Miss of the Day

I went back in time last night... back to an age where rolling news services didn't exist and where football wasn't central to every news broadcast.

I couldn't make the game at Villa Park. No, I was off to see Steve Coogan in Brum.

'twas a birthday present, you see. Meal and drinks thrown in. No queuing. No paying £3.50 for a plastic bottle of lager.

Coogan was good. Not enough Alan Partridge though.

Anyway, I digress.

I knew there was a load of football on so I'd turned my phone off. I'd turned the radio to Radio 2 just as I parked the car, so that it would not be on a sports broadcast, in all probability, when I returned.

I'd recorded Match of the Day and unbelievably didn't have a clue how the results had gone until this morning when I watched the highlights programme.

Arsenal 4 Spurs 4, Liverpool beating Portsmouth, United hammering West Ham.... and then Villa..... picking the same team.... Carew still on the bench..... crikey.

It was interesting to read his comments in the Norwegian press yesterday. That he didn't after all go to a strip club. That he was next door. Drinking pepsi. (note to self: when next in a pickle with the missus, give Carew's agent a call)

It didn't look a good game. Blackburn, from the highlights, looked to be unlucky. That can happen half a dozen times on any given Saturday.

But the enjoyable thing was being able to make my own mind up and not having a gaggle of garrulous pundits- whether on the radio or TV- picking apart every little incident and then telling me what is right or wrong with players, clubs or officials.

Because there was almost a full programme last night there was hardly time for any managers or players to bleat to the media either. Just Mark Hughes about a very dodgy penalty. He seemed to have a point. But my point is that there is too much whingeing.

For an hour and a half today I was actually able to enjoy football for what it should be. A game.

I wasn't presented with a hundred and one ways to defend a near-post corner, although there was a little too much made of Rory Delap's throw-ins.

Had Alan Hansen not told me Villa were poor I'd have been able to make my own mind up completely.

It made me long for by-gone days when games were off the TV almost completely. The days when newspapers and radio ruled the roost.

Back then decisions were not hacked apart. Tactics were not combed over in minute detail.

Players and managers were not hankered upon for every single word.

There was not a: "We need to bounce back", "we need to win on Saturday", "it was a poor/good/atrocious decision", "we need to win at home", "this will be a tough match".... blah, blah, blah.

Just a match report of a few hundred words, an injury update and a few action pictures. Heaven.

My morning's viewing over, my delight was short-lived.

I accidentally flicked the channel and an elderly Tottenham fan in a bobble hat was being interviewed about the game at the Emirates..... then a young chap, a Spurs fan, who had... wait for it.... walked out with the score at 4-2 to Arsenal. Please save me from it all. I almost smiled at one point and then realised it was a grimace as I was gnawing at my bottom lip.

A chirpy Harry Redknapp (I wonder if he'll still be as smug when he realises his move to Tottenham means another visit to Villa Park in the middle of March) seemed to be taking full credit for the turnaorund at Tottenham ..... the TV is stil on and now I'm looking at a history line of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. It is sickly beyond words.

Would they provide the same level of coverage if Albion, Blues, Wolves or Villa were to build a new stadium?

I'm now firm in my belief that if you turn the TV off through the week and just attend the matches, and don't listen to all the hype, then you'd almost be able to accept the fabulous riches that go with being a footballer, manager, director, or for that matter just a suited-and-booted 'jobsbody' at a Premier League club. Every club has dozens of them. They have to spend your £45 match ticket somehow.

I'll calm down......back to Match of the Day and Hansen was quite right when he said that the mark of a good side is in collecting results when you play poorly.

It's up to fourth after another great win and all set for Newcastle on Monday night when surely Carew will get a start and probably Steve Sidwell in too for Nigel Reo-Coker and Stiliyan Petrov.

I'm turning the TV off now. It may be off for a while.