Mark Chapman got in there right from the kick-off with, dare one say it, a Lineker-esque, self-deprecating, gentle quip.

“Evening. The Premier League is back, and Match of the Day is back. Now you may have seen and heard that there is a big change to the show this season and that is… Wayne Rooney has joined us as a regular pundit. Some things don’t change though: Alan [Shearer] is still here.”

And with this sensible five-iron off the tee, the new triumvirate Match of the Day era began.

Rooney was given centre stage straight away to deliver a segment of analysis about Sunderland ripping apart West Ham’s defence ; it was alright if a little halting. Early days. He and Shearer didn’t particularly interact with each other throughout the show, it felt like Chapman had to guide and enco

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