For the 2016/17 season, the BBC TV offering will consist of six programmes stripped across the weekend. In addition to MotD, the weekend’s action will include MOTD2 and MotD2 Extra presented by Mark Chapman, an extended hour long Football Focus with Dan Walker, Final Score with Jason Mohammad and The Premier League Show fronted by Gabby Logan. From Saturday 10 September, Football Focus will have a new start time of midday on BBC One*.

Expert analysis across all programmes will come from Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Jermaine Jenas, Danny Murphy, Kevin Kilbane, Trevor Sinclair, Ruud Gullit, Robbie Savage, Martin Keown, Jason Roberts, Mark Lawrenson, John Hartson, Dion Dublin, Garth Crooks, Danny Mills plus special guests throughout the season. Additional presentation comes from Manish Bhasin, Jacqui Oatley and Eilidh Barbour. The experienced line-up of MOTD commentators includes Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Jonathan Pearce, Simon Brotherton, Steve Bower and John Motson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...he-bbc-2016-17

Carragher is on the 3pm Irish games.

I'm assuming, as was the case during the BBC era, the rights demand that the highlights aren't shown until after 11pm. If that is the case I think it's a bit stupid, it doesn't do anything to promote the competition to a wider audience, especially now it's on C5. Fair enough if C5 have some regular programming they don't want to shift. I'm assuming it will be in the same slot in the next round, but it seems bizarre that you have Championship (and in international weeks, League One) clubs at 9pm and then the matches involving Premier League clubs at midnight.

The League Cup is brillant if you've got live rights - with all the games in primetime - but rubbish if you have the highlights. When the Beeb had live games between 2009 and 2012 it was the best thing that happened to the League Cup for ages.


I know. Never mind the new Football League Trophy, this competiton is a disaster.

Broadly as expected on the MOTD pundits - though it's a less impressive line-up than I remember it being. That said after some of the names like Vialli, Henry and Ferdinand appearing during the summer Dion Dublin maybe doesn't seem so impressive.

5 Live wise, interesting to see Fletch has a regular Friday night gig on 5Live with JJ.

Jason Mohammad sounds like he'll be busy on Saturdays too since he's now doing 606 as well as Final Score. Potentially having to deal with Garth Crooks and Robbie Savage in the same day - I don't envy him.

Reading that 5 Live presenter line-up too makes you realise how in-demand their sports presenters are- Cates, Chapman, Pougatch and Riley all have significant roles outside of 5 Live as well.

As ever good to see Jimmy Armfield continuing for another year. Always a joy to listen to and given the loss of the Texas League Cup music, it's good to see that not everything is changing.

Assuming 606 will be from Salford each week how regular will Savage appear on BT Sport Score which I assume comes from the Olympic Park? Will it be a fast bike from BT to a BBC Radio studio in London?


Similarly Jenas and Hartson for MotD duty. Where Soccer Saturday wins is consistency in pundits - the BT/BBC model surely will have to be heavily rotational due to other commitments. Will 'Arry do each one?

It was the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed (ok maybe being a bit overboard there) I actually thought the draw would be tonight after the last game and as worn out went off to bed only to get a text saying 'draw upcoming' So I got up like a kid on xmas eve to be told 'only a few mins away' 30 mins later it finally happened and then was so strange. Now as being a Chelsea fan I have been lucky not to see this draw before but I just couldn't work it out. Certain teams seeded, with the others already been drawn. I was expecting seeded teams all to be away but was alternate. And then when Chelsea came out we have got one of the Bristol teams but depends on Cardiff result tonight (can't see why Bristol City not seeded but Cardiff are when both from same division)

Sorry going for totally off topic but it really was painful to watch!!!

Its only the Eng League Cup, a competition set up to kill off european football competition in 1960 by the late, Bob Lord. It should be axed. Abolish the replays in the Eng Fa Cup and English football will have a winter break

Real shame Football focus does not start a bit earlier so it doesn't clash with the Sat 12.30 game. 11 to 12 would be much better, especially as there is no Fletch and Sav anymore.

Following the live Premier League broadcast, presenter Jake Humphrey and the pundits will bring the curtain down on the day’s action at 8pm with ‘Premier League Tonight’.

http://sport.bt.com/football/news/bt...tball_10082016

Forgot to set 'Final Score from NI' to record for last Saturday, so doing this as its replacement

The Irish League Show (BBCiPlayer from Monday)

Michael McNamee presented with Chris Morgan

Crusaders v Ballymena United - Thomas Kane (commentary)
Nacho Novo's Glentoran v Dungannon Swifts - Jackie Fullerton (commentary)
Ballinamallard United v Linfield - Gavin Anderson
Glenavon v Carrick Rangers - Gavin Anderson
Ards v Cliftonville - John Kearney (surname unsure of)

Much like Yeovils second goal against Walsall, a reporter had chance to say 'an early contender for goal of the seaon' for Linfield's second at Ballinamallard. I did like Michael saying at the start of the programme that despite new faces coming into some clubs, nothing has changed about the set. How many hints can he give?

Guy Mowbray's first Match of the Day assignment is the opening Premier League fixture of 2016-2017 between Hull City and Leicester City.
The rest of Saturday's matches should be up tomorrow.

Maybe, although it could also be the case that Sky elected not to show a match on Tuesday because it would go against the Super Cup, and rather than splitting the audience they could show one tonight when there's no football competition.

Tonight for Bristol Rovers vs Cardiff it's Simon Thomas, doing some BT-style walking around, with Peter Beagrie, and Gary Weaver and Don Goodman commentating.


Actually the same music as last season's Football League, because of course the Football League has changed theme tune this time round. A bit like when ITV stopped using Aztec Gold on The Big Match but started using it on Saint and Greavsie instead. The actual title sequence is, bar the clips, pretty much the same as last season, which just makes it even more annoying they've got rid of Texas.

The other familiar aspect that's gone for a burton too is the anthropomorphic Bet365 letters, which have been in use for about a decade now as well. They've got some new break bumpers which are totally different! What's going on with the world?!? Don't they know we need certainty in these turbulent times?


My favourite bit in the press release is the Notes For Editors which says images from Saturday's Match of the Day will be available at 10.35 that night. I am very amused that the underpants are the only thing mentioned in the billing on the EPG, as opposed to all the actual football.


I know, although George Gavin at least did it slightly better than Simon Thomas a few years ago who missed out one of the non-seeded teams and got totally out of sync for a couple, having to stop and go back. It doesn't seem to be very accountable, either, I don't know if the list of non-seeded teams is published anywhere, so they may as well just be making it up (not that they are, but you know what I mean).

I don't know why they do it like this, even with seeding you end up with a load of dull ties between teams in the same division. As you say, they may as well draw all the seeded teams away, it would certainly make it easier to follow. Around the turn of the century they did the draw for every round in one go, like Wimbledon, so you'd have Winner Of Match A vs Winner Of Match B, and then the winner of that would play the winner of C vs D and so on, which was an interesting way to do it. Would have made more sense than this.

Someone also pointed out on Twitter that they used balls for it, whereas for many years they've used cubes. DRAW VOID.


In terms of ratings it wouldn't be very good, though, it does well enough where it is and BBC1 have other things at 11am which do very well as well. I watch Football Focus live and then join the Premier League in progress, unless that features Liverpool. And of course many of the audience don't have the choice as they don't have Sky.

Re football league music I didn't appreciate it had changed, so yes it's last year's.

Have to say last year's football league music really annoys me as different part of the song would make excellent titles imho. They pick the worst part of the song by far.

I presume mnf stays with no cars. Not a clue what will happen to other titles

What is song behind New efl titles?

OK, here’s a really pedantic point.

When Neville is on MNF, where will he stand?

When he was on before, he always stood on the far side away from the presenter, with Carragher in the middle.

When Neville left, Carragher moved to the far side, with any guest in the middle.

So this season:

- When Neville not there, Carragher will be far side for certain.

- But when Neville is there, who goes on far side?

I think that’s much harder to predict than whether Jeff Stelling will present FNF from the studio or the ground!

I think Neville will be next to presenter. I think they will also do 30 mins post match on valencia, or 15 mins before.

I guess 40 days min for Neville means if he is on super Sunday it counts as one day, even if there are three games. If so I expect Neville on about 25 super Sun, 10 mnf and 5 other. I suspect he may do a few more games.

As for Sun I predict Hawthorne and Neville at Bournemouth, then Tyler and Smith at arsenal. Will be one of the few times they don't get full money out of Neville!

One thing I found surprising about the BBC press release is that the only R5L commentators listed are John Murray, Alan Green and Ian Dennis.

Is that right? Surely those three can’t be doing all 144 games?

Darren fletcher mentioned on twitter I think that he would be doing Friday night's on 5 live this year

Edit: Fletcher to commentator with jeans if there is a Fri game in addition to usual presenting

OK – thanks – but that still leaves 134 games!

I think mcnamara will do some games.

1 game a week (like at sky) gets you to 105 games. Add in six mid weeks and that's 111.

Leaves just 23.

On sky I suspect almost perfectly Tyler, Hawthorne, parry will do 35 games each. Tyler might get bonus match or two. Leslie to do 21 games. I think Mann becomes main football league, but leslie backs up on weeks he has no pl

What will he be wearing for the other games?

I think generally we can presume it's a broad overview rather than a definitive list. Obviously with the Olympics it's highly likely there will be other commentators used over the next few weeks. Those three are the highest profile and will probably have the regular slots when available. But I'm pretty certain the likes of Brown, McNamara and Bruce-Ball will do some of them. I was also wondering if Phil Neville would pop up on the BBC at all but seemingly nothing planned yet. Was Chris Waddle mentioned in the BBC press release?

I don't think Tyler, Hawthorne and Parry will get equal numbers of games.

I don't see them sending Neville to Bournemouth. He'll he at the Arsenal/Liverpool game or won't be used at all. I think Smith will be at Hull/Leicester with either Hawthorne or Parry for the opener.

Darren Fletcher confirmed that he'll do "some" Friday night commentaries on Twitter. I'd imagine if a huge game ended up on a Friday, a John Murray or Alan Green would be used as the senior commentators.

Indeed, plus in recent seasons of course the TV commentators have done maybe a dozen between them and I don't see why that won't continue. But they're not going to be mentioned in the press release twice. As you say, one of the commentators they do mention is unavailable for the first two weeks of the season anyway.