The Sport Thread

As well as any other arguments for replacing Murray, this move trims the arguably unecessarily high volume of football presenters at the BBC.

Of course, there's another view (expressed by Des Lynam recently) that 'Match of the Day 2' is regularly more significant than 'Match of the Day', in terms of the number of big games now being played on Sundays, and that the BBC's senior football presenter should be doing the big matches. So perhaps it would make more sense to have a general roster of Lineker and Chapman presenting on Saturdays or Sundays depending on the matches involved, with Gabby Logan continuing as relief cover.

Anyway - elsewhere, there's loads and loads of bowls on the BBC this week. It's been said before, and I'll say it again . . . this title sequence really is the oddest and most out-of-place I've seen for a sporting event in a long time! http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qbl97/Bowls_World_Indoor_Championships_2013_Highlights_Day_1/

Also, this page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/16660418 has changed in the last few days - giving an indication that, if Andy Murray reaches the semi-final in Melbourne, it might get a live airing on the BBC. Perhaps that was always going to be the arrangement - a semi-final involving Murray would be shown live.

If it were me I'd have Gabby Logan presenting MOTD2 with Mark Chapman taking over at Final Score.

Gabby's barely ever presenting FS, what with Rugby, Splash!, Athletics, and anyway, Chappers is much better in that role.

Gabby's late night Olympics programme was excellent, and this is the sort of role she excels in, rather than Final Score.

But maybe she was offered it and didn't fancy spending Sunday's in Salford away from family, who knows.

The role of course perhaps ought to belong to Dan Walker, if not for his stance on working on Sunday.

Strange for it to be announced so early, especially if as reported Colin Murray has been axed rather than stepped aside.

Also surely sooner rather than later they'll drop the "MOTD2" branding considering it's now moved to BBC1. I don't see why it can't be "MOTD Sunday" or just "MOTD", especially as it often features the bigger games of the weekend - although next season with BT having half the first picks on a Saturday that may change slightly.

Good to see Isabella Muller Reinhardt has had a new windshield sent out to Germany, proving even the smallest of details have not been forgotten.

Seems like the phase of promoting the ITV4 brand over the ITV Sport brand on stuff like this and cycling is over.

Also interesting on the trail for this weekends FA Cup coverage, they've sneakily used a split second of Bundesliga footage, given away by the Bundesliga 50th Anniversary DOG.

I wonder if the Rugby Highlights programme will have the new football graphics at the weekend, or whether they will just use the new green block ITV Sport logo in place of the old one on the 2006 graphics. I'm hoping they're allowed to use the new set.

I'd imagine this move will probably mean less, if any Mark Chapman on Final Score as that will mean working both days of the weekend and with children (or at least 1 son) he might well not want to do that (pure speculation). So we might see more Jason Mohammad .

Also just wondering, how many examples of BBC Sport axing presenters are there? ITV do it regularly, but it's very rare for the Beeb isn't it?

they shifted Ray Stubbs to make way for Manish Bhasin on Football Focus.

Remember the criteria for MOTD2 under the rights issue, MOTD is not currently permitted to go on the iPlayer, whereas MOTD2 albeit later than usual can. From next season the necessity for this differentiation goes, with MOTD on the iPlayer too., I expect that the branding will change axxordingly.

What's that got to do with anything? I'd be surprised if it doesn't stay as MOTD2, it's a popular brand and its meant to be a slightly different show - they don't want the same thing.

Don't forget MOTD2 has a slight but noticeable difference in approach to the main Match of the Day, with a larger pundit roster and consequently an absence of the staid boys' club atmosphere of Saturday nights. It's easily the superior programme and I hope it retains its distinctiveness... but this does suggest a move towards just being MOTD on Sunday.

He went to Final Score though which is the higher rated show. I think they wanted the more experience presenter for Final Score.

He was already the presenter of Final Score, although I think that move happened when they put Score on the red button for the whole afternoon. I think something was said at the time he was due to move over to The Football League Show, so opted to take the ESPN gig instead.