Martin Tyler responds to Man United bias claims and reveals who he really supports

Martin Tyler was the voice of the Premier League for over 30 years but was often accused of being biased towards Manchester United during his time with Sky Sports

Martin Tyler has responded to allegations of bias towards Manchester United. During his 33-year stint with Sky Sports, Tyler was the voice of the Premier League and provided commentary during a period of significant success for the Old Trafford club.

But this lead some to accuse him of favouring the club. Claims were particularly evident when former United star Anthony Martial scored against arch-rivals Liverpool in 2015, prompting criticism from fans directed at Tyler.

The 80-year-old left Sky in 2023 as his contract came to an end, but he has now addressed these claims of being a United supporter. He also revealed his true footballing allegiance.

Speaking on In The Mixer, brought to you by Sky Bet, Tyler reminisced about an incident involving former England striker Rickie Lambert, as he confronted the accusations of bias.

"Ricky Lambert, first game of the 2012/13 season, Southampton at home against Man City," Tyler began. "Ricky comes on as a substitute and he's come from the fourth tier and non-league and everything.

"And I've been to, as commentators do their prep, I've been down to see Southampton and I had met Ricky a few times before. I said, 'Oh, maybe I'll get to be the commentator for your first Premier League goal.'

ALL OUT FOOTBALL ON YOUTUBE: Subscribe now to be the first to watch the latest episodes of In The Mixer and other original shows, brought to you by Sky Bet. Follow All Out Football on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.

"He said, 'I'm only sub.' So that was the backstory. He was the sub and he comes on and he scores. There was an accusation of a bit of personal bias, but it was for somebody who'd made a long journey to that moment!

"[Being accused of bias] happens to all commentators, especially with social media. People have their opinions. I did the League Cup final when Manchester United played Southampton.

"And the Daily Telegraph, I think it was, published two tweets the next day, one saying I was the most biased commentator in favour of Man Utd, and the other one saying I was most biased in favour of Southampton.

"So I did the whole profession a favour really because, yeah, you accept that, but I'm a Woking fan. I've never been anything else but a Woking fan. And so I know in my own skin that there's not a bias."

Tyler, who confesses his allegiance lies with National League outfit Woking FC, also revealed details about facing accusations of favouritism from Manchester City supporters, particularly following Jamie Mackie's strike during their dramatic 3-2 title-clinching triumph over QPR in 2012, reports the Mirror.

"Jamie Mackie's goal in 2012. I'm accused by Manchester City fans of being too excited," he added. "QPR go two and up, they're trying to stay in the league and I gave it 'too much.' It was only one person to be fair.

"It was quite a surprise. I was at a reunion for the match where they were playing it and it hadn't come up yet, so the game was going through and Jamie Mackie scores on the video. They said, 'There you go, you're shouting!'

"But everybody's entitled to their opinion. We're all football fans and we've all got one vote in that respect and I don't have any problem with people thinking what they think.

"As long as you know in yourself that you're not doing something. Yeah, that is a bit of a confession about Ricky, but it was very personal and they even lost the game."

You can listen to brand new episodes of In The Mixer on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.