Season 2011-12
The Mail Bag
BBC and the 'Big Six' bias
37 Comments: I've spent parts of the last few days shouting with incredulous venom at the radio and tv, primarily BBC, and their "big 6" garbage. I finally cracked and wasted my time by sending them an e-mail, below. Am I right, or perhaps is it Everton's own failings that have seen us becoming the invisible club of the Premier League? Dear sir/madam, A new season, yet the same old ignorant, elitist coverage of the Premier League on the BBC. Who has suddenly decided that there is a big 6? It used to be a big 4 but now that your darling Liverpool FC have slipped, it's now a big 6. You've probably already guessed that I support Everton, yes, that club that the BBC ignore and only speak about with ignorance.
Less than an hour ago I listened to Motty on Five Live say that "we know who the top 6 are going to be", and that Bill Kenwright has "tried hard" to get investment for Everton. If Motty did his research into the summer campaigns against Kenwright, he would realise that Kenwright has done anything but try hard.
I listened to Mark Chapman on Thursday night, with Hansen and Dixon (who I like, Dixon that is) and his 90 minute Premier League preview. Again, only 6 clubs were covered bar a quick fill-some-time 2 minute closing regarding who would be relegated. Hansen kept going on about the big 6 this, big 6 that. Check out last season's table, the mighty reds finished 4 measly points above Everton, who were a bigger margin ahead of the chasing pack.
Then we had football focus today.... the same 6 rich clubs discussed. Eric Cantona was asked if it was between the same 5 clubs.... suddenly Liverpool had been pushed into the top 5, what had Spurs done to merit this? No mention of Everton, Sunderland and their 11 new signings, West Brom, Villa and McLeish etc..... A level playing field eh? The show ended with a classy musical montage with, yes you've guessed it, the same 6 clubs shown.
Then I read the predictions by 30, yes 30 of the BBC football people. Yet again, the same 6 teams mentioned, and only Alan Shearer mentioned Spurs! Incredible. Has football become so predictable, so elitist, that only the rich clubs matter?
It's no wonder so many of today's impressionable youth support these clubs when they are the only ones being glamourised and promoted on the BBC. Sort it out, and get rid of the biassed pro-Liverpool people running your football coverage. And stop showing Everton last on MoTD!"
Errol Stafford, Posted 13/08/2011 at 14:28:41
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QPR getting pasted by Notlob and Barton starting for the skunks today too
We'll become visible when the media suss how sick we are.
It won't be for winning anything.
I don't bother with MotD anymore... better coverage Sunday on Sky, MotD is slightly better but even that is hosted by another RS. The once Big 5 which we were once part of became the Sky 4, which became the Big 5 and now the Big 6 ? depending of course were the RS are.
"Everton, the 7th best placed club last season have spent fuck all and are as stale as a year old loaf of bread. With ageing players who haven't regained any form since injury and can't score, they're a shoe in for another 7th or 8th place finish." If only the pundits would dedicate an hour or so talking about Everton, it's rivetting stuff.
Wake up, it's not the BBC's fault we're so average and un-newsworthy. Direct your anger at Kenwright instead.
If only....................
Also, just looked at BBC website league table - meaningless at this stage I know.
However, 8 teams have one point from one game. So how the hell are the red shite placed 3rd??? There's no goal difference advantage and no goals scored advantage over Norwich, Sunderland or Wigan.
I know I'm small-minded and very bitter (it's on my CV) but can someone enlighten me on why - other than alphabetically - they are 3rd? Surely Sunderland should be placed above them being the away team!!!
...so we have to take some of the blame for the digusting amounts of dirty money polluting the game..
This is why football at the top tier is neutered.
Even supposed neutral presenters and reporters fucking love them: Phil Thomas (The Sun); Dominic King (The Mail); Sky sports; that twat off MotD2; the Daily Mirror fucking love the ground they stand on; that McGovern tipster fucker needs a fucking hiding; The Echo; the bird off Granada Reports; Jimmy Tarbuck; Chris de Burgh; Ken Dodd, Daniel Craig... fuck the lot of you... the game's not straight.
Must say though, 30 of 30 commentators all picked the same 6 teams? That's weird.
I wonder what happened?
But we're not as Hollywood as the others. We don't spend big (or at all these days) we've got a reliable manager and our players are less ridiculous than most other sides.
But to be fair, many are tipping us to be the side most likely to finish inside the top six at the expense of one of the aforementioned clubs. Personally I think we can overtake both Spurs and Arsenal the way their transfer windows are going. We do need things to go our way like Arteta improving and being injury bullet proof (like we were in 2004/05) but stranger things have happened!
We are not newsworthy at all. Nothing going on transfer-wise, takeover/investment-wise - other than a smattering of media coverage about disgruntled fans - and remember, the Beeb doesn't get involved in that.
Man City are up there because they are suddenly newsworthy. Had Everton been bought by Mansour (ok, extremely hypothetically), believe me, we'd be getting the 3,000 global media mentions daily they get - and most on here would hate it.
Also, for the revisionists, Everton were one of the small clique that pushed for the Premier League, and a greater revenue stream.
It's not the fault of the media companies that football clubs decided to then start throwing that money into the players carpark / their lawyers pockets.
The fact remains is that the Premier League is the most equitable of any major league in revenue distribution. That Everton has failed to capitalise on the increased global exposure brought cannot be laid at the feet of the Premier League, Sky, ESPN, BBC or any other external body.
Where's Guy Fawkes when you need him?
As a side issue and after watching the RS game yesterday, if Beckford had charged down the ball like Suarez did for the pen the ref would have given handball against us, and if Distin had gone right thru a player like Carragher did, he would have walked... Level playing field??? No chance....
Both are bollocks. Can't be arsed to answer right wing nut jobs. But as for football, despite a degree of groupthink, these predictions of big six dominance are likely to be pretty accurate. I'm hoping for a decent position in the table for Eeverton, but certainly wouldn't predict it. If we start to do well, people will start talking about us.
My take on the situation is that Carter and Co (Littlewoods) thought their job had been done when the new league was established. After finishing 13th in the first Prem season, the club was put up for sale and the two subsequent `owners` have failed to generate sufficient funds to take the club on.
My continued support for Kenwright is based on the fact that he was the only one brave enough to grasp the poisoned chalice when Johnson found it too hot to handle. He may not have covered himself in glory but, had he not taken the helm, then I am certain Everton would not now be in the top echelon ? let alone in its top half!
The only disappointing thing is that I was hoping we would prove all the journalists wrong and win the league and beat the top 4 or top 6 or whatever it is.... but i think we missed our chance to be honest.
Its sad to think that our last BIG signing was fellaini which was what three years ago?
I don't live in England - but its time for Kenwright to go and take Moyes with him. I'm just bored of this dictatorship.
And why couldn't WE have signed someone like Villa-Boas... i don't think he was out of our league to be honest (until Chelsea came for him that is).
Arsenal have always been in the mix for a champions league place so their status has been eamed.
Liverpool and Man Utd will always be referred to as one of the big clubs due to their size and stature worldwide. Although Liverpool are shit now the same can be said about Man Utd from the late 60's to the 90's and yet they were always referred to as one of the big 5 then. No matter how badly they perform at the start of a season they will always been considered challengers
Tottenham have been challenging for top four for the last two seasons so they will be mentioned until they start to sink , which will happen, and then you might find it goes back to being a big five again
We could well finish 6th this season but if we do the big six wont become a big seven because at the start of next season they wont expect us to be there again.
Because we dont have any money pundits and press dont equate that with the likelihood of success and all we will ever get called is the best of the rest and according to non-evertonians that achievement is not because we are Everton it is because of Moyes. This is why he is lauded by football writers and pundits alike
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1 Posted 13/08/2011 at 16:09:19
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I was waiting in anticpation for our beloved Everton to be mentioned... never happened... is that a bad thing?
To mis-quote Keyser Söze: "The greatest trick that Everton ever pulled was to convince the Premier League they didn't exist" ? ahh, poetry!