ITV's The Premiership is killing football

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I mean, what the fuck are they trying to do ? This has been bothering me for a while now and I'm at boiling point. Every Saturday, without fail, you can guarantee that the three matches shown will be those that feature Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool. If one or other of these three are playing on Sunday, then they'll begrudgingly resort to Chelsea or Newcastle, maybe Leeds. The west midlands derby between Villa and West Brom - the first for 16 or so years - got three minutes at five to 12. The other weekend the bottom four played each other in a pair of real six-pointers - that was left to goal highlights at the end too.

What is it then ? Don't they think that (hopelessly biased and short-sighted) midweek live coverage of 'Arsemanupool'in the Champions League is enough ! Don't they realise there are 17 other teams whose cululative support dwarfs those that want to see yet another Arsenal etc love-in ! Are they that obsessed with advertising that they somehow fear viewers will switch off in their droves at the sight of such 'unknowns' as Birmingham, Tottenham, Man City and so on (all with capacity crowds every game this year) !

And there is more. When they do their 'expect summarising' after the game, it runs something along the lines of eg: after Sunderland 2-1 Liverpool: "Great result for Sunderland, but what about Liverpool ?" Cue minutes on end about Heskey and co and nary a mention of the other team - in relegation trouble but who won the game !

S .. am I right and what can be done ?

― Darren, Friday, 27 December 2002 12:49 (twenty-three years ago)

New answers pur-lease !

― Darren, Friday, 27 December 2002 12:50 (twenty-three years ago)

To be fair to them, they do seem to be featuring Southampton quite a lot lately - presumably cos Saints have friends in high-ish places in ITV, but hey, it's keeping me sweet...

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Friday, 27 December 2002 12:56 (twenty-three years ago)

Fair enough William Bloody, but when they do, why does it have to always be in the context of who they are playing, rather than the team themselves ? As if they were at best a plucky lower-league outfit, at worst as if they were from another country (hence less worthy of interest and coverage).

― Darren, Friday, 27 December 2002 13:16 (twenty-three years ago)

i notice they show the Warrington Town games. Its a bloody disgrace.

― Fuzzy (Fuzzy), Friday, 27 December 2002 13:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmm - not sure that's true in Saints' case (they do seem to have more players featured in the opening credits of the programme than anyone else), but that is true with the other teams - didn't watch it last night, but I can't imagine there was too much discussion of West Brom's part in their match?

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Friday, 27 December 2002 13:22 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't this just supply and demand. The bigger news story when Sunderland beat Liverpool is that Liverpool were doing so badly. At least for a station like ITV I can't see any safer angle on it.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 27 December 2002 17:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I turned on to the West Ham v. Man Utd commentary a couple of weeks ago and it took me about 10 minutes to work out who Man Utd were playing. Alan Green and Jimmy Arnfield (I think) were just going on about Man Utd's season being revived.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 27 December 2002 17:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Darren I think you're right. But those are the teams with the biggest non-geographical support. And (at the risk of stating the obvious) if West Brom, for example, were at the top of the table they'd be featured every week.

― David (David), Friday, 27 December 2002 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

First, Ronan. Yes, I agree, Liverpool was a bigger story - but it wasn't the only story. And therein lies the problem. With ITV's treatment of the big three, it is increasingly like the way a club's own TV channel would portray matters - from their (consequently 'our', given that the viewers are assumed to be sympathetic to the team in question) point of view. A comparison could be made with the way England matches are covered, which in that case is fair enough, let's face it. But in domestic club football ! It shouldn't have to be like this !

And to David - well, the BBC never used to have that attitude. And come to think of it, neither do Sky, who unquestionably have the best and most balanced coverage - possibly because they have so much time to fill so they don't have to panic about getting those United-surrounding commercial breaks.

What's more, I would argue that more people would be happier with a wider variety of teams given full coverage. ITV may be satisfying the nation-wide networks of A,L,MU fans but they are alienating a whole lot more people.

One more point as well - I don't think it's overstating the case to suggest that thanks to all this there is a generation ready to grow up believing there are only three clubs in the country worth supporting, no matter where you come from. Do you want English football to become like that ?

― Darren, Friday, 27 December 2002 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

This is all part of an increasing focus on the top clubs, which has increased greatly in the last ten years. I think ITV are just swimming with the tide (admittedly therefore reinforcing the tendency). They show more of Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool because these are the teams whose games get the biggest audiences. They aren't interested in what effect they have on the game, simply in their own viewing figures.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 27 December 2002 19:35 (twenty-three years ago)

like there's so much wonderful football being played outside of the top 3... partisan stadium crowds prove nothing. the bbc were more canny about their scheduling, showing the smaller match first to get the appetite for the big un. itv are clumsier; i can never be arsed to watch the west ham blip "highlights" at the end. but the bbc's agenda was just the same as itv's, don't fool yrself. sometimes your point makes sense though; yesterday's bolton-newcastle humdinger deserved better, but villa-west brom? puh-leez the top 5 are as bad enough as it is

"hopelessly biased coverage in champions league" like, wha? the only time i came across this is when they showed a man u dud ahead of celtic-juventus a season ago. otherwise that's like saying england coverage is biased

― bob zemko (bob), Friday, 27 December 2002 19:51 (twenty-three years ago)

anyway i get sick enough as it is with itv saying "oh yeaahhhh the premiership oooh every game's difficult anyone can beat anyone" rubbish. who wins the keystone cops premiership is who fucks up the least and then they're the "winner"!!!

― bob zemko (bob), Friday, 27 December 2002 19:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Darren is OTM, of course.

I have been saying similar things for ages. And did anybody listen?

― the pinefox, Friday, 27 December 2002 20:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I generally watches the Irish Premiership highlights programme. But I think their highlights are just as biased (if not more so). ITV's show is probably more well-rounded, tp be honest.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Saturday, 28 December 2002 00:27 (twenty-three years ago)

In what way is it killing football? What effect does it have on the game? The game.

― dwh (dwh), Saturday, 28 December 2002 00:36 (twenty-three years ago)

and will they continue not to listen

(yes pinefox, darren has proved your point)

― bob zemko (bob), Saturday, 28 December 2002 11:50 (twenty-three years ago)

dwh - some say it's a cliche, but it ain't. The game as we know it, in England at least, depends on the country's ability to sustain a gretaer number of professional clubs than any other, and a far greater depth of support for separate clubs than any other. In no other league in the world could you have a situation where even in these days of Premiership sell-outs every week, those who pay to watch the next three divisions STILL outnumber those who watch the Prem.

Fast forward twenty years. Is it possible that England has become Italy, where most people support one of three teams and have a 'second team' at best ?

― Darren, Saturday, 28 December 2002 11:51 (twenty-three years ago)

who fucks up the least and they're the winner

There is a fundamental insanity behind this comment, there really is.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 12:14 (twenty-three years ago)

i totally agree with the statement = i must be fundamentally insane.

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 28 December 2002 19:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Perhaps. Don't you think though that it's just a reversal of "the Premiership is about who wins the most games".

And also who's to say a league where one team whips everyone is a better league.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

maybe the *other* teams are improving but this year more than any other they're all so ridiculously inconsistent. leeds 2-0 chelsea for example. i can't believe we're still in touch after the terrifyingly bad run of form we've had.

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 28 December 2002 20:07 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose but like you can't blame all those losses on inconsistency really, I mean you judge how close the league is by well how close the league is. No I guess my post appeared snarky, it's just it seems such a harsh and kind of strange criticism to make of the Premiership.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 28 December 2002 20:12 (twenty-three years ago)

i hope you had a good christmas, ronan. apart from the being sick thing you mentioned.

― michael wells (michael w.), Saturday, 28 December 2002 20:21 (twenty-three years ago)

it is a reversal of "who wins the most games" = that's the point

― bob zemko (bob), Saturday, 28 December 2002 20:22 (twenty-three years ago)

four years pass...

anyone know the best internet arena for watching premiership matches? pay or otherwise

― Ste, Friday, 17 August 2007 09:45 (eighteen years ago)

Do you mean live or otherwise?

I'm a bit cranky that the BBC iPlayer appears not to be offering Match of the Day.

― Matt DC, Friday, 17 August 2007 10:47 (eighteen years ago)

I thought the BBC were gonna have Match of the Day on demand, but it turns out they're just broadcasting it online at the same time as TV, which can surely be of no possible use to anybody.

― That mong guy that's shit, Friday, 17 August 2007 10:52 (eighteen years ago)

I read yesterday that The Sun is going to be showing either Sky Sports goals or highlights on its website, which surely is a license to print money for them? Virgin has some sort of online highlights show the day after the games as well.

What I want is a dodgy Indian webfeed with English language commentary or something.

― Matt DC, Friday, 17 August 2007 11:09 (eighteen years ago)

mexican commentary would be better

― ken c, Friday, 17 August 2007 11:19 (eighteen years ago)

Arab stations are good for this sorta thing

― Tom D., Friday, 17 August 2007 11:21 (eighteen years ago)

Oh you mean online and not in t' pub?

― Tom D., Friday, 17 August 2007 11:22 (eighteen years ago)

What I want is a dodgy Indian webfeed with English language commentary or something.

yeah that's where i was coming from

― Ste, Friday, 17 August 2007 12:10 (eighteen years ago)

live footy doctor-serv is worth a google. or am i allowed to post that?

― darraghmac, Friday, 17 August 2007 12:19 (eighteen years ago)

'live footy doctor-serv'

Those bastards let me down Wednesday. Generally pretty good tho.

― Pete W, Friday, 17 August 2007 13:37 (eighteen years ago)

yeah, but wednesday was the first time ever, and that's not bad for a free service

― darraghmac, Friday, 17 August 2007 13:39 (eighteen years ago)

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