10 October 2003
My options for the Turkey vs England match. I don’t have Sky at home, so that’s not an option.
Pros: it’s live, it’s watching, and the place will be buzzing if we’re playing well. Immediately after the match is over I will know what’s happened, not only to England, but to the other sides from the British Isles.
Cons: if the match is tense, I usually start jabbering away inconsequentially. Strangely, this doesn’t endear me to people. Although I have my choice of (many) venues, I don’t really like any of them. And I don’t drink, so if we lose I’ll just have to suck it up amidst people drowning their sorrows.
Pros: it’s live but in my home. I can hole up in here without anything but me, the voice of the commentator, and the noise of the crowd. Radio commentary is better than television commentary. Get to keep up with the other matches live.
Cons: It’s just not the same as watching it on the telly. Commentators can’t describe the movement of every player on the pitch, nor should they. But a match like this, even if it all goes horribly wrong, demands scrutiny. Also, Alan Green. The man’s a good commentator…when he wants to be. When he doesn’t, he won’t even bother to tell you what’s going on, preferring instead to offer the listener a filling but unsatisfying diet or moaning about the referee, saying that he’s fair on referees, complaining that there are too many substitutes, wondering what the caterers were up to in providing him with sub-standard chicken soup, and belittling the summariser.
Pros: the best of the first two. Watching the match at home should be a no-brainer. I watched the Italy match six years ago on ITV, delayed, and we put in a sterling defensive performance to qualify automatically.
Cons: might not be the full match, just extended highlights. I’ll have to steer clear of the Internet, the radio, the television, and even people between kick-off (live) and kick-off (tape delay). This also means I won’t know how Ireland, Scotland, or Wales are doing. No matter what the result, I’ll be late to it, making it have less of an impact. If we lose, that’s less of a bad thing than it would otherwise be, but still a bad thing.