New Gladiators presenter feels he’s not being taken seriously enough in his role as a pundit

Professional gob Ian Wright has told the BBC he is taking his punditry elsewhere after accusing them of treating him like a “comedy jester.”

The Spoiler had always assumed Wrighty’s barrow boy approach to the game was all of his own design, but Wright said “I feel like I’m just there as a comedy jester to break the ice with Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen who just do run-of-the-mill things. I can’t do that anymore. People want something different.”

While never the most insightful of analysts and prone to heaping undeserved praise on “Shaun”, Ian Wright deserves the viewers’ congratulations for a) having the backbone to quit instead of continuing to pocket a paycheck (said to be in the region of 50 large for a few England games) for a job he felt he was unable to do properly and b) giving it to useless lump Alan Shearer with both barrels.

Wright also believes the BBC has a creeping wardrobe problem that it is failing to address. “Times are changing. I don’t know how long young people are going to want to sit down and watch that same old ‘jacket, shirt and tie’ format. Fans want people who are dressed like them. They’ve got no one to relate to on TV and that’s why I’ve said to them I don’t want to do the England games any more.”

Match of the Day certainly has a problem with the excessive golfiness of its presenters, which is one of the reasons why Match of the Day 2 is such a superior product. For an immediate upgrade, though, the BBC should heed Wright’s advice and ditch Shearer, a man who is quite content to trouser his fat fee without providing a single glimmer of professional insight, expert analysis or valuable information drawn from his presumably many contacts. And while you’re at it BBC, cull Lawrenson as well - all that sighing and groaning belongs in the Championship.