Matthew Wilson in Autosport

[Jimmy Magnusson]

Sorry if there's another Wilson thread somewhere, but my head just exploded:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90480

Is he having a laugh? And Autosport, he doesn't become any better because you twist the facts! Extraordinary.

[Lundgaard]

I read it! I don't know why the rally-journalists are so stupid or just refuse to see the facts! As stated before in another thread the wrc-journalist have become friends with the drivers, and that is awfull to see in wrc.com and autosport!

[MrJan]

I don't see why you've got an issue with the journalist. Most of the article is just a quote from Wilson, the main bulk of what the journo has actually written is:

Wilson is enjoying his most competitive season to datetrue, having run fourth on the last two rounds of the WRC.true

He is seventh in the championshiptrue after steering problems cost him time on the opening round of the series in Swedentrue (he finished ninthtrue), he retired with electrical trouble in Mexicotrue and finished fifth last time out in Portugaltrue.

I get that people don't like Wilson but to have an issue with a British publication publishing a story about a British driver is hardly 'extraordinary'. Do you expect them to do an interview with him and then rip him apart and laugh at how ridiculous his quotes are?

[Lundgaard]

As a journalist he should no only tell the obvious story, but also the story behind. Yes Wilson was fourth on the last two rounds but that
was ONLY because of others misfortune. He was not in the fight.

Generelly the journalist at wrc.com and autosport (especially wrc.com) don't ask the interesting questions. One for Wilson could be: "You have been in the WRC for five season in a competitive car and we have NEVER seen any pace. And yet you are talking about a factory team....Why?"

[MrJan]

As a journalist he should no only tell the obvious story, but also the story behind. Yes Wilson was fourth on the last two rounds but that
was ONLY because of others misfortune. He was not in the fight.

Generelly the journalist at wrc.com and autosport (especially wrc.com) don't ask the interesting questions. One for Wilson could be: "You have been in the WRC for five season in a competitive car and we have NEVER seen any pace. And yet you are talking about a factory team....Why?"

If they ask that question then a few things happen. Firstly they don't get an answer to it, then Matt Wilson procedes to blank them in the future, then they risk pissing off Daddy and the whole of M-Sport and Ford. It's just not worth it to get some answers that we already know (he's s**t). In the UK the BBC screened a programme about corruption in football, in it they claimed that Jason Ferguson had used his father's influence to set up transfer deals and make a bit on the side. Off the back of that Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed never to speak to the BBC, so they're left in the embarrasing position of not being able to interview the top manager in English football, possibly the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...in-401487.html

And why highlight that his 4th came from others demise? Rallying is all about getting to the end of the event, if you can't do that then you don't get points. Ogier came 4th in Sweden because Solberg got caught for speeding, yet I doubt interviewers (or fans) were clamouring to tell Seb that fact. The truth of the matter is that people just don't like Matt Wilson, so anything about him will get torn apart by people as a matter of course.

[Jimmy Magnusson]

And good on BBC for doing it. We need independent journalism, not mothpieces that might as well work for their PR department. I thought Autosport was supposed to be a professional magazine (it was back in the day), but I guess I was wrong. Do they need to verbally rip him apart in the interview? Obviously not. But it's embarrasingly positive - "Wilson's speed has improved with the switch to 1600cc World Rally Cars" (It has?) and "enjoying his most competitive season yet" (I thought competitive was being a part of the action, tootling around and collecting points when others fall off).

[MikeD]

As a journalist he should no only tell the obvious story, but also the story behind. Yes Wilson was fourth on the last two rounds but that
was ONLY because of others misfortune. He was not in the fight.

Generelly the journalist at wrc.com and autosport (especially wrc.com) don't ask the interesting questions. One for Wilson could be: "You have been in the WRC for five season in a competitive car and we have NEVER seen any pace. And yet you are talking about a factory team....Why?"

I fully agree.

I have made a little comparison between Matthew Wilson, Conrad Rautenbach and Frederico Villagra, because people in here tend to ask why people weren't/aren't giving those two drivers the same critism. For me it's about the amount of WRC rallies Matthew Wilson has done in a WRC car compared with the two others.

Matthew Wilson has done 77 rallies with one 4th place as his best result and six 5th places.

Conrad Rautenbach did 28 rallies in a WRC car with one 4th and one 5th place as his best results.

Frederico Villagra has done 35 rallies with two 4th places as his best results.

So what should be apparant now is that Matthew Wilson has done more WRC events in a high spec Ford Focus WRC car that the two other drivers combined - without getting near a podium, and without progesing in tearms of results or speed. It's simply beyond me why there isn't more critism of such a poor driver (maybe the worst WRC driver of all times) who keeps getting such a good car without delivering results. I find it embarresing that Malcom Wilson keeps rediculing the WRC with his son getting a drive he clearly doesn't deserve and he should instead use that car for a future talent and to help Ford in their fight for both titles.

[MikeD]

And why highlight that his 4th came from others demise? Rallying is all about getting to the end of the event, if you can't do that then you don't get points. Ogier came 4th in Sweden because Solberg got caught for speeding, yet I doubt interviewers (or fans) were clamouring to tell Seb that fact. The truth of the matter is that people just don't like Matt Wilson, so anything about him will get torn apart by people as a matter of course.

You cannot compare Ogier with M.Wilson. In this debate it doesn't matter how Ogier got his 4th place because he has proven he can win rallies and be consistent on the podium - M.Wilson hasn't!

[MrJan]

"enjoying his most competitive season yet" (I thought competitive was being a part of the action, tootling around and collecting points when others fall off).

He's more competitive than he has been, I think that goes for a lot of the lower order drivers it doesn't say that he is competitive, it says that he's doing better than in previous years. I don't think it's embarrasingly positive either, like I said most of it is just the actual quotes, the truth is that you don't like him so will hate anything that's written about him anyway. I'm English and I don't like the bloke, he adds no real worth to the WRC (not in the way that even Ken Block does), but if he wants to dream big and keep on racing then let him. Henning is nearly as **** but he doesn't get anywhere near the abuse that Wilson does. Why not? Okay so he doesn't crow about 5 year plans but then he's old enough to know better than that.

And yes the BBC did well, but they've got 19 other managers that they can speak to, if Autosport piss off Malcolm Wilson in the same way then all of a sudden they can only speak to 4 drivers until Mini turn up.

[MrJan]

You cannot compare Ogier with M.Wilson. In this debate it doesn't matter how Ogier got his 4th place because he has proven he can win rallies and be consistent on the podium - M.Wilson hasn't!

I wasn't comparing the two drivers, I was comparing the situation. Why is it any different because Ogier is quick? How can one driver gain a place due to the demise of others and get ripped, while another does it and people say "well he's won a rally so that 4th place counts for more".

And don't go thinking that if Matt Wilson wasn't in WRC that someone else would be, that seat would disappear along with Stobart.