With so much football on TV these days we are in danger of running out of commentators
Over the past few years I’ve got quite used to hearing the bloke behind me saying things like “Did you watch Stal Kamianske against Vorskla Poltava last night?” and his mate behind me replying “Nah, I had the Svenska Cupen on, BK Forward were at home and I have always had a soft spot for the lads from Orebro”.
Last April, on a cruelly cold spring day, in a town where tattooing and tanning are the bedrock of the economy, the bloke behind me told his mate behind me that he had prepared for an international tournament-free summer by recording the entire MLS season. “If I limit myself to two games a day it should see me through,” he said grimly, like a man planning for nuclear winter. “Is it any good, the American stuff?” his friend responded. “It’s football, isn’t it?” the bloke behind me answered in a tone shuffling inexorably towards the desperate like an encroaching defensive wall.
There was a time when TV football was available only in limited quantities. We complained of course, just as we did about the pubs shutting at 10.30pm in rural areas – except during high summer when an extra 30 minutes was added for those of us who’d been out in the fields harvesting the barley or building a wicker man. Perhaps the authorities recognised football’s addictive properties. For just as certain races have a genetic predisposition to alcoholic self-destruction, so I have come to feel that giving too much football to the English is hazardous.
Denne historien er fra October 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
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Denne historien er fra October 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
Room With A View
Hampden Park
Not In The Script
ARSENAL FILM
Out Of Place...
After another unsuccessful qualifying attempt Martin O’Neill is under pressure, while a poor Republic of Ireland squad is only getting weaker
Uncomfortable Truth
At the end of April Sheffield United surprised many people by re-signing Ched Evans, who, following a retrial, has now been found not guilty of the rape charge for which he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
