Match of the Day
Although the BBC lost highlights of European Cup matches after its revamping as the Champions League in 1993, apart from the final in 1994, the joint Sky/BBC bid was renewed in 1996. In 1997, the BBC lost all live rights to the FA Cup meaning Match of the Day's live coverage was restricted to UEFA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup matches. However the BBC were still able to show Saturday evening highlights of FA Cup games. However things got much worse for the network when, in 2001, the Premier League awarded highlights rights to ITV in a three-year contract.
Match of the Day did not totally disappear; the same year the BBC regained full live coverage of the FA Cup and England's World Cup qualifying matches, as well as retaining UEFA Cup coverage. ITV's league highlights programme, The Premiership, fared poorly (especially after being forced to reschedule from 7pm to the traditional late-evening slot) and, in 2004, Premiership highlights returned to the BBC. Since 2004, the programme has shown highlights of all the matches on that date, with commentators at every ground (when Radio Five Live offers a live radio broadcast, Match of the Day uses a different commentator). With more matches played on Sundays, a sister programme, Match of the Day 2 was launched on BBC2 on Sunday nights. This show was closer in style to the old style Match of the Day with up to ten minutes of action from the normal two games played that day, plus a round-up of Saturday's goals. In addition to Saturdays and Sundays, the programme airs on any weeknight in which at least six matches are scheduled (including a two night period with as many matches), or negotiates specially with the Premier League.
Traditionally, midweek BBC football shows were included under the Sportsnight banner, particularly highlights from matches on Wednesday night. However, as the 1990s progressed the vast majority of football coverage was shown on Match of the Day, a situation that increased further when Sportsnight finished in 1997.
In 2006, the BBC agreed a new deal with the Premier League which means that league highlights coverage will continue on Match of the Day until at least the end of the 2009-10 season.[4] However, ITV did win rights to the FA Cup and England matches starting in 2008, thus limiting the BBC's live coverage to the tournaments proper (shared with ITV) and the League Cup/Championship package which begins in 2009.
In 2005-2006, a Save of the Season competition was introduced (in addition to the traditional Goal of the Month and Season contests) with the inaugural winner being Tomasz Kuszczak, then of West Bromwich Albion. In 2006-2007, Jussi Jaaskelainen of Bolton Wanderers won the award.
For the 2007/08 season, new opening titles were introduced, as was a new studio. The intro is set in a round, stadium type building with glass walls, various different Premier League players, past and present can be seen either in picture frames or in the building itself doing ball skills or just running past the screen. It climaxes with Manchester United captain Gary Neville placing the Premier League trophy on a stand, due to Manchester United being reigning Champions, the camera then zooms into it, and the Match of the Day logo appears. An alternate version of the opening titles is used for shows which predominantly focus on the FA Cup, using past cup highlights and culminating in footage of Chelsea lifting the cup at the end of the 2006-07 tournament. Also, the BBC's website began simulcasting Match of the Day for UK-based visitors.
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Presenters and commentators
Match of the Day's first match was presented by Kenneth Wolstenholme, who also commentated alongside Walley Barnes. By 1970 David Coleman had established himself as the programme's main anchorman. Jimmy Hill then took over the role in 1973 after moving from ITV,[1] although Coleman continued to feature as a commentator. One of the programme's most famous presenters, Des Lynam, joined in 1979 as a commentator before taking over from Hill in 1988, although Hill was retained as a pundit.
Current presenter, former England captain Gary Lineker, joined as a pundit in 1995, becoming main presenter after Lynam's departure in 1999. If Lineker is unavailable or there are multiple live matches on the same day then a stand-in presenter is used; this is usually Ray Stubbs (main presenter of the BBC's Final Score programme), but Gabby Logan, who joined from ITV in 2007, or Jake Humphrey, who became the programme's youngest ever presenter in January 2007, also occasionally present the show.
Currently Lineker is joined by two pundits for highlights shows, with three pundits for most live matches. Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer are the lead pundits, with Mark Lawrenson also appearing regularly. Occasionally Lee Dixon, Gavin Peacock or Les Ferdinand appear, and the show also uses prominent managers such as David Moyes or Mark Hughes for live matches, as well as Marcel Desailly, Leonardo and Peter Schmeichel.
The longest-running commentator is John Motson, who made his first appearance on October 9, 1971. He continues to feature on the programme to this day, and is currently the principal commentator for live matches. Barry Davies was another longstanding commentator, featuring on the show between 1969 and 2004. Other previous noted commentators include Stuart Hall, Alan Weeks, Alan Parry, Gerald Sinstadt, Harry Carpenter, Clive Tyldesley, Jon Champion and Paul Mitchell.
On 21 April 2007, Jacqui Oatley became the first woman to commentate on the programme. [5] She joins Motson, Jonathan Pearce, Steve Wilson, Guy Mowbray, Simon Brotherton, Tony Gubba, John Roder, Dan O'Hagan, Martin Fisher, Ian Gwyn Hughes and Alistair Mann in the team of Match of the Day commentators. For live matches the commentator will be joined by a co-commentator, usually Mark Lawrenson, the principal co-commentator, Mark Bright, Iain Dowie, Gavin Peacock or Martin Keown.
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Theme music
- The show's theme tune is called "Match Of The Day" and was written especially for the programme in 1970 by Barry Stoller, and has become so ubiquitous in British culture that it is associated not just with the programme but football in general. It is often incorrectly labeled with the title "Offside", which was actually the name of an alternative commercially-released version in 1970, which was conducted by Mike Vickers. [2]
- The original theme tune to MotD was written by Major Leslie Statham, the band leader of the Welsh Guards and was entitled 'Drum Majorette' (He also wrote the popular Guards regiments' march Birdcage Walk). This remained the theme tune from 1964 until 1970 when the current tune by Barry Stoller replaced it. At the time Major Statham wrote his original works using the pen-name 'Arnold Stock'.
- The theme tune appears in popular children's party song The Music Man by Black Lace.
- Genesis honoured the program with their song "Match of the Day" in 1977, on the "Spot the Pigeon" EP.
- In some parts of the UK the MoTD theme is used by some Ice Cream Vans as opposed to the usual Greensleeves.
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Related Shows
Between 1995 and 1999, the BBC broadcast Match of the Seventies (1995-96), Match of the Eighties (1997) and Match of the Nineties (1999). Each series acted as a chronological review of seasons through each decade, presented in a slightly off-beat style, and relied heavily on footage originally included in Match of the Day broadcasts. Presenters included Dennis Waterman, Danny Baker, Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley. Sometimes if matches are shown on BBC Northern Ireland and nowhere else in the UK they would be broadcast on Northern Ireland's own Match of the Day programme called Match of the Day from Northern Ireland, it is the same with matches broadcast only on BBC Wales they would get broadcast on their own Match of the Day programme called Match of the Day Wales. BBC Scotland airs Sportscene in place of Match of the Day when a Scotland match airs across the network (in addition to its usual coverage of the Scottish leagues and cups).
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Match of The Day Annual
Since 2005, the Match of the Day Annual has been produced as a spin-off publication aimed at the teenage market. Edited by football journalist Chris Hunt, the annual traditionally features charts of the Top 100 players in world football and the Top 50 players by position.
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The Magazine
Since 2008 Match Of The Day has run a weekly magazine released on a Tuesday.The magazine commonly features comic strips, interviews with Premiership players and posters of the players in the Premiership. A strip about a world famous players life is also common feature.
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See also
- Match of the Day 2
- Football Focus
- Final Score
- Goal of the Season
- Goal of the Month
- Save of the Season
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Footnotes
- ^ a b c d History of Match of the Day. BBC Sport.
- ^ a b c MOTD through the ages. BBC Sport.
- ^ a b Blackout. World of Sport.
- ^ BBC keeps Premiership highlights. BBC Sport.
- ^ Match of the Day gets first woman commentator. Reuters.
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References
- Motson, John (1992). Match of the Day - The Complete Record since 1964. ISBN 0-563-36406-8.
- Smith, Martyn (2004). Match of the Day - 40th Anniversary. ISBN 0-563-52181-3.
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External links
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