Sky Sports unveiled their immediate solution to the vacant Monday night co-analyst position before Everton’s draw with Crystal Palace when Craig Bellamy – introduced by his former Liverpool and now broadcasting team-mate Jamie Carragher at the start of the programme as “the only man we could find more unpopular than Gary Neville” – replaced the former Manchester United full-back, who last week signed a six-month contract as manager of Valencia.
Bellamy’s debut was cautiously welcomed on Twitter, where the former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris described his performance as “decent” while the Gloucester prop Paul Doran Jones declared he was “loving” the “real insight” the former striker displayed.
Sky have already announced that Neville will not initially be formally replaced, with his position instead being filled by a rolling roster of guest analysts, with Frank Lampard booked for next Monday’s game between Leicester and Chelsea.
After Neville decided to spend the rest of the season in Spain – a move he said Sky had “fully supported and understood” – Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports, reassured him that “the door will always be open should he wish to return”.
