Shropshire Star

Happy 50th to Match of the Day - but who is your favourite presenter?

Lynam, Lineker, Motson, Hill, Hansen, Lawrenson, Shearer, Wolstenholme, Oatley, Coleman, and, er . . . Savage.

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The 2014/2015 line-up, Danny Murphy, Robbie Savage, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Neville

A solid line up from back to front, they are the names that have brought the football highlights to our homes for 50 years.

Ever since its first appearance on August 22, 1964, Saturday nights have meant one thing: time for Match of the Day.

Cue the music: Da da da daaa da-da da da daaa . . .

Well and truly into middle age, the appeal of Match of the Day has not waned despite stiff competition from live games on satellite, goals apps, and online streaming.

Indeed, it has been pioneer of many broadcasting firsts.

Who is your favourite Match of the Day presenter from Lineker, Hill and Lynham? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comment box below.

And the grandaddy of top-flight football still holds top spot in the hearts of the nation.

Back when the idea was conceived only the FA Cup final and the odd England game had been shown on TV.

The FA feared that television would decimate match attendances.

Sir David Attenborough, a former controller of BBC2, explained: "BBC2 managed to persuade the FA to let it do it, on the basis that nobody watched BBC2, which was more or less true.

"BBC2 was only visible in a small part of the country – London and Birmingham – and it had a tiny number of viewers."

Kenneth Wolstenholme introduced the first Match of the Day from the centre of the pitch at Anfield for Liverpool v Arsenal.

"Welcome to Match of the Day, the first of a weekly series on BBC Two. This afternoon we are in Beatlesville," he said.

England's 92 clubs received £5,000 for the rights – about £50 each – and the show draws a first-night audience of 20,000 viewers. But interest quickly builds – and after England's 1966 World Cup win, it moves to BBC One.

ITV then launch their rival Sunday show The Big Match, fronted by Jimmy Hill. The BBC hits back with a revamp – David Coleman co?hosting in a live, studio-based format.

Then on November 15, 1969, Match of the Day broadcast the first English football game in colour. Yet again Liverpool had the honour, playing at home to West Ham United. The Reds were, finally, red. It was no longer Match of the Grey.

Then in 1970, the iconic theme tune was first played out across the title sequence.

Previously, a different tune called Drum Majorette led the show.

Just six years after the first audience of 20,000, the programme's FA Cup final coverage attracts over 20 million viewers. The show soon averages over 12 million in its 10pm slot, and Hill joins from ITV. The first slow-motion replays appear in 1971, meaning referees have nowhere to hide. John Motson joins in 1972, and the goal of the month competition results in thousands of postcards pouring in to the BBC.

Sky Sports and BT Sport might be going all out to pocket football fans' coin this season, but they're far from the first to fight over the broadcast rights.

John Motson - and sheepskin coat

In 1978 London Weekend Television won the exclusive rights to English domestic football away from the BBC.

However, the Office of Fair Trading forced a compromise, and BBC1 and LWT eventually agreed a shared rights deal.

But the rivalry continued throughout the 80s.

It was this decade which saw the lower leagues dropped from the programme, and in 1988 the programme hits a new low as ITV win all the rights – leaving the BBC and the new BSkyB to share the FA Cup. Jimmy Hill calls it a day with Des Lynam moving in.

Then there was salvation as Sky captures the rights for the newly branded Premier League in a deal which sees the BBC regain highlights. Ratings rocket.

Come 1995, former Liverpool centre half-turned pundit Alan Hansen makes probably the most famous comment in English football, by dismissing Manchester United's chances of winning the league: "You can't win anything with kids," he said.

Giggs, Scholes, Neville, Butt and Beckham proved him wrong by winning the double that season and dominating English football for years to come.

Looking back, the veteran pundit says: "The thing I got wrong there was the five young Man Utd kids were superstars.

"You will never have five kids like them coming along ever, ever again, because the five of them went on to become five greats."

Between 2001-04, crisis hit and ITV win back the rights and take Lynam too. Gary Lineker takes over MotD's FA Cup coverage.

ITV's highlights show, The Premiership, briefly featuring Andy Townsend's Tactics Truck, struggles badly. Fans lament the decision by ITV bosses to show the highlights at 7pm, forcing schedulers to move the programme to a traditional later slot. But the show never recovered.

The BBC wins the rights again in 2004, paying £105m, and introduce an offshoot, MotD2, fronted by Adrian Chiles.

Then in April 2007 there was another football first – Jacqui Oatley from Wolverhampton becomes the first female in British TV history to commentate on a football match.

"I remember looking down and seeing a whole row of photographers all looking up at me," she recalls.

"I turned to the floor manager and went, 'Oh my goodness, that's very surreal'.

"I just remember trying to focus on the football, because that was what it was all about."

Hansen lined up with his old Liverpool defensive partner Mark Lawrenson to form a formidable double act.

Hansen was known for his straight-talking and no nonsense monsterings of ailing defenders.

The word 'diabolical' became his trademark – and it was even parodied by impressionist Alistair McGovern.

Lawrenson's stint on the show was characterised by his depressed sighs and his shirts which got steadily worse. From strobing stripes to satin disco numbers clinging unflatteringly to his middle-aged frame, often with a giant Harry Hill-esque collar.

This year has seen Hansen retire after 22 years, with the punditry lineup of Phil Neville, Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage, Ruud Gullit and Rio Ferdinand all briefed to be more controversial.

Neville lands the role despite criticism of his performance at the World Cup, which sparked a huge amount of jokes and mockery on Twitter.

Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Danny Murphy will remain as the core punditry team as the show celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Gary Lineker also returns as the host for his 16th year at the helm, delivering 'augmented reality' graphics, Opta statistics and live social media votes.

Commentators for the new season are Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Jonathan Pearce, Simon Brotherton, Steve Bower and John Motson, who has been with the programme for over 40 of the 50 years.

"We will continue to evolve the Saturday night panel and feel we have a really good blend of regular studio guests," said BBC executive Mark Cole.

"Alan Shearer has established himself as one of the top pundits in the UK.

"We are confident we have put together a varied team full of insight and opinion, led by Gary Lineker, who has consistently proved to be amongst the best presenters in the UK."

Happy Birthday Match of the Day.

* Match of the Day's 50th anniversary will be celebrated with a special documentary tonight at 10.35pm on BBC One.

By Rob Golledge

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