a quarter of a century.But the former Leicester, Spurs and Barcelona striker wont be appearing on the show on Saturday February 10 — here we take a look at why.
      Gary Lineker was suspended from MOTD in March 2023 for breaking the Beeb’s impartiality rulesCredit: Rex
      Where is Gary Lineker and why isn’t he on Match of the Day?
      Gary Lineker has been forced to pull out of presenting Match of the Day on Saturday February 10, 2024.
      He usually hosts the football highlights show every Saturday night.
      Gary took to X, formerly Twitter, on the afternoon of the show he’s missing to break the news to fans.
      In typical style, he joked: “Some good news for some: I’ve been silenced….with a rotten cold that seems to be lasting forever.
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      “Hate missing hosting @BBCMOTD but I’ll be watching.”
      So instead of being in the studio, he’ll be convalescing at home.
      Fans were quick to wish the former striker well, with one person tweeting: “Get well soon Gary, we need you in strong voice!”
      Another commented: “Get well soon Gary!”
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      While a Newcastle fan joked: “Get well soon Gary. And you’re doing the right thing. We don’t want Wor Al catching it 🖤🤍.”
      Gary is regularly joined on the show by pundits including Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Micah Richards.
      MOTD and BBC Sport struck a new four-year agreement with the Premier League in December 2023, meaning the TV programme will continue to show Premier League highlights until 2029.
      Gary is also believed to be set to agree a huge contract extension with the BBC.
      Who has replaced Gary Lineker?
      Mark Chapman will step in to replace Gary while he is ill.
      The Manchester United fan has been a regular on Final Score and Match of the Day 2.
      So although Chappers is BBC Sport’s chief rugby league presenter, he also knows a thing or two about the beautiful game.
      When was Gary Lineker last missing from Match of the Day? 
      The BBC dramatically suspended Gary from Match of the Day in 2023, leading to the programme being broadcast without presenters, pundits or the usual commentary team over the weekend of March 11/12.
      This came after the BBC ruled that a tweet he posted about former Home Secretary Suella Braverman broke impartiality rules.
      Gary took to Twitter to hit out at the Illegal Migration Bill, which bans migrants who arrive on small boats from ever settling in Britain.
      His suspension sparked chaos as scores of his co-hosts launched a mutiny.
      A BBC spokesperson said: “Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.
      “We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”
      The show’s commentary also stood down, with commentators usually heard on football broadcasts outside of the UK replacing them.
      Gary and the team returned MOTD to present highlights of the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 18, 2023.
      More recently Gary missed the footy highlights and analysis programme on April 1, 2023.
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      It was no April Fool’s Day joke, as he explained in a tweet: “Just so there’s no misunderstanding, I won’t be doing @BBCMOTD tonight.
      “I’m not suspended, just on holiday. Back next week. 😂👍🏻” More

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      Gary Lineker pulls out of Match of the Day at last-minute as he says ‘I’ve been silenced’

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      GARY LINEKER has been forced to pull out of tonight’s Match of the Day.The England legend hosts the football highlights show every Saturday, but will not feature this evening.
      Gary Lineker has been forced to pull out of tonight’s episode of Match of the DayCredit: BBC
      Lineker revealed that he has a coldCredit: X @GaryLineker
      Instead, Mark Chapman will step in to replace him.
      Lineker took to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday afternoon to break the news to fans, confirming he is under the weather.
      In typical style, he did it with a joke.
      Lineker wrote: “Some good news for some: I’ve been silenced….with a rotten cold that seems to be lasting forever.
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      “Hate missing hosting @BBCMOTD but I’ll be watching.”
      Fans were quick to wish the former striker well, with one person tweeting: “Get well soon Gary, we need you in strong voice!”

      Another commented: “Get well soon Gary!”
      While a Newcastle fan joked: “Get well soon Gary. And you’re doing the right thing. We don’t want Wor Al catching it 🖤🤍.”
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      Lineker has presented Match of the Day for almost 25 years.
      He is regularly joined on the show by the likes of Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Micah Richards.
      Match of the Day and BBC Sport struck a new four-year agreement with the Premier League in December.
      The TV programme will continue to show Premier League highlights until 2029.
      Lineker is also set to agree a huge contract extension with the BBC.
      The Leicester legend has recently been embroiled in some controversies with the BBC.
      Last month he sparked a row and was slammed as “ignorant” after sharing a tweet calling to ban Israel from world football.
      Lineker reposted a statement on X from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be ousted from global tournaments and games “until it ends its grave violations of international law”.
      And last March he sparked an impartiality row after saying the Government rhetoric on immigration was similar to that of 1930s Germany. More

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      Legendary TV presenter got Micah Richards to say awful puns on Match of the Day – did you spot them?

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      MICAH RICHARDS once shoehorned some cheesy puns into his Match of the Day analysis after being asked to by Bradley Walsh.The former Manchester City star, 35, has become a studio regular alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.
      Micah Richards regularly appears on Match of the Day alongside Alan Shearer and Gary LinekerCredit: BBC Match of the Day
      Richards and Shearer love to have a laugh together on the MOTD sofaCredit: BBC Match of the Day
      While recording the iconic BBC show, the trio often allow themselves to have a little fun.
      Richards, Lineker and Shearer have also launched a podcast, The Rest is Football, together this season.
      During the latest episode, the latter revealed some of what they’ve gotten up to on set.
      Shearer, 53, had been asked by a listener about when England players shoehorned song titles into their interviews at the 1998 World Cup.
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      Lineker then similarly recounted an occasion on which his mates asked him to use the word “Cappuccino” on MOTD, leading to viewers giving him stick for being too “posh”.
      During an episode of Match of the Day back in October, Walsh texted Shearer.
      The 63-year-old has become a telly legend, but actually began his career as a footballer with Brentford in the late 1970s.
      After the Bees’ 3-0 win over Burnley on October 21, he asked Shearer to get some puns into his analysis.
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      Richards promptly delivered, calling Brentford’s midfield a “hive of activity” after marvelling at Saman Ghoddos’ brilliant goal.
      Shearer then added that Thomas Frank’s side were “buzzing”.
      Cristiano Ronaldo completed Man Utd transfer in my back garden
      Recounting the episode, the Newcastle legend revealed that Walsh subsequently sent him a video of himself “p***ing himself laughing” while watching on at home.
      Richards howled with laughter as he relived the moment, while Lineker joked: “Bradley Walsh’s puns are worse than mine!”
      During another recent episode, Lineker revealed a secret feud with former pal Jose Mourinho.
      After the pair had previously exchanged regular texts, Lineker revealed that they gradually grew distant.
      He explained: “I was asked to present him with the Man of the Year award at the GQ Awards that they do every year.
      “They asked me to present the trophy and I said ‘yes, I’ll do that for Jose, of course.’
      “Then about four days before the event, they got in touch and said ‘Jose has got in touch and he doesn’t want you to present the trophy to him, he wants someone that’s not in football.’
      “I thought ‘hmmm, that’s a bit odd’ but I thought I’ll go along to the event anyway and I went up to Jose and he kind of blanked me.
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      “I went ‘are we okay, are we okay Jose?’ He went ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ But he wasn’t okay and he’s never been okay since.
      “I do not know to this day whether it was something I said on Match of the Day, I genuinely have no idea. I interviewed him subsequently and he was very cold.”
      Former pals Gary Lineker and Jose Mourinho have grown distantCredit: Rex More

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      ‘I’m not sure people know this’ – Gary Lineker reveals Match of the Day’s contractual obligation with Premier League

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      GARY LINEKER has revealed that the BBC have a contractual agreement with the Premier League that limits the amount of game time that can be shown on Match of the Day.Just two Prem games took place on Saturday as Arsenal hosted Crystal Palace and Brentford faced Nottingham Forest.
      Gary Lineker has explained why the BBC can only show a limited amount of match footageCredit: Getty
      The bizarre fixture scheduling saw BBC highlights show Match of the Day altered, meaning host Alex Scott and pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams had more time to spend on analysis.
      However, ex-Manchester City star Micah Richards joked that Shearer spoke too much during the 35-minute show.
      Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards said: “Talk about overdoing it! You’re talking about (Martin) Odegaard with the socks! Talk about over-analysing a situation!”
      Shearer responded: “We had two hours spare in the afternoon, we had to do something.”
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      However, Lineker then chimed in to reveal why the pundits were forced to spend more time on analysis.
      The England icon explained that the BBC can only use a limited amount of match footage.
      He said: “I’m not sure if people know this but you’re only allowed a certain amount of time of each game.
      “I think it’s limited to something like a maximum of 12 minutes.
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      “So therefore whereas normally we would squeeze in six or eight games and condense our chatting into two or three minutes per game, when you’ve just got two games in 35 minutes you’ve got ten minutes or so to chat.
      “It’s a contractual obligation – I think it’s 12 minutes but I’ll check that.”
      While discussing Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace during the show, ex-Everton star Williams spotted a potential set-piece “trigger” from Martin Odegaard which involved the midfielder pulling up his socks.
      Williams explained: “There’s always a trigger for what the movement’s going to be.
      “We can see they have worked on whether it’s a front-post corner or a back-post corner.
      “If you keep an eye on Odegaard, we feel – maybe we’ve had too much time on our hands – but we feel that maybe he’s signalling something to the corner taker.
      “He’s in the same place for every corner and he’s playing with his socks.  
      “There is synchronicity regarded whether they go to the front or the back. Every clip we see here he is doing the same thing where he’s playing with his socks. It might be coincidence, yes.
      “But it is a big coincidence that he’s always there and always doing something with his sock.” More

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      Premier League cult hero makes ‘excellent’ BBC MOTD debut as impressed fans say ‘give me more’

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      PREMIER LEAGUE legend Glenn Murray made his Match of the Day debut to the delight of fans.The 40-year-old was joined in the studio by Gary Lineker and Micah Richards last night.
      Glenn Murray made his Match of the Day debut last nightCredit: BBC
      Murray scored 111 goals for Brighton during his lengthy careerCredit: PA
      Murray has previously only featured as a pundit on Match of the Day 2 and yesterday was his Saturday night TV debut.
      Since hanging up his boots in 2021, he has appeared on Sky Sports and often on BBC Radio 5 Live.
      Viewers were pleased to see him handed a chance on MOTD, one said: “More of Glenn Murray please, an excellent pundit.”
      Another added: “Glenn Murray knows football, fantastic analysis.”
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      The retired striker controversially agreed with VAR’s decision not to disallow Luton’s last-gasp equaliser against Burnley on Friday night.
      Clarets keeper James Trafford believed he was fouled by Elijah Adebayo as he came off his line to catch a cross, missing the ball as Carlton Morris headed home.
      Murray claimed not every bit of contact with a goalkeeper is a foul and No1s are “overprotected”.
      He has legendary status at Brighton, playing for the club in League One, the Championship and Premier League during his two spells with the Seagulls.
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      Murray scored 111 goals for them, 26 of which coming in the top-flight.
      He also played for Crystal Palace and Bournemouth in the Prem. More

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      BBC face two huge decisions over Gary Lineker replacement on Match of the Day and brand new football show

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      GARY LINEKER’S uncertain future is at the centre of two huge decisions facing the BBC over their football coverage.The Beeb will soon get a new director of sport – with an in-tray including who presents Match of the Day and a new Champions League show.
      Gary Lineker has suggested he won’t stay at MOTD much longerCredit: Handout
      Jermaine Jenas is rated as a prime contender to replace Lineker as well as for a role on the Beeb’s upcoming new Champions League programmeCredit: PA
      Ex-England striker Lineker, 63, has suggested his “time is nearly up” after 25 years fronting MOTD.
      And apart from the Saturday-night fans’ favourite show, the BBC must also assess their team for a fresh midweek programme after winning some Champions League rights from next season.
      Long-serving Barbara Slater is stepping down as the Beeb’s director of sport this spring.
      And The Times say whoever replaces her is expected to quickly address the MOTD situation.
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      There’s talk of former Tottenham and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas switching from being a pundit to a more Lineker-like lead role.
      The One Show host will start presenting TNT Sports’ Formula E coverage later this year.
      But Jenas, 40, has admitted he’d be interested in succeeding Lineker.
      He told The Mirror last month: “If the opportunity was to arise it’s obviously something I’d have to think about.
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      “My commitment is fully with the jobs that I have. That’s hosting Formula E, the bits that I do on The One Show.
      “Any punditry work that I’m doing with TNT Sports and the BBC are huge commitments of mine and something that I love.”
      Spurs and Barcelona legend Lineker, who is the Beeb’s top earner on £1.35million a year, has yet to reveal his plans or exactly how long he plans to stay on MOTD.
      But Jenas has praised him as almost a mentor.
      He said: “The big thing with this is Gary’s brilliant.
      “Love Gary. I’ve learned so much from him over the course of my career and there’s still loads more to learn from him.”  More