I stopped watching Match of the Day and Gary Lineker's exit won't change that

Gary Lineker's departure from Match of the Day next year has grabbed plenty of headlines and it's easy to see why.

The former England striker has become an institution, like the show he presents. Saturday nights have become synonymous with Lineker's quips to Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Danny Murphy and other pundits.

But is Match of the Day still as relevant in 2024? I for one often tend to watch free Premier League highlights on YouTube or the Sky Sports website of matches I don't watch on TV.

Yes, the highlights put online are much shorter and don't show every single missed chance or save but they do the job. There is so much live football on Sky Sports, TNT and occasionally Amazon that I often watch the matches that interest me, in real time, negating the need to watch highlights all together.

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Then there is the question of whether watching analysis from pundits in between highlights is worth tuning in for. Personally, I only really care about the match itself.

I hardly ever watch the pre-match build up or post match analysis, unless it's after a big England match at a major tournament or a Champions League, World Cup or European Championship final.

That's not a criticism of the pundits themselves as I think there are plenty of good one's, but it's just not something that appeals to me.

My view may be completely out of touch. I'm sure there are plenty of people who tune in every weekend and I do get the appeal of watching extended highlights over shorter clips online.

But there is so much football out there now and most of the interesting matches can be watched live at the pub or if you have a subscription at home of course.

This is not to say that Match of the Day shouldn't exist as many won't be able to access highlights online. However, will Lineker's exit and whoever replaces him really change how the show is viewed and make me tune in again? Not a chance.