Gary Lineker reveals Match of the Day's alternative Premier League table... and it makes bad reading for Chelsea
GARY LINEKER has revealed an alternative Premier League table from Match of the Day that will leave Chelsea fans disappointed.
Football supporters up and down the country love to moan about their team's place in the running order on Match of the Day and Lineker has revealed exactly what decides it.
Not only that, but he has drawn up a league table from last season which shows each team's average place in the programme's running order.
And it doesn't make particularly pleasant viewing for Chelsea fans with The Blues sat in 18th place despite being considered as one of the "big six" by many.
Manchester City top the table as with their average position in the Match of the Day running order last season being 2.1.
Whilst their title challengers Arsenal were just behind them in second with their average slot coming out at 2.4.
Lineker explained that teams are often chosen to lead or close the show based on how much their game matters in relation to their league position.
This means title contenders and relegation scrappers find themselves sitting higher up whilst mid-table fodder is often left till the end of the show.
Speaking on his podcast The Rest Is Football, he said: "Teams going for the title will be on the top [of the show] more than anyone else because that's how we watch sporting events.
"Then you would probably have teams nearer the bottom [of the Premier League table] because they're fighting a relegation fight.
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"And then you end up with the mid-table sides usually, probably nearer the end of the running order for most of the time."
The table backs up the former Barcelona star's thinking with Crystal Palace, Fulham and Chelsea sitting at the base of the alternative table after finishing in the Premier League's three mid-table spots last term.
Whilst relegated side Leeds were only topped by City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Man United.
