Throughout this World Cup social media has been filled with a lot of debates. Which team looks best placed to go all the way and win? Who have been the best players? And who Gareth Southgate absolutely has to pick for England’s next game?
But the one debate that seems to engage everyone across the UK comes when choosing the best commentator, co-commentator, pundit and presenter at the World Cup. Due to the matches being shared by British broadcasters BBC and ITV, there are a variety of choices from which viewers can pick in each category.
READ MORE:
-
Gareth Southgate’s successor: England may already have the answer
-
The 10 best players who have made it to the World Cup quarter-finals
To gain some perspective on who is considered the best for each role for this year’s World Cup coverage, The Sportsman ran a series of polls on Twitter to find out the answer and you, our audience, delivered.
So here it is, the UK's dream World Cup TV line-up.
Presenter - Gary Lineker - 47.3%
A strong backing for the BBC’s leading man. Lineker is enjoyed for his insight, his banter with his pundits in the studio and of course for his handling of certain situations, with that pre-opening game monologue surrounding Qatar being a standout moment from this tournament. To many he is considered part of the furniture when it comes to football coverage in Britain and he is still very much the nation’s top pick.
@GaryLineker says Gareth Southgate should rest Kyle Walker against Senegal.
Agree? 🤔
#BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball
Pundit - Roy Keane - 40.4%
This doesn’t come as a surprise because the internet seems to blow up when the Irishman is having a full-on rant on a team or individual's performance if they are not at the races. Twitter is constantly filled with graphics quoting the former Manchester United midfielder whenever he is in the studio and viewers just cannot seem to get enough.
Co-commentator - Ally McCoist - 85.5%
The Scot won this by a landslide and it comes as a shock to no one. McCoist offers great insight when he is up in the gantry and he also has a good personality to go with it. He uses his experiences as a player to explain in detail moments that occur in the match, and he is regarded as one of the most empathetic co-commentators in the business. What is also great about his commentary is that if he is unaware of something, he won’t throw in any old input to suggest that he does. He just sticks to the stuff he knows well and that is what stands him above a lot of his peers.
Commentator - Clive Tyldesley - 59.2%
There is still a huge public outcry that Tyldesley was replaced by Sam Matterface as ITV’s leading commentator but viewers have still been getting plenty of doses of the experienced commentator in Qatar. Tyldesley and McCoist are perceived as the best duo to cover games in the gantry and fans are always extra excited for matches when the pair unite. Clive is fondly remembered for some of the great Champions League nights on ITV in the past, and like Lineker at the BBC, it is hard to imagine football coverage on the channel without him.