ToffeeWeb - Season 2008-09

The Mail Bag

MOTD

Nowt else to do last night so I watched MOTD 'til the bitter end, knowing full well we weren't on. A comment made by the increasingly 'Cuprinol Dark Mahogony' hued Lineker made me smile. He said Wigan fans had asked him why their team was nearly always on last. He replied to the effect, "mid-table obscurity with nothing to play for" and "an exciting goalfest" may have seen them on earlier, etc.

So what is their excuse for us nearly always being left until last, or in that group of games they lump together and don't bother to comment on afterwards? I know we don't serve up many 'goalfests' but we have not been in 'mid-table obscurity' etc, for most of this season. I may be wrong, but I don't think we were the first game when we beat Sunderland 7-1 a couple of seasons ago! I stand to be corrected on that point.

I know this probably has 'Bitter Bluenose' streaming through it and we should be used to the fact that most of the media pay us nothing more than a cursory visit, but I do think there is a large slice of bias against us.

What do my fellow Toffeewebbers think? Don't be too rude, please, I am feeling a little vulnerable at the moment!
Tom Edwards, Yorkshire Posted 03/05/2009 at 06:49:04

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Brian Hill
1 Posted 03/05/2009 at 15:00:51

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I reckon that the perceived bias against us is real and that it exists because we present a genuine, long term threat to the beloved Sky 4. Therefore we will receive little or no positive coverage from the media as they don’t want their brainwashed masses to be deflected from their unquestioning devotion and drooling adoration for all things manure, RS, Chelski and Arse.

Rupert Sullivan
2 Posted 03/05/2009 at 18:17:23

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Tom, it is a difficult one to answer ? let?s face it, who would believe in a conspiracy to fail to promote Everton via the media...?

Yet, I too feel that EFC are treated unfairly in the press ? something which I would expect from people like Sky etc, but it too is ever present on the BBC website, a site which I find is more and more slanted towards the so-called ?Big 4? and Liverpool in particular. If you choose to look at such things you will find that the Liverpool game is ?headlined? more often than any other game ? even to the extent of being headlined on a Saturday when they don?t play until Monday and there are ?shock? results occurring around them.

I have written to the BBC to complain but with no visible change ? so now I try to balance these things out by reading other websites instead (and no, I don?t mean ToffeeWeb!!!), for example, The Guardian, which I find tends to be fairer towards all clubs.

Steve Sweeney
3 Posted 03/05/2009 at 19:21:31

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Listened to that biased e- RS girlie Lawrenson predict a win for Sunderland, let's hope he keeps going for our opponents. MOTD is shit, they all support Shearer, he can do no wrong, and they were absolutely shite today.

Chris Matty
4 Posted 03/05/2009 at 19:15:23

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Tom, on another mailbag thread a discussion has veered off-topic as to whether it would be a good thing if Newcastle were relegated. I would be quite pleased to see them go down because they are granted a status by the media far beyond their achievements and history.

Nothing personal against the Geordies but I am sick of hearing about them being a massive club, of their ultra-passionate support, of the toon army etc, when there seems to be little recognition anywhere of our own achievements beyond "Everton have over-achieved" and "David Moyes has worked wonders on a limited budget".

Some clubs seem to be glamourised by the media and others less so or not at all. With Newcastle I would also rank Spurs in the glamourised category and us not at all.

The next question is: Why? Well some members of this club are obvious: the Rich 4 have the most glamourous players and play in that glamourous cartel, sorry tournement, the Champions League. Man City are not (yet?) glamourous but are newsworthy because of their new found riches and constant rejections. But we have a history, a record of success over decades, and a large and passionate support too, and are not considered in that bracket.

As Rupert says, it is a difficult one to answer. But there clearly feels as though there is an underlying tendency not to feature us in the media as much as teams of similar or lesser stature. Surely journos can?t be so dumb as to truly see the start of the Premier League as Year Zero; that nothing before it mattered or even happened, and that if you have had no success since 1992 then you are not worth a jot? It is the only explanation I can think of but it doesn?t explain the love in with clubs like Newcastle.

Garry Martin
5 Posted 03/05/2009 at 20:10:32

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Stopped watching MotD & Sky News 3/4 years ago, they only ever talk & comment on the so called Manure, Chelski, Arse & Redshite. To be honest, I found it so boring the way they continually talk about these sides. Now I only see football at Goodison or via the computer for live away games. This stops the shit you get served up!!

Andy Hegan
6 Posted 03/05/2009 at 20:40:42

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Talking of history starting with Premier League, Sky?s preview of games at Sunderland had us down for our first win there being in 1990 odd. Not Premier League first win, first win full stop!

Danny Broderick
7 Posted 03/05/2009 at 22:02:04

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Some very paranoid people here. They don?t feature us as much as the teams chasing the title or battling to stay up because, more often than not in recent seasons, we have been in a comfortable top-10 position. They are always going to focus more on teams involved in all that than any teams such as us and Villa ? teams who are generally organised and efficient but who win most games by the odd goal.

There is no conspiracy against Everton!

Andy Crooks
8 Posted 03/05/2009 at 21:59:12

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I really don?t understand why so many Evertonians feel hard done by, by the BBC. With the exception of Alan Green, I reckon we are treated ok. Brian Hill, would it not be to the advantage of the BBC to have at least one more team challenging for a Champions League spot?

Also, we have been last on MOTD quite often because, quite often, over the last couple of years we have served up some truly awful hoofball. The idea that referees,the media and the world are against Everton is plain nonsense. Next season, when we qualify for the Champions League, there will be no complaints of bias on this site.

Nick Armitage
9 Posted 03/05/2009 at 22:13:23

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Did you know that Mark Lawrenson shines Shearer’s shoes before every episode.

Can’t wait for the episode of Match of the Day when Newcastle return to where they belong. Shame Shearer won’t be on the show himself, the twat.

As for Sky Sports Snooze, if you watch that shit, you deserve all you get.

Simon Dunne
10 Posted 04/05/2009 at 00:35:07

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Did anyone hear Lee Dixon say Felli?s goal was the easiest tap-in he?ll ever get... my God!

Derek Thomas
11 Posted 04/05/2009 at 04:01:33

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Chris Matty; surely journo’s can’t be THAT DUMB??...it’s not panto season yet but here goes.

OH YES THEY CAN