Steve Rider Delivers Blunt Assessment of Gary Lineker's BBC Golf Appointment
Steve Rider, the veteran broadcaster, has openly criticised the BBC's decision to appoint Gary Lineker as its lead golf presenter in 2005, asserting that Lineker was not the right person for the role. Rider, who left the BBC that year to return to ITV, where his career began, shared his verdict in a 2015 interview, highlighting fundamental differences between presenting football and golf.
A Clash of Broadcasting Styles
Rider, now 75 and retired after a distinguished career covering events like the Olympic Games and Rugby World Cup, explained that golf presentation is unscripted and unpredictable, unlike Match of the Day, which he described as scripted and rehearsed. He specifically pointed to the challenges of covering tournaments like the Masters at Augusta, where presenters must think on their feet.
"I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check," Rider told the Golf Paper. "For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job."
The Backstory of the Replacement
Lineker, who had been leading Match of the Day since 1999, was offered the golf role shortly after Rider's departure. According to Rider, Roger Mosey, then head of sport at the BBC, was encouraged by Lineker's enthusiasm as a golf fanatic, with Lineker reportedly volunteering for the Masters vacancy within minutes of Rider leaving Television Centre.
However, Rider questioned this decision, stating, "If Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it's even more baffling. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding." He praised Hazel Irvine for her high-quality presentation skills at the Open, implying Lineker fell short in comparison.
Post-BBC Dynamics and Controversies
The Telegraph has reported that Rider has not spoken to Lineker since the 2015 interview. Rider also commented on Lineker's departure from the BBC in May, following controversies over his political views and retweets that clashed with BBC guidelines. "He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself," Rider said, blaming the BBC for not adequately conveying the need to stay within its framework.
Since leaving the BBC, Lineker has focused on his podcast, 'The Rest is Football', with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, which is set to expand with daily episodes during the World Cup through a deal with Netflix.
This revelation adds to the ongoing discourse about broadcasting standards and the suitability of presenters for specific sports, underscoring the unique demands of live, unscripted events like golf majors.
