Cable TV in India
People may not realize but as a television audience, all Indians are spoilt silly and they still complain if the monthly cable bill goes north of 300 rs/-. Take other countries like US or UK and to get just the basic smattering of channels, you end up paying 30-50 dollars/pounds and close to a 100 if you want the full gamut of channels.

Anyway before all of you start getting flabbergasted about a post not involving football, now wait a minute, it is about football :-)

So, anyway an expat from UK (from a site I check out stuff on goes on a diatribe about being made to listen to the amazing pundits on the channels in US.



As an ex-pat living in the US, all you whingers who bleat on about 'how bad" the Beeb is, how tight Jamie Redknapp's codpiece is, and how thick the RTE crew may be have got it all so, so lucky - you don't have 'FSC', also known as Fox Soccer Channel, let alone ESPN2 (for CL matches). I won't go on a diatribe about how I abhor the word 'soccer' and how Americans are laying claim to a word that describes a sport them don't even give to wotsits about, but...the channels over here, blimey.

Let's start by highlighting none other than Gary Richards, former QPR player, now fat, greased-up, pompous Englishman whose mindless drivel equates to about as much sense made as Russell Brand on the lash. He'll sit there on 'Super Duper Soccer Sunday Plus', or whatever it's called, and casually slag off any team who isn't in the top four and provide about as much insight as Heather Mills' peg leg could on global warming. And if they are in the Top Four, then he'll only pap the egos of players on winning teams. This week Chelsea and ManYoo couldn't do enough - four weeks ago, the exact opposite! What a clown.

Then there's the Irish bloke Keith Costigan. What the hell? Did they find some random Guinness-filled drunk from the streets of SoHo and place him in front of camera? He has a permanent sh*t-eating grin and that's about as much as comes out of his gob. Ohhhh, and LORD HELP US...there's the yanks. Two apparently work for WWE (yes, the wrestling) outside of shadowing in the football world. So, that should explain things enough. Anyhoo - 'pitch' and 'Sir Alex' along with other English euphemisms don't sound proper coming out of your mouths. Shut up. Sometimes, when there is no English commentary to source from, we're lucky enough to have one of those WWE blokes commentate. Riveting stuff.

Now - onto ESPN2! Derek Rae, a soft-spoken Scot, he's actually alright. He knows his football, offers insight into the European game, and isn't half-bad listening to. His perma-drunk leprechaun side kick Tommy Smyth (yes, with a 'y') on the other hand. Let me grab my gun. He absolutely LOVES the word 'onion bag' (instead of goal), and stigmas attached to players are drawn out ad nauseam with him. Rooney is always oh so angry, Ronaldo is always showboating, Maldini is too old, Terry is a rock in defence, etc. Form your own ideas and get off TV! Then there's Shaka Hislop who has been given billions of dollars to talk about Beckham's latest erection. Sigh.

Point being - the BBC and Sky and even that RTE Irish lot (sort of) are miles above the rest. I download MOTD2 religiously every Sunday or Monday night. I am addicted to reading about footy news during the day. When you are forced away from a sport you love, and the TV channels that graciously provide it - you begin to not take John Motson for granted. Motty is getting past it, yes, but come ON. This is the best football wrap-up show for the Premiership in the world. Make light of the commentary from Dixon, Hansen, and co. and simply laugh at the fact that Adrian Chiles is a Baggies fan. Be glad Ian Wright doesn't show his mug anymore, and marvel at Lineker's tan. It truly is a superb show, you all watch it, and much like all complaints about BBC programming here on F365 - you don't know what you have until it's gone! I live for the commentary of Jonathan Pierce, and I think the Beeb does a fantastic job. Just get rid of Tony Gubba...and that lady...they're, er, sort of rubbish.



His final sign-off is something which I have been doing quite regularly. Waking up at 5 and 6 am on both days of the weekend is more or less a norm for me now. I plan to get some more sleep post May. He says,


Oh, and you also don't have to crawl out of bed at 5, 8, or 9am in order to catch a live football broadcast! That's devotion I tell you...especially when it's Newcastle v Pompey and it's nil-nil.
England's not that bad after all.


So the moral of the story is that crazy idiots in the US have to wake up at 5 am on a Sunday morning to watch football.

And folks, if you are the teary-eyed kind, do not click on this link