Sunday, November 04, 2007

Radio GaGa

As Blackburn Rovers edge into the top six, each win produces more and more analysis of...the weaknesses of our opponents. We've now taken points off Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool and the story each time - on Match of the Day, Sky Sports News, BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 and in the papers I read - is how the BIG CLUBS have dropped points.

Last night we watched the 0-0 thriller against Liverpool and then sat in the car while "irate of Carshalton" and "apoplectic of Wrexham" told Alan Green on Radio 5 how it was all Dirk Kuyt's fault.

It reminded me of why I can't abide these phone-ins. Fans of BIG CLUBS phone up demanding more and more money be spent. Usually when they've been roaring their team on from the Dog and Duck in Putney High Street. YOU SOUND RIDICULOUS. Fans of Mansfield and Barnet phone in to say how they took 200 fans to Hartlepool and they are so proud. NO ONE CARES.

Maybe I just catch the bad days. Maybe there are rare insights on unsung players, tales of amusing songs, intelligent and sporting acknowledgement of opponents.

After the game we usually try and catch BBC Radio Lancashire which has a phone-in that does this a little bit. Radio Rovers is a joke. Wendy Howard does great interviews, but Gerald Jackson's twenty minute conversations with some bloke from San Diego who's been listening on the internet is as pointless as it is toe-curlingly dull.

When we don't play on Saturday at 3pm - most weeks now - Radio Lancashire is all over by the time we've got back to the car.

Will Mark Hughes be the next manager of Manchester United? Only if he wins something at Blackburn Rovers. If he does that, I'll be very happy.

2 comments:

Lee said...

In that case, you may be as surprised as I was by this match report in the Sunday Times.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/blackburn/article2801306.ece

This time it was Tom from China, Martin from Singapore and Bill from Hong Kong who complained.

Michael Taylor said...

ANDY COYNE emails:

Too right mate. When the phone ins started with Danny Baker they were a sort of audio fanzine. ugliest referees, bes pies etc but somewhere down the line they turned into a forum for fans of the big four who don't go to games - and usually well away from where the team is based - to air their views on manager/underperforming player/next transfer target. Who can forget the famous "I was following the match on teletext" comment.

Like you I get very frustrated at this big club bias but on Radio 5 I think a lot of the problems are with Alan Green who doesn't mind a story about plucky yeovil or bury but seems disinterested when calls from fans of the likes of blackburn/villa/boro/man city come in. He likes to get the discussion back around to liverpool or man utd so that he can get on his sopabox. I've given up on it tbh. Shame, cos I think Five is pretty good apart from that.