Ryder's a Victim of Chiles Play

It seems nobody particularly wins over the BBC-ITV tug of war with Adrian Chiles. Certainly not BBC Sport, who lose the most natural and effortlessly amusing presenter of football they have, and whose banter with Lee Dixon is a must-see every Sunday night on MOTD2.  Certainly not "The One Show" who have many suitors lined up to replace the Baggie-supporting Chiles, but whose on-screen chemistry with Christine Bleakley was the kind of double act TV constantly craves for. Certainly not Ms Bleakley who may well be a hit on TV, but will struggle to find a working partner quite as fraternal as Chiles. And certainly not ITV Sport either, who not only will discover that commercial breaks will neuter Chiles in the same manner in which Des Lynam suffered, but who have also managed to do to Steve Ryder what they did to Jim Rosenthal, and that is deeply upset him. It is difficult to think of two more accomplished sports broadcasters than Rosenthal and Ryder but somehow ITV have failed to recognise the huge respect they have in the media. As for Chiles, time will tell whether his move turns out to be the correct one. I wish him well because Adrian has always been affable and supportive of me, and I wish Steve well for exactly the same reason. Whether both will be happy in 12 months' time is a big "if."