Are certain teams favoured when it comes to the Match of the Day running order?
- Paul Okey
- 18 March 2022
Planet Sport has analysed the match scheduling from the 2021/22 Premier League season to settle a few arguments
The Match of the Day running order provokes almost as much debate as the matches themselves with accusations of bias rife.
Fans of the Premier League's more unfashionable clubs regularly moan of having to sit through the entire Saturday fixture list before their game's highlights are broadcast, seemingly as an afterthought, while Manchester United are first up no matter what.
But is there anything in it? Do United hog the opening slot? Are Burnley always on last and do league placings correlate to the running order?
Planet Sport looked at the match scheduling from the 24 Saturday Match of the Days, two midweek specials and the December 26 edition to find out.
And for the purpose of this, we will be ignoring Match of the Day 2, sorry Chappers.
On first on Match of the Day
Manchester City have actually been first up the most this season, kicking off proceedings nine times in 20 appearances.
United have featured in 15 Match of the Days in 2021/22 and have been the first game on eight occasions (53.3%).
Tottenham push the Red Devils close. A string of Sunday fixtures have meant just eight appearances, but four of those have been at the head of the flagship show.
On last on Match of the Day
Two sides in the relegation zone are next up, with Watford and Norwich having been last on five times. However, Canaries can boast one record from another disappointing season in the top flight as they have made the most appearances on the show - 22.
Manchester City and Liverpool fans have never had to wait until the last game to see their team in action, with Everton the only other side yet to be involved in the last game of the night.
A short @BBCMOTD running order: pic.twitter.com/CBC6bVeEhe
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 12, 2022
Average appearance positions
While Manchester United may have the most appearances at the top of the running order, they are not leading the way when it comes to an average position across the season.
This is undoubtedly down to the Rangnick effect. Six of United's first eight appearances on the show were first-up, with the other two seeing them second for an average placing of 1.25.
However, since the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United's average has slipped to 2.4, with their fans sometimes having to wait until the fifth, six and even seventh game - the midweek clash with Burnley - to see their side's highlights.
| Apps | First on | Last on | Average position | ||
| 1 | Tottenham | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 15 | 4 | 0 | 2.2 |
| 3= | Manchester City | 20 | 9 | 1 | 2.4 |
| 3= | Manchester United | 15 | 8 | 1 | 2.4 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 17 | 5 | 1 | 2.53 |
| 6 | Everton | 13 | 3 | 0 | 3.08 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3.62 |
| 8 | Leeds | 16 | 3 | 4 | 3.69 |
| 9 | Aston Villa | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3.7 |
| 10 | Norwich City | 22 | 2 | 5 | 3.86 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 9 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Watford | 20 | 2 | 5 | 4.1 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 19 | 1 | 5 | 4.26 |
| 14 | Brentford | 18 | 1 | 6 | 4.39 |
| 15 | West Ham | 12 | 2 | 3 | 4.42 |
| 16 | Burnley | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4.56 |
| 17= | Southampton | 21 | 3 | 5 | 4.57 |
| 17= | Wolves | 14 | 0 | 2 | 4.57 |
| 19 | Newcastle | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4.58 |
| 20 | Brighton | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4.7 |
Newcastle (4.58), Southampton (4.57) and Wolves (4.57) are packed tightly together in 19th and joint 17th, while West Ham's sixth place in the Premier League is not reflected in their appearance slots on Match of the Day. The Irons have an average appearance position of 4.42, the 15th best in the division.
