Latest news with #GaryLineker
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Steve Rider's 20-year grudge with Gary Lineker after ex-Match of the Day host 'took his job' - as iconic broadcaster sends parting shot following retirement
Broadcasting great Steve Rider has sensationally claimed that former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker 'took his job'. Rider's 48-year-career in the industry came to an end on Sunday as he was part of ITV4's presentation team for the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park. He became a familiar face on British TV screens after becoming a regular presenter on BBC 's Grandstand. Rider also led coverage for rugby, golf, motorsports and rowing events for the BBC, along with Sports Personality of the Year. He then left the BBC in 2005 to join ITV, where he became the anchor of their F1 and World Cup coverage. Now his feud with ex-Match of the Day anchor Lineker, which stretches back two decades, can be revealed. When he returned to ITV in 2005, Rider was said to be unimpressed by the BBC's decision to replace him as its leading golf presenter with Gary Lineker. Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: 'Most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job.' Rider also expressed surprise at Lineker's zeal to become involved with politics while working for the organisation. He added: 'To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC. 'That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. 'He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it.' Those comments come a decade after he described the R&A - golf's governing body - of being 'pompous' and acting as though they were 'superior beings'. Further scathing comments to The Golf Paper in 2015 saw him state: 'For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. 'Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short. 'Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre. 'But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it's even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I was replaced on the BBC by Gary Lineker and haven't spoken to him since, I knew he was the wrong man in the wrong job
GARY LINEKER was the wrong man to present the BBC's live golf coverage, claims the man he replaced. Steve Rider, who hung up his mic over the weekend, left the Beeb in 2005 to join ITV. 3 3 With Rider, now 75, having presented the BBC 's live golf coverage prior to his exit, the Corporation opted to replace him with Match of the Day host Lineker. Rider initially kept quiet about his replacement, until in 2015 when Lineker took a swipe at the R&A in St Andrews. The former England captain was upset with the R&A's decision to flog rights to the Open, previously held by the Beeb, to Sky Sports. Lineker called the R&A "pompous" and "superior" - which Rider took issue with. The veteran presenter called Lineker at the time "the wrong man in the wrong job", before adding: "Gary was honest enough to step aside from the golf, but his attack on the R&A was sour and misguided in the extreme." Rider has now claimed that Lineker "blundered" into politics during an interview with the Telegraph. Reflecting on the presenter's controversial BBC exit, Rider added: "To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC. "That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. 3 "He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it." Rider has not spoken to Lineker since criticising his swipe at the R&A a decade ago. During his stint with the BBC, Rider hosted Sports Personality of the Year alongside Des Lynam. Taking aim at the current incarnation of SPOTY, the outgoing ITV stalwart said: "The commercial aspect took over. "The thinking was, 'Let's take it to a 5,000-seat arena with a big shiny floor'. It killed the chemistry. "Unfortunately, this happened just as the BBC's involvement in sport started declining. "Now it's very, very uncomfortable to see. It's not the type of programme you would invent now. "It has become a bit of a ball and chain.'
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gary Lineker's downfall at the BBC was 'inevitable' insists TV legend
Gary Lineker left the BBC last month after sharing an anti-Semitic post on social media and former BBC presenter Steve Rider has shared his thoughts on the situation Gary Lineker's early exit from the BBC has been branded 'inevitable' by fellow sports presenter Steve Rider. Lineker's time at the BBC came to an end last month after he issued an apology for sharing an anti-Semitic post on social media. The former England striker was originally set to depart the BBC following the 2026 World Cup, but the social media most prompted Lineker and the broadcaster to come to terms on an agreement for him to leave early. And Rider, who left the BBC for ITV in 2005 after Lineker replaced him as presenter of the broadcaster's golf coverage, believes both parties are at fault. "To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC," Rider told the Telegraph. "That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it." Since departing the BBC, Lineker has largely been focused on his Goalhanger Podcasts company, which produces the popular 'The Rest is Football ' show that he hosts alongside his former Match of the Day colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. The podcast was being hosted on BBC Sounds, but was dropped in the wake of Lineker's departure and has since moved to DAZN for the Club World Cup. The deal allows the show to feature licensed match footage from the tournament, with DAZN having forked out around $1billion (£743m) for the rights. "The Rest Is Football isn't just being listened to — it's being watched, shared, and talked about across Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, X, and Instagram," said Tony Pastor, who co-founded Goalhanger with Lineker and Jack Davenport. "Partnering with DAZN to bring official match clips into the mix is the natural next step — adding energy, context, and taking the conversation to the next level. With over six million episode views and listens each month, and huge engagement across social, it's already the UK's most popular sports podcast. "As the way fans experience football evolves, The Rest Is Football is right at the heart of it." DAZN's chief executive of growth markets, Pete Oliver, added: "The Rest Is Football is essential viewing and listening for fans who want insight, entertainment, and personality — and this partnership is a brilliant way to bring the FIFA Club World Cup even closer to that audience. "It's about connecting global football with the voices fans trust and love, and showing the tournament in a fresh, exciting, and authentically British way. As the global broadcast partner of the FIFA Club World Cup and the only place where fans in the UK can watch every game for free, there was no better partner than Goalhanger."
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Gabby Logan gives VERY blunt response when asked about BBC equal pay and reveals she cried on the sofa and said 'people don't like me' after Strictly elimination
Gabby Logan gave a very blunt response when she was asked if she would receive the same salary as Gary Lineker on Match Of The Day. The presenter, 52, is replacing Gary on the BBC series where he was the broadcaster's highest paid star on £1.35million a year. When asked if she had demanded equal pay upon taking his old job, Gabby told The Times: 'That's all sorted.' When asked what she meant by that, she again replied: 'It's sorted.' Gabby, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates are set to split presenting duties for Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 when they begin their new role upon Gary's departure. The trio created a secret WhatsApp group to discuss all things Match of the Day and strike a closer bond ahead of the big reveal - and even deleted messages to make sure the news stayed between them. Elsewhere during the interview, Gabby discussed her time on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 where her husband Kenny Logan also competed. Former rugby player Kenny made it to the top five but Gabby was the fourth contestant sent home during their series. The early elimination deeply hurt her at the time and she recalled crying 'People don't like me' into her sofa the day she was voted off the show. 'It was a harsh lesson, learning that sometimes not everyone likes you,' she said. 'You realise the parts of your personality that you thought were attributes as a sportswoman are not valued. 'I was told I was being too competitive, whereas I was thinking, 'I thought that was good. That's what I did in sport — and it worked — and that's what my husband is doing.' Gabby took part on Strictly in 2007 and she thinks there was a cultural shift on the programme in later years where more competiitve women were appreciated. Although Match Of The Day fans are set to see plenty of switches in the hosting chair from week to week, Gabby has urged that changes to the iconic highlights show will not be seismic. 'Nobody wants to throw the baby out with the bath water. It's a football highlights show, we've got the same kind of pundits… and it's all about the football,' the presenter told the ainslie + ainslie Performance People podcast. It is understood BBC executives, headed by new director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski, are eager to move the show in a fresh direction with the appointment of Logan, Chapman and Cates. Having a rotating cast and two female presenters on Match of the Day is a huge change for the show after over a quarter of a century with Lineker in the hotseat. Logan applauded the fact that broadcasting is a 'completely different landscape' for women working in sport, both in front of and behind the camera. 'There are now so many great male and female broadcasters,' she added. 'But also, so many more females working in sports, not just in front of the camera or the microphone, but also behind the scenes. Gabby, who works as a pundit for multiple networks, applauded the fact that broadcasting is a 'completely different landscape' for women, both in front of and behind the camera 'It's like any business, if you say we have a 50/50 male and female split but all the women are doing the low paid jobs, that's not 50/50, that's a hierarchy that's male-dominated. 'It's been really good development to hear women's voices in your ears and hearing them say they're the director which is great. 'Hopefully it's a better environment than when we were starting out. It's definitely a much more positive place generally.'
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Gabby Logan thought public ‘didn't like her' after Strictly exit
Broadcaster Gabby Logan revealed she cried after being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing in 2007, having been told she was too competitive. Logan, who finished 11th with partner James Jordan, reflected that her competitive nature, valued in sports, was not appreciated on the show. She believes there was a societal shift between 2007 and 2012, where competitive women became celebrated, unlike her experience on Strictly. Logan stated she was not playing the game expected of a woman at the time, implying a need for faux humility. Gabby Logan, alongside Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman, is set to take over Gary Lineker 's role as Match of the Day presenters for the upcoming football season.
