After England's draw with Denmark, Gary Lineker sat across from his BBC colleague and podcast partner Micah Richards with a glass of red wine, a glass of water and two sheets of paper full of notes carefully spread out in front of him.
The pair recorded the latest episode of their hugely successful podcast, The Rest Is Football, well aware that their harsh verdict on the disappointing 1-1 draw in Frankfurt was trending on Google and social media.
But rather than backtracking on his comments, Lineker criticised Harry Kane in particular for “hardly moving” and “not trying hard enough”, with the Match of the Day presenter – and the BBC's highest-paid presenter – doubling down on “terrible” play that was “tactically inept”.
Lineker defended himself, saying “it has to reflect the mood of the nation.”
“I can't imagine any English person enjoying England's performance. It was lethargic, gloomy… all sorts of expletives spring to mind. It was awful.”
Micah Richards (left) and Gary Lineker (right) reflect on England's draw with Denmark on 'The Rest Is Football' podcast.
Questions have been raised about manager Gareth Southgate's tactical choice against Denmark.
Richards (left) and Lineker (right) urge Harry Kane to stop dropping back into a defensive position.
Richard Hughes, the BBC's Euros editor, was listening a few feet away as Lineker and Richards recorded the podcast, which sounded not too different from what more than 13 million people heard live on the BBC.
In an age where rational voices are quickly forgotten in a vacuum of hot takes and bold opinions, it's clear that the line between podcasts and mainstream television is becoming increasingly blurred.
Rio Ferdinand, who covered the Denmark match alongside Lineker, has his own show called 'Vibe with Five', while Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher regularly dictate the news agenda through their 'Stick to Football' podcast.
Commentators are also becoming more courageous in expressing themselves truly, with them regularly being filmed for social media on BBC favourite Commentary Cam.
So there were likely no alarm bells ringing in the stands when top BBC anchor Lineker began stripping Kane down in the most animated critique of Kane in BBC history. Indeed, the prevalence of it all may have been what enthralled the crowd.
“Harry doesn't apply pressure. He didn't apply pressure in the first half,” Lineker lamented. “He barely moved. Then the team dropped back, Harry Kane dropped back even further, he had the ball and he had no shot at it. It just doesn't make sense.”
Within minutes, the BBC's social media accounts had compiled the excerpt into a two-minute 30-second clip, which sparked an explosive response.
England are top of Group C but will be hoping to beat Slovenia in their final group match.
Despite scoring during the match, Harry Kane's positioning has been called into question.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's midfield experiment has also come under scrutiny after two dismal displays.
The video quickly garnered more than 350,000 views on X (formerly Twitter), where Lineker has 8.9 million followers, and a further 530,000 on Instagram. Lineker's criticism became front page news and made the back pages of newspapers including the Mail Sport.
Lineker was not alone. Alan Shearer, who scored nine goals for England in major tournaments – third only to Lineker (10) and Kane (13) – was furious about his role as co-commentator in Frankfurt.
“Gareth Southgate will be facing serious questions,” Shearer said in a tirade which, like Lineker, became a trending online topic within minutes.
“If you look at the way England press now, it looks like they haven't practised it at all. The forwards press and the midfield stands 20 yards behind them but that's not enough. You can't just attack with two or threes, it's either the whole team working together or nothing at all.”
“It wasn't good enough. This is tournament football and it's our job to analyse what went wrong and there are a lot of things to look at. Where do you start? There was no energy, there was no guile. I'm not saying there wasn't a lack of effort, but there is a lot more to be expected from those players.”
Lineker urged Kane to stop dropping back into a defensive position and stay at the back.
Richards (pictured) also questioned the large gap England left between their defence and attack.
Several other pundits, including Roy Keane and Alan Shearer, have also offered scathing criticism of England's opening two Euro 2024 matches.
As well as their TV work, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand also appear on podcasts.
Lineker is a fascinating character and one who has never shied away from expressing his true opinions on a range of topics.
It is often forgotten that his media career began as a pundit on Match of the Day, a show he hosted so expertly for 25 years, but as a TV presenter he has long been the voice of reason steering debates towards the pundits' headline-grabbing verdicts, and he too has much to say.
His outspoken views on political issues on social media (which saw him briefly removed from broadcast but later reinstated) led the BBC to rewrite its employee guidelines, known to many as the “Lineker Clause”, which now bans major presenters from engaging in political debate.
He has also spoken out against the BBC's on-air dress code, recently wearing his own Next menswear range during coverage of England's Euro 2024 opening match against Serbia.
Lineker (pictured) is a fascinating character and one who never hesitates to express his true opinions.
But Lineker's defeat of England, and Kane in particular, raised some eyebrows.
England are in action again on Tuesday with Southgate's side looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing.
But his criticism of England, and Kane in particular, has raised eyebrows – the clearest sign yet that while approaches and language vary from programme to programme, there is an enduring impression that the BBC's hackneyed presenters and pundits are actively encouraged to avoid neutrality.
A BBC source told Mail Sport: “We encourage all our commentators to be honest and true to their opinions. Our coverage has a good balance of people who can speak on the right topics in a way that informs and educates our audience.”
“On this podcast, we do what we want,” Richards laughed.
That's true, but it's also spilled over to television, and it's unlikely to ever come back. In a world of angry YouTubers, viral fancams outside stadiums and fights for the biggest share of social media, the voices of partisan pundits are louder than ever.
