Match of the Day Respond to Viewer Complaints - Tom Ross Rant

[not3bad]

Tom Ross column: Is the BBC biased against West Midlands football clubs on Match of the Day?

IS IT me or is BBC’s Match of The Day biased against West Midland clubs?

I have always enjoyed MOTD yet lately have become disillusioned because Villa, Wolves, Blues and West Brom are invariably last on and for just a few minutes.

This only seems to change if one of our clubs is playing one of the so-called big four or five clubs or a London team.

Just two weeks ago they even showed Stoke’s home game ahead of Blues v Blackburn, West Brom against Sunderland or Wolves’ game at Everton.

I couldn’t understand it until I realised Stoke were playing Spurs.

You might think I am being paranoid but every London club was on first followed by the West Midland clubs.

Last Saturday I was at Molineux for the game against Newcastle and spoke to the MOTD people at the game, asking them why this was so.

All they could say was that Wolves were scheduled to be on last that night as well. I was amazed they had decided that before the games had kicked off.

There is no doubt the BBC producers are most excited about London clubs and the two Manchester teams.

Sunday’s MOTD 2 was worse with the presenter patronising the rest of the country by admitting they receive a lot of complaints and then pulling the games out of a paper bag to decide the order in which they would be shown.

You might say that at least he was being fair. Now that just might have been true until you realised that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were not playing.

If they had been, they would without question have been on first and we would have been spared his smarmy and sickeningly patronising attitude.

There should be a fairer way of showing the games with all teams getting a fair crack of the whip.

Sadly, I don’t believe the BBC MOTD producers care.

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[SO Villa]

This obsession that people seem to have with the London media being biased against anything to do with Birmingham does my head in. Ron Toss is the most paranoid of the lot.

[damon loves JT]

On MOTD2 Colin Murray had the guests pull the matches out of a brown paper bag to decide the order. Villa were second, Liverpool were last.

So I think they are getting used to this kind of criticism.

[Matt C]

The irony being the MOTD Producer is a Villa fan.

[damon loves JT]

Clearly if there were any justice in the world Tom Ross would be diced up and used as crab bait. But that's life, life isn't fair.

[SO Villa]

If it was up to Toss he'd have Carl Chinn presenting a primetime chat show on BBC1 interviewing only people from the West Midlands.

[Concrete John]

He does have a point, but then I've become so used to it it just doesn't bother me anymore.

[Small Rodent]

On MOTD2 Colin Murray had the guests pull the matches out of a brown paper bag to decide the order. Villa were second, Liverpool were last.

Which shows them to be patronising tossers of the most intricate weave.

[peter w]

I have to say that I throughly enjoyed MOTD last weekend. It was like a throwback to watching it as a kid. Opened up with Tottenham 0 Wigan 1 which i hoped had all the ingredients that would appeal to me. Mostly the home team attacking and then the lesser fancied away team sneak it. In all honesty I don't like the editing now, but it was almost there. Then, it was followed up by Blackpool 2 Fulham 2. Great atmosphere, great game  (thanks to some decent editing!). It was enjopyable to not have most of the programme taken up by Chelsea and Man U. blackburn - Arsenal was decent to watch also, and then a good old fashioned English type blood and thunder (c English media) Wolves 1 Newcastle 1.

I think what made these games enjoyable was that we were allowed to see the highlights and not just the goals fed around an hour of the top teams.

[TimTheVillain]

I like Colin Murray's Sunday MOTD2, and the draw they made to decide on viewing order.

Tom Ross will be paranoid, he's a Bluenose, it's inherent.

[Toronto Villa]

Maybe if the area became more successful we wouldn't think this way. Outside of one or two high points, collectively the area has won next to nothing in the last 20 years. So combine being unfashionable from a media standpoint to lack of success, why would MOTD concentrate any more time on us than they do? We're really not that relevant.

[damon loves JT]

Maybe if the area became more successful we wouldn't think this way. Outside of one or two high points, collectively the area has won next to nothing in the last 20 years. So combine being unfashionable from a media standpoint to lack of success, why would MOTD concentrate any more time on us than they do? We're really not that relevant.

Says the man from Canada. Go Maple Leafs!

[peter w]

Maybe if the area became more successful we wouldn't think this way. Outside of one or two high points, collectively the area has won next to nothing in the last 20 years. So combine being unfashionable from a media standpoint to lack of success, why would MOTD concentrate any more time on us than they do? We're really not that relevant.

Says the man from Canada. Go Maple Leafs!

What's being from Canada got to do with anything? Oh, I see. If anybody knows and understands being irrelevant its a Canadian...as you were.

[darren woolley]

I like motd2 i think it is ok good opening credit's they have got rid of that boring chiles and motd is good i have no problem with it is just toss complaining again.

[The Man With A Stick]

I'm just amazed he didn't refer to "big time charlies" in there.  When I used to bother listening to his radio show (at least 15 years back, up until George Gavin left) there wasn't a programme that would pass without him banging on about them.