• BBC confirms pundit will appear on show less this season
• Ian Wright to present 606 radio phone-in show
Mark Lawrenson's appearances on Match of the Day are to be cut next season as the BBC seeks to freshen up its flagship football show.
The former Liverpool defender's name was omitted completely when the corporation announced its list of pundits for 2013-14 on Thursday, prompting claims he had been sacked. However, a BBC spokesperson later confirmed that the 56-year-old remained on the Match of the Day presenting team but with "a reduced role" for the new campaign. He will continue to be a regular presence on Match of the Day 2 and Radio 5 Live.
Match of the Day's punditry team has attracted increased criticism in recent years, with the emergence of Gary Neville on Sky intensifying scrutiny on the quality of their analysis. But while Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer have kept their jobs as lead pundits on the programme, Lawrenson, who also held that status, is the main casualty of the revamp. From next season he will join a roster of pundits who will appear alongside Hansen and Shearer, a pool that includes the former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli, the ex-Brighton manager Gus Poyet, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand and Robbie Savage.
The BBC is introducing changes across its media platforms for next season and also announced that Ian Wright will co-host 606, 5 Live's football phone-in show, alongside the former Sky, ESPN and ITV presenter Kelly Cates. Wright and Cates, the daughter of the former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, replace Alan Green, who departed 606 towards the end of last season.
Wright has hosted a football phone-in on Absolute Radio for three years and will be joined on 5 Live by Chris Waddle, who has been confirmed as a regular pundit on the radio station along with Kevin Kilbane and John Hartson.
On Match of the Day 2, Mark Chapman has replaced Colin Murray as presenter and will also host the new MOTD2 Extra. Dan Walker is to present 5 Live's preview show on a Friday night as well as Football Focus while Jason Mohammad will front a revised Final Score on Saturdays.
The corporation is extending its coverage of women's football next season having invested significantly in the recent Women's European Championship in Sweden. Despite England's disappointing group stage exit, their three matches attracted an audience of over 1m per game and the BBC will broadcast England's World Cup qualifiers live and commentate from selected midweek Women's Super League fixtures.
via Football news, match reports and fixtures | theguardian.com http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/01/mark-lawrenson-match-of-the-day
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