We’re delighted to announce that Mark Chapman, host of Match of the Day 2 and BBC 5 Live sport, is joining JOE as a columnist for the new season.
We caught up with Mark to hear about his experiences in the Match of the Day hot seat, who he’s looking forward to watching in the Premier League, and his highlights from a summer of sport in the UK…
Are there any signings that stand out for you in the Premier League?
I’m really looking forward to seeing Morgan Schneiderlin at Manchester United because I remember Tony Pulis saying to me two years ago that he thought he was the most complete midfielder in the country – so I’ve always watched him closely since then.
From a United point of view, it’s a refreshing signing because it’s one they actually need rather than showing off that they can get this or that superstar. Schneiderlin is a typical Alex Ferguson signing – someone they really need but haven’t smashed a record for. It’s more of an old-school United signing.
Is he the missing link for a title challenge?
No. I’d be very, very surprised if United challenge this season. I think Arsenal, Chelsea and City are still a step ahead.
Was it a nervous experience going on Match of the Day for the first time?
It sounds weird, but the thing that makes me nervous is music and theme tunes. You’re sat in that chair the first time you do it and you hear the music start and there’s a moment when you do think “Sh*t, I’m about to present Match of the Day.”
I’ve never massively thought about the amount of people that watch it because one of the first things I was taught when wanting to get in to broadcasting and doing work experience was that you focus on talking to one person, whether it’s TV or radio. That’s the way to do it.
What have been your highlights on the show?
I remember standing up with Alan Shearer and going through defending the near post on a corner. When we were watching a game before the show, he said: “He can’t have his body position like that, it should be like this. I did that role for ten years”.
So I immediately said we’ll cover that tonight – because you think of Alan Shearer giving expertise on putting the ball in the net, not necessarily on how to defend a corner.
It was something a bit different – I enjoy when you’re shown how to do something, which Sky Sports’ cricket coverage is very good at. We don’t tend to do that enough in football.
Also, having been a centre-half throughout all my amateur football career, I particularly enjoy standing toe-to-toe with former players and thinking ‘Yeah, I could beat you in the air’. I said that to Shearer but he just pointed out that he’d elbow me in the face!
Are you a fan of using statistical analysis?
I think the football industry as a whole has become over-reliant on stats. We had a show with Kevin Kilbane where we slagged off the stat culture. I knew it would create a talking point and perhaps annoy people. I don’t mind stats as long as they’re relevant – but as Kilbane said, even the players have become obsessed with them to a certain extent.
Let’s take pass completion for example – you could say ‘player x has a pass completion rate of 97%’ and use that stat as a positive. But you need the context – all 40 passes could have gone sideways three yards, which was Tom Cleverley for a while.
I remember seeing one of Tim Sherwood’s first games at Villa Park actually, and Cleverley got the ball, turned, ran forwards and smashed it over from 30 yards. His stats will then just show a missed shot that ended up in the Holte End, but surely that gives more impetus and momentum than going sideways.
What have been your highlights from a summer of sport in the UK?
The Ashes, without a shadow of a doubt. Along with football, cricket’s my thing.
What I find really refreshing is that the England team just look like they enjoy playing cricket. You don’t see that enough with a lot of sportsmen and women. I know that’s easy to say as someone who hasn’t played in high-pressure situations, but it is meant to be fun.
Do you think there’s a fear culture in sport these days?
I don’t know if this is because of social media or whatever, but one of the interesting things in sport now is that you’re not allowed to make a mistake anymore, both during the game and in punditry.
In a lot of sports there is a fear culture, and if you’re worried about making mistakes you don’t perform to the highest of your ability. The media are responsible for that as well – we pore over everything. Sometimes you can slag off a defender, but at the same time you have to acknowledge when it’s just a fantastic goal.
Have you ever had any stick on social media?
Yes, when Brighton sacked Gus Poyet when he was on TV with me at the time. They waited until we were on air then put a statement out. During the first half Gus went out of the studio to take a call and when he came back in I had the statement in front of me.
I said “I assume you’ve just had that conversation with Brighton?” and he said “Yeah”. So we had a talk about it and decided how we’d deal with it at half time.
But a lot of people seemed to think that Gus was completely unaware about what was going on and that I sacked him live on TV! For the next 48 hours I just got hammered on social media – it wasn’t even worth replying because it only makes things worse.
Finally, who’s your sports personality of 2015 so far?
Joe Root – not only for talent, but because he’s playing with a smile on his face. When Alastair Cook at slip missed a catch, got hit in the b*llocks and Joe Root – rather than make sure he was alright – was just crouched over giggling, that was my Ashes highlight. Because as every man knows, when it happens to someone else it’s the funniest thing in the world.
Cook takes a ball in the balls in the slips… Good support from Joe Root 😂 pic.twitter.com/jpiVlcXpjc
— Winging It: A Crystal Palace Podcast (@WingingItCPFC) July 9, 2015
