35% of football fans think that the new hosts of Match of the Day - Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates – will be better than the previous format, according to a survey commissioned by bookmaker Coral.
The bookies asked more than 1,000 football fans for their thoughts on all things related to TV ahead of the new Premier League season. The poll also found that 47% were looking forward to watching Wayne Rooney as a pundit on the BBC’s football highlights programme, which tallies with the 59% of fans that prefer hearing from former players rather than professional football analysts.
Football fans also voted Match of the Day icon Guy Mowbray as their favourite football commentator, while Ally McCoist was the most popular co-commentator as part of the survey.
Guy Mowbray picked up 43% of the votes, with Jonathan Pearce (38%) and Jon Murray (37%), rounding out the top three football commentators. Among the top 10 most popular commentators were the likes of Sam Matterface (34%), Darren Fletcher (33%) and Peter Drury with 30%.
Ally McCoist topped the list as the nation’s favourite co-commentators with 44% of the vote, while Alan Shearer (39%) and Gary Neville (36%) also featured in the top three. Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher were also in the top 10 with 32% of the vote.
When it comes to how they consume live football, fans ranked Sky Sports the highest channel with 54% of the vote, while the next most popular was Amazon Prime with 39%. Radio Five Live was the third most popular choice at 37%
This season also sees the introduction of camera access to dressing rooms and touchline interviews with substituted players, a move that 55% of fans are in favour of.
David Stevens, Head of PR at Coral said: “Football fans love watching the beautiful game on the big box and, while the jury might be out on the new era for Match of the Day, it’s clear that commentators like Guy Mowbray and Ally McCoist are still firm fan favourites. With supporters now getting access to dressing rooms and substituted players, its shaping up to be a different ball game on the box.”
Coral survey results
What do you think of the new Match of the Day line-up?
Better – 35%
The same - 44%
Worse – 21%
Are you looking forward to watching Wayne Rooney on Match of the Day?
Yes – 47%
No – 53%
Do you prefer listening to professional football analysts over former players?
Yes – 41%
No – 59%
Who is your favourite football commentator (ranked)?
Guy Mowbray - 43%
Jonathan Pearce -38%
Jon Murray - 37%
Sam Matterface - 34%
Darren Fletcher - 33%
Peter Drury - 30%
Ian Dennis - 29%
Jon Champion - 27%
Ian Darke - 23%
Jim Proudfoot - 23%
Who is your favourite football co-commentator (ranked)?
Ally McCoist - 44%
Alan Shearer - 39%
Gary Neville - 36%
Michael Owen - 32%
Rio Ferdinand - 32%
Jamie Carragher - 32%
Stuart Pearce - 31%
Micah Richards - 30%
Robbie Savage - 29%
Dion Dublin - 29%
Steve McManaman - 28%
Lee Dixon - 27%
Owen Hargreaves - 25%
How do you consume live football?
Sky Sports - 54%
Amazon Prime - 39%
BBC Radio 5 Live - 37%
TNT Sports - 31%
Talksport Radio - 21%
Social media watchalongs - 19%
Other streaming - 11%
Are you in favour of the introduction of camera access to dressing rooms and touchline interviews?
Yes – 55%
No – 45%
*1,002 people surveyed between 30th July – 4th August 2025
