View from the other side

Now, this article began life as a comment on the excellent article by the Newcastle expert, entitled "Sky, Setanta and Looking After Your 'Customers'", which you can read by clicking the link at the top of this piece. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt compelled to write something in agreement. And I am just that, completely in agreement. Games being shifted at the last minute (and three weeks til kick off is the last minute when you have already made and paid for travel arrangements) is just a kick in the teeth of the ardent fans, i.e. the ones that bolster the club with their hard earned cash.

Both Sky and Setanta just love to flick games around willy nilly on the calendar, and will shed no tear for the fan that is totally buggered. As a Pompey fan looking at my calendar for April, it now has four scribbles where the fixtures were, denoting movements at the behest of the broadcasting 'behemoths'. It looks all messy now, so thanks boys.

Yes, I suppose you can make the old argument of football now being a business, it was sold to the channels and now they want to maximise profits. 400 fans put out by losing their pre-booked train tickets thanks to a match being re-scheduled at the drop of a hat? Think about the huge amount that can now watch a cracking match at 5.15 or 12.45, they now say.

I suppose it's decent for Pompey fans as well, seeing their team exposed much more than ever before on the TV this year. But think about it this way: if more games are shown on TV, the gates at the ground will fall. I know this shows a lack of passion from certain fans, but I'd rather have a fully-loaded Fratton rather than patches of blue seats littered around.

Take the game against Preston in the FA Cup. 4PM on a Sunday, in Preston, and it's on the telly. Well, I can't see anybody other than the most ardent fan join us on the million mile trip Oop North, especially when you'll return at about 2am and have work the next day. (I know this was BBC, and it was my lovely FA Cup, but still, I'm trying to make a point so bear with me.)

Sky and Setanta have no interest in promoting football to the attending fans, they are a constant already. They pay the money for the season ticket every year, therefore so what if they lose money?

It's all about getting the exposure to them, and fair play, that's what they do best. They bought the rights, they want to use them.

We should be looking at the Premier League and Mr Scudamore here. They were the ones that prostituted the league, and the same ones that went for Gam£ 39. They want to maximise too, but the thing is they are supposed to have the game's interests at heart. They clearly forget that sometimes.

Take the issue of the Champion's League rights. Sky bought nearly everything, and the BBC and ITV are scrapping it out for one measly game per round. It might be the best game, but it means that no longer will those with terrestrial have a choice of Liverpool or Man U. It will be the one deemed best that goes on BBC 1 or ITV, and they usually choose the cack one for some reason.

But, as I've said before in a previous article, what can we do? What on earth is there for a footie fan to do? We love the game as we love our family, we will read about it, talk about it, and have more information than ever before to lap up.

The reason? There's more of it on the bloody telly.

Gareth Beavis
www.pompey-fans.com

Comments

[Gareth Beavis]

GH, you'll note I said 'should' have the interests at heart in the case of the PL and Scudamore. They don't clearly, they just want to expand the league, but they 'should'.

As for Sky and Setanta, I think they are just doing what they paid to do. They bought the rights, and they're maximising the business potential. Although I sometimes loathe their existence (except when the new series of 24 is on Sky One!) they are only doing what they were set up to do.

It's the PL I think needs looking at, they should be policing this far better than they do.

[GH]

Gareth - cheers for the kind words and agree with you 100%. Apart from the bit about Scudamore/the PL/Murdoch/Setanta having the games best interests at heart 'sometimes'. It's money at their heart, all the time! Good luck with the rest of the season minus April 12th (or is it April 13th or 14th!) by the way, I've got a big soft spot for your lot and it'd be great to see you lift a trophy.