It’s a truly special date on the footballing calendar: the opening day of Euro 2024.
The whole continent will be talking about it. In the UK, thousands will take to social media to share their thoughts on the game they just watched on TV, specifically whether they thought the star of the show, the person who has advanced to the very top of their industry, had a good night or not.
Yes, Sam Matterface will be trending at 10pm.
Rating and debating football commentators, pundits and presenters are almost as prevalent as talking about actual football.
So who are the BBC and ITV taking to Germany to fill your screens for the next month? Let The Athletic be your guide.
In the studio
BBC
Presenters: Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Alex Scott
Pundits: Micah Richards, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Ellen White, Joe Hart, David Moyes, James McFadden, Rachel Corsie, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, Ashley Williams
A strong line-up which includes five players from Fabio Capello-era England (Rooney, Lampard, Ferdinand, Hart, Richards), a Premier League manager in Frank (Thomas, not Lampard) who’ll be there for his native Denmark against England and a Championship manager in new Plymouth Argyle boss Rooney, whose punditry output has skyrocketed in recent months. Rooney hasn’t ironed out his awkwardness yet but tends to give refreshingly unvarnished opinions.
Tactical nous comes from Fabregas, who will manage Como in Serie A next season and makes a welcome return, McFadden is a straight-talking regular on Scottish football screens and, fresh from Soccer Aid, White is an intriguing addition, as is the recently-retired, punditry-debutant Hart.
Expect Moyes to look 10 years younger than he did in the dugout for West Ham a month ago.
Typical exchange
Lineker: “Not great defending from Luke Shaw there. You might say he left England a little bit Shaw-t.”
Shearer: “Yeah, I’m afraid so Gary, he’s been very poor. Reminds me of Micah in his Aston Villa days.”
Richards: “AHHHHHHHH! Are you joking Al? I BURST onto the scene! Big Meeks! (Switches to 0.5 speed) No, but, yeah, he’s, not, having, a, good, game.”
ITV
Presenters: Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods
Pundits: Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl, Christina Unkel
‘Punditry? I’ll give it a go, mate’ (Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
Three fascinating new names on this list. There is the big-name signing of the summer in Tottenham Hotspur boss Postecoglou, Sheffield Wednesday manager and former Germany assistant Rohl, whose tactical insight will be fascinating, and U.S. refereeing analyst Unkel, a regular across the pond on CBS.
ITV’s strong suit is the Keane, Wright and Neville triumvirate. As anyone who watches/listens to the consistently excellent Stick to Football podcast will know, they have a natural and very watchable rapport.
Souness is the Scot on the list (ITV only have their opener with Germany) and it will be interesting to see what a year away from mainstream TV coverage has done for his outlook.
Pougatch and Woods are naturals and both make the job look easy, asking brisk, pertinent questions while staying completely inoffensive to pretty much everyone.
Laura Woods, Eni Aluko and Ian Wright will feature in ITV’s coverage (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Typical exchange
Wright: “Roy, why you getting so vexed? You need some peace and love in your life, man.”
Keane: “No, Wrighty come on — that’s an absolutely shocking miss. Shocking.”
Producer in Keane’s ear: “Just say the line please Roy, we need a clip for socials.”
Keane: “Just do your job!”
Postecoglou: “Mate, mate, mate, mate, mate.”
Souness: “Paul Pogba is a disgrace.”
At the games
BBC
Commentators: Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower, Jonathan Pearce
Co-commentators: Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas, McFadden, Shearer
A familiar list for the BBC is headed up by Mowbray, who was joined by Jenas for Euro 2020 and Qatar 2022.
Jenas, Murphy and Keown split opinion at best. Co-commentary is probably the weakest area of football broadcasting — not specifically at the BBC but everywhere. So many forget the analysis part and just roll out tired cliches, soundbites, random noises or awful jokes. It’s one of the reasons Emma Hayes stood out so much for her excellent tactical missives during Euro 2020 on ITV.
To that end, you feel the BBC line-up is probably in need of a refresh. McFadden should be good though and Shearer is just about the best co-commentator on TV.
Typical exchange
Mowbray: “And Bellingham can’t quite run the gauntlet of French defenders.”
Murphy: “You’re not on Gladiators now, Guy.”
Mowbray: “(Inexorably long pause) No. Although now you mention it, series two coming up later this year. OK, no more mentions, promise.”
Murphy: “Chance would be a fine thing.”
ITV
Commentators: Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen, Joe Speight
Co-commentators: Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend
For Mowbray and Gladiators on the Beeb, read Dancing on Ice’s Matterface for ITV, whose commentator roster also includes safe pair of hands Tyldesley, Sky Sports regular Hutchinson and Meulensteen, daughter of former Manchester United assistant manager Rene.
On co-comms, three very different personalities and characters, from Luton Town winger Townsend to the ever-convivial McCoist and the increasingly Mark Lawrenson-esque Dixon.
Matterface is definitely better when he reins it in a bit. And, seriously, where is Jon Champion?
Typical exchange
Tyldesley: “And Kane has won it!”
McCoist: “Oooooh, I am very much here to tell you that that is a goal, by the way. It really is.”
In the camps
BBC: Kelly Somers (England camp), Eilidh Barbour (Scotland camp)
ITV: Gabriel Clarke (England camp), Connie McLaughlin (Scotland camp), Celina Hinchcliffe (general)
Plenty of excellence on show here. Somers and Clarke are familiar faces/voices on England duty with contrasting styles.
They’ll both ask the tough questions but in very different ways: Somers, the epitome of the positive media-player relations fostered during Gareth Southgate’s tenure, is reminiscent of Davina McCall warmly interviewing a Big Brother contestant post-eviction, while Clarke’s style still feels like he’s interrogating an insurgency rebel on a Dispatches special.
‘Gareth Southgate, you’re live on the BBC. Please do not swear’ (Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
On the radio
BBC Radio 5 Live
Presenters: Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, Steve Crossman
Commentators: John Murray, Ian Dennis, Alistair Bruce-Ball, Vicki Sparks
Co-commentators and analysts: Chris Sutton, Matthew Upson, Pat Nevin, Izzy Christiansen, Conor Coady, Dion Dublin, Theo Walcott, Clinton Morrison, Paul Robinson, Jose Fonte, Jen Beattie, Robert Huth, Stephen Warnock, Mario Melchiot
Radio 5 Live sets a very high bar and remains towards the top end of the best football coverage you will find on any medium. Chapman and Cates are as good as it gets, as are experienced, concise and extremely listenable commentators Murray and Dennis.
Nevin is one of the most eloquent and knowledgeable co-commentators on radio or TV and there are some compelling additions in Leicester City defender Coady (a media natural), former Leicester defender Huth (who is perplexingly one of few Germans on any of these lists), and the erudite, calming presence of Beattie, who won 143 caps for Scotland.
No Chris Waddle for another fiery rant when England get knocked out, though.
TalkSPORT
Presenters: Jeff Stelling, Adrian Durham, Natalie Sawyer, Hugh Woozencroft
Commentators: Jim Proudfoot, Joe Shennan, Ian Danter, Alex Crook
Co-commentators and analysts: Stuart Pearce, Ashley Young, Moyes, Emmanuel Petit, Darren Bent, Chris Iwelumo, Tash Dowie, Mick McCarthy, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk, Souness
TalkSPORT newbie Stelling heads up their coverage with seasoned regulars Durham, Woozencroft and Sawyer.
There are some big-name additions to their punditry roster, notably Petit, Moyes and Everton full-back Young.
McCarthy is a Marmite figure but there is no one on any of these lists who will say things gruffer or straighter than the ultimate uncompromising Yorkshireman.
(Top photo: Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
