The new era of Match of the Day: lots of Wayne Rooney and comforting dad jokes

The new Match of the Day has comic-book-style credits. When Bournemouth emerges, your screen explodes with fruit machine cherries, and when Cole Palmer does, it freezes. Under a blue moon, Erling Haaland sits in the lotus stance. However, the camera disappears inside the bottom of the Premier League trophy, down a silver tube, and out straight onto Mark Chapman’s face, saving the most improbable moment for when the title card displays.

Chapman is the host of Radio 5 Live and a veteran of BBC Sport. He is by no means unknown, but in this instance, a stylist had seized him and given him a more modern vibe, complete with designer stubble and a cream overshirt that hung loosely from his shoulders. He must manage being familiar and new as one of three presenters tasked with bringing the BBC’s storied Football highlights program out of the Gary Lineker era. That’s MotD heritage; he accomplished this by making a dad joke about it.

“You may have seen and heard that there is a big change to the show this season”, Chapman said as we emerged from the trophy tunnel. “And that is … Wayne Rooney has joined us a regular pundit.” Pause for laughter. “Some things don’t change, Alan Shearer is still here”, he went on as Rooney audibly chuckled in the background.

There’s seldom time to linger when it comes to Match of the Day, and we jumped right into the action after Chapman and his teammates introduced themselves in their ribbed polo shirts. Rooney described the change in offensive breadth that opened up the game as we started with Sunderland and their thrilling first-round victory against West Ham. The former Plymouth manager of the Black Cats claimed, “I actually got one of my only wins against them.” “Well done, got that in early,” Chapman said.

After that, it was City and some exaggeration about a new acquisition (a long-standing opening day inclination): “Nearly the perfect midfield performance,” Shearer observed of Tijjani Reijnders. Martin Dubravka became the first goalie to give up a corner for holding the ball for more than eight seconds during Spurs vs. Burnley. Penalty decisions, which have arguably captivated MotD producers the most over the last 10 years, were the starting point of the Brighton vs. Fulham argument. Additionally, there was a BBC advertisement for an interview with, well, Rooney, elsewhere. “Blimey, you’re taking over”, said Chapman.

In front of a group of preoccupied influencers, Rooney was the star of a football-themed pub in Shepherd’s Bush’s Westfield on Thursday night as the BBC began their coverage of the next season. In addition to appearing on MotD and doing interviews elsewhere, he will have his own twice-weekly podcast this year, where he will be “diving into the football debates that are dominating your algorithm,” according to the BBC. The play was characterized as “not intentionally funny, just funny,” and Rooney was hidden by a projection of his own face when he took the stage to discuss it. So keep an eye out for that one.

As a pundit, the legend of Manchester United and England exhibits promise. He can speak, and on Saturday night, when you could see he was searching for the proper word, he was able to come up with it. He is definitely able to draw on his extensive expertise and tactical knowledge to compare Alexander Isak’s current circumstances to the time he submitted a transfer request at Old Trafford. Most intriguingly, he still has the bite that made him stand out as a player, and explosive reactions are probably in store.

The idea will delight those who want to control any algorithms, but it also highlights the conflict between the BBC’s new approach and a 62-year-old TV classic. Sports coverage from the BBC has always been dependable, steady, and moderate. As evidenced by the fact that the BBC’s coverage of the Lionesses’ victory at the Euros last month was the most watched broadcast in the UK this year, it is part of what allowed the country to sit and watch it together. At least historically, it has not been a venue for the purposefully offensive “hot takes” style of digital punditry.

However, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that less than half of 16 to 24 year olds watch broadcast TV, and the average BBC One watcher is in their 60s. The BBC has a responsibility to cater to those viewers, and it is evident that their new season’s approach takes them into consideration. The phrase goes, “We’re following the fans, not just covering the games.” The numerous individuals who center their lives around their coverage will be hoping that it doesn’t change significantly. Certainly listening to Don Hutchison on 5 Live on Friday night was as informed an introduction to the season as you are likely to hear, even if it did go on a bit.

Chapman concluded the season’s first episode by saying, “You could say the more things change, the more they stay the same.” However, there is one shift that might prove to be very disruptive. With presenters and suits alike trying to tread an impossibly fine line between reliability and novelty, the BBC has managed this season to bring forward the time it can showPremier Leaguehighlights online. After years of annoyance over outdated embargoes, you may now see the goals starting at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night. At the same time, it also means you can have worked through all the action hours before the BBC’s flagship show has even gone on air. Funny old game, as they used to say.