When Sky managed to turn the likes of Sunderland vs West Brom on a Monday night into must watch television they knew they were on to a winner with Neville and Carragher. The actual game was largely secondary to the show that the old rivals put on when discussing the weekend's action and we were hooked.
Match of the Day may be the traditional home of the weekend round-up but Sky managed to repackage it as much more than mere highlights. Granted, the highlights are largely still there but by looking at the 'how and why' rather than the 'what' they really managed to shake things up.
Now that Neville has taken the big jump into management with Valencia, all eyes are on Sky to find out who they could turn to to replicate the winning formula. It seems likely that for the rest of the season at least, they'll turn to a variety of guests. However, the Daily Mail are reporting that Craig Bellamy is being lined up as the front runner 'to step into Gary Neville's boots'.
Tonight's clash between Everton and Crystal Palace will be the first time that we'll get a chance to see who Sky turn to. Officially, Sky are keeping their cards close to their chest but Bellamy would certainly fit the description laid out by Jamie Carragher.
Looking forward to MNF tomorrow got a very lively guest on!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 6, 2015
However, Carragher quickly went on to refute suggestions that Bellamy, or whomever may yet be linked with the post, will be a permanent replacement for Neville.
Just to be clear Gnev2 isn't being replaced.
We're going to have a different guest every week.
Should be good!— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 6, 2015
Given that the former Man United defender is only contracted to Valencia until the end of the season would suggest that a litany of temporary guests is the the most likely route. They're not going to want to shell out for a permanent contract like the one that Thierry Henry is on only for Neville to be available again in the summer.
One way or another, you really have to hand it to Sky. The fact that we're all so interested to see who they sign up to replace a studio analyst really does go to show the effect the Neville-Carragher lineup has had on the way we watch football.
