Boycott Setanta.

[hamstrung]

Moaning about it won't change anything. Realistically what can we do about it? Not much sadly.

 

Cancel, which is what I intend to do.

[wiiksie]

Cancel, which is what I intend to do.

I switched off at the final whistle, what happened after that then hammy?

[gkmacca]

 

'You want to go where? On this train? When there are leaves on the line?? Are you mad? So what if you've paid for a ticket - no one forced you, did they? Have you considered buying a bicycle? What about walking? Moaning won't change anything!'

[Section_31]

Haven't seen this, haven't got Setanta but I think allowing them to show games was just anothe way of fucking the fans over.

 

Time was you had Sunday and Monday games for a flat fee with Sky, now they've got the late afternoon matches with these cunts too.

 

Bollocks to them. Can't stand McManaman though, great player but massive tit. Someone needs to point out to him that talking fast doesn't mean you're clever. If so, the Scat Man would have received the Nobel Prize.

[Original202]

I'm not sure if Burley was angry that we'd equalised because he hates us or if he just wanted Portsmouth to win, but his reaction to Kuyt's goal was priceless:

 

"David James is fuming and rightly so, how often has he had to put up with this dross in front of him this season?"

 

He was foaming at the mouth.

 

People do need to calm down though, every set of fans think the media is against them and out to get them. The media will look for a story wherever they can - it keeps them in work.

[Section_31]

I'm not sure if Burley was angry that we'd equalised because he hates us or if he just wanted Portsmouth to win, but his reaction to Kuyt's goal was priceless:

 

"David James is fuming and rightly so, how often has he had to put up with this dross in front of him this season?"

 

He was foaming at the mouth.

 

People do need to calm down though, every set of fans think the media is against them and out to get them. The media will look for a story wherever they can - it keeps them in work.

 

Fucking hell did he really say that?

 

"David Badiel is fuming and rightly so, this audience has no sense of humour."

[gkmacca]

Can't stand McManaman though, great player but massive tit. Someone needs to point out to him that talking fast doesn't mean you're clever.

 

[gkmacca]

Here's me TV:

 

 

I keep it in there because I'm far too grown-up to watch it and allow myself to be irritated by bad programmes and pundits. Oh yeah, I subscribe and all that, but I find this is the best way to rise above it all. I used to have it out the box and just used the mute button while listening to delayed radio coverage, but that wasn't quite enough trouble in the 21st Century, so now I keep it unplugged and in the box, and then I sit facing the other way while the cat acts out the match through the art of mime while me wife reads out the next day's report in the paper. If only the rest of you cry babies would grow up and do the same, the standard of TV would improve immensely!

[Section_31]

 

Barnes doesn't think he's clever though, McManaman thinks his shit smells sweeter than everyone else's, or that's the impression you get.

 

You can imagine him sitting in Magnet with a few medical students and talking fast about how he should have been a doctor, and how fascinated he was by the way cell membranes contain ectoplasm.

[gkmacca]

Yes!

[Original202]

Fucking hell did he really say that?

 

"David Badiel is fuming and rightly so, this audience has no sense of humour."

 

He said it alright. I was almost in tears at hearing a commentator describe the defenders as dross.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Best solution is 5Live peeps. I have gone back to listening as opposed to watching it worked in the 80's.

 

It was ace listening to that comeback on the radio yesterday.

[Moo]

I think when Kuyt had that goal disallowed for a very tight offside, Burley said that the benefit of the doubt should not be given to the attacking team.

Since when?? Doesn't that go against received wisdom/interpreted rules on the subject??

 

I'm not 100% sure though cos his voice isn't the clearest, so maybe I'm just "kiddin mysel' orrrn".

 

Anyone else hear that?

[Original202]

Best solution is 5Live peeps. I have gone back to listening as opposed to watching it worked in the 80's.

 

It was ace listening to that comeback on the radio yesterday.

 

I was helping someone redecorate their house a few weeks back so the tv and computer were boxed up and the only option was an old battery powered radio. I'd forgotten how enjoyable football can be on the radio, reminded me of the olden days - and when I say olden I only mean the mid to late 90s when having sky wasn't anywhere near as popular as it is now and the internet even less so.

[gkmacca]

Best solution is 5Live peeps. I have gone back to listening as opposed to watching it worked in the 80's.

 

It was ace listening to that comeback on the radio yesterday.

 

Outdated. I now rely on shadow plays.

[Kevin D]

When Sherwood said " I've seen through that" about Rafa's team selection - when the game was won- I had to start laughing. It made the victory that much sweeter.

[Section_31]

I was helping someone redecorate their house a few weeks back so the tv and computer were boxed up and the only option was an old battery powered radio. I'd forgotten how enjoyable football can be on the radio, reminded me of the olden days - and when I say olden I only mean the mid to late 90s when having sky wasn't anywhere near as popular as it is now and the internet even less so.

 

Switching between Radio City and BBC Radio Merseysdie was always funny.

 

City made any game sound like it was the most exciting match in the history of the world ever, while BBC made it sound like Cricket.

 

"And it's back off the half way line! United coming away with it now, DANGER here for Liverpool!!!"

 

Or

 

"Throw in down by the half way line. United have possession now, quiet game so far, Gary Neville walking a bit gingerly down by the touchline there."

[hamstrung]

I switched off at the final whistle, what happened after that then hammy?

 

REALLY over the top criticisms. I don't expect them to be fawning all over him, and I don't have a problem with them discussing his decisions. It goes beyond that with Sherwood and Burley. They take about him like he's something they've stepped in. I don't see them doing that with other managers in the same way.

 

I am going to cancel and watch the few games of ours that are on there, via the net.

[Liverpool lad]

I remember watching Stephen Fry's programme in America and he was speaking to a professor of Theology at Harvard University. He commented that the American people didn't like complexity and only focused on simple solutions to big dilemmas, even when the complex answer is the right one.

 

I think to an extent, the same thing applies in this country and it certainly applies in this country.

 

Basically, the mass football coverage in this country is directed towards idiots. Everybody has the simple scapegoat- ie zonal marking, rotation etc- to be the focus of their coverage because it appeals to the mass markets of idiots watching. Nobody offers up detailed, well-thought out supportive arguemts in favour of zonal marking (or even detailed, well-thought out criticisms of zonal marking for that matter) because people would switch off. It's much easier to have the same old lazy criticisms like "space doesn't score goals" without much else added to it, because it's what the public wants.

 

It's the same thing in the media. If you ever have the misfortune to listen to Talkshite, there's no in-between in their debates, it's one extreme v another to get people to phone in to either vent their spleen or either support a ludicrous argument. There's not much thought involved, but it appeals to the masses.

 

When I went to Italy last year for our match against Inter, I brought home a couple of copies of Corriere Dello Sport as souvenirs and they had seven or eight pages dedicated to tactical discussion and analysis following our match and with interviews. In this country, most of the football coverage in the papers had an angle on it to create interest (so and so going back to old club, so and so trying to prove old manager wrong, mind games blah blah blah). Again, it's what the masses like, stuff that doesn't take a genius to write and is easy to understand, rather than intelligent praise or criticism.

 

This is probably the main reason why I don't really get involved in threads about Sky, Setanta, the tabloids etc because they have a mass demographic to satisfy. As Paul Weller said, "what the public wants is what the public gets" and it's certainly the case with football coverage in this country. I don't think it's worth getting worked up over anymore.

 

Spot on. What pisses me off though is that people just repeat some of the shit they hear on the tele or read in the papers. There is a real lack of independent thought.

[ScottyT]

I wouldn't normally have bothered as most punditry barely registers with me, but last night's post match comments crossed the line. It was malicious and vindictive and part of a wider agenda against the manager that has been brewing for a long time.

[havarantagain]

The thing is its everywhere, its part of the expectation package-Not yet, their still not good enough, the perennial underachievers how much we spend what the manager said x player is what ever. Unfortunately it will continue until we win the title.

[Section_31]

I remember watching Stephen Fry's programme in America and he was speaking to a professor of Theology at Harvard University. He commented that the American people didn't like complexity and only focused on simple solutions to big dilemmas, even when the complex answer is the right one.

 

I think to an extent, the same thing applies in this country and it certainly applies in this country.

 

Basically, the mass football coverage in this country is directed towards idiots. Everybody has the simple scapegoat- ie zonal marking, rotation etc- to be the focus of their coverage because it appeals to the mass markets of idiots watching. Nobody offers up detailed, well-thought out supportive arguemts in favour of zonal marking (or even detailed, well-thought out criticisms of zonal marking for that matter) because people would switch off. It's much easier to have the same old lazy criticisms like "space doesn't score goals" without much else added to it, because it's what the public wants.

 

It's the same thing in the media. If you ever have the misfortune to listen to Talkshite, there's no in-between in their debates, it's one extreme v another to get people to phone in to either vent their spleen or either support a ludicrous argument. There's not much thought involved, but it appeals to the masses.

 

When I went to Italy last year for our match against Inter, I brought home a couple of copies of Corriere Dello Sport as souvenirs and they had seven or eight pages dedicated to tactical discussion and analysis following our match and with interviews. In this country, most of the football coverage in the papers had an angle on it to create interest (so and so going back to old club, so and so trying to prove old manager wrong, mind games blah blah blah). Again, it's what the masses like, stuff that doesn't take a genius to write and is easy to understand, rather than intelligent praise or criticism.

 

This is probably the main reason why I don't really get involved in threads about Sky, Setanta, the tabloids etc because they have a mass demographic to satisfy. As Paul Weller said, "what the public wants is what the public gets" and it's certainly the case with football coverage in this country. I don't think it's worth getting worked up over anymore.

 

 

Superb post, repped you recently, but superb.

[gkmacca]

The thing is its everywhere, its part of the expectation package-Not yet, their still not good enough, the perennial underachievers how much we spend what the manager said x player is what ever. Unfortunately it will continue until we win the title.

 

That's true and that's fair enough. I just think Sherwood was ludicrous last night - and it really doesn't make sense to use a pundit regularly who is attached to a club. Imagine if Sammy Lee had sat in the Sky studio today and sniped at Spurs all through the match. Sherwood isn't even any good - you might sympathise with Setanta if he was an articulate, insightful and fairly witty pundit, but he's the opposite of those things.

[havarantagain]

That's true and that's fair enough. I just think Sherwood was ludicrous last night - and it really doesn't make sense to use a pundit regularly who is attached to a club. Imagine if Sammy Lee had sat in the Sky studio today and sniped at Spurs all through the match. Sherwood isn't even any good - you might sympathise with Setanta if he was an articulate, insightful and fairly witty pundit, but he's the opposite of those things.

I like some of the observations on here regards the likes of Gray, Macca and Sherwood. The latter is so certain we will fuck it up "I'd love it" if we did manage to pip United to the title for the additional benefit of hearing these Pundits eat their words.

[Stevie S]

Sherwood was asked on Football Matters last Monday what his job description was at Spurs and he said he didnt have one. sounds like he just hangs around for no reason in particular, contributing nothing. not a great deal of time for him

 

I only heard Burley during the match (don't know what he said about Rafa afterwards) but I found myself agreeing with him a lot. Didn't see the "agenda" myself and was just telling it as he saw it him himself. Portsmouth's defending was "dross" and he just went ahead and said it. He said negative things about us - so what? We would be "bunched" or whatever he said if we cant keep Torres fit for the rest of the season. He didnt say anything that hasnt been said a hundred times on here about taking too long to make substitutions or criticising the ability of some of our players. I just think some people are over sensitive to any negative comments. Enjoy the win and just turn off the post match comments