Credit to RTE

For carrying the barca game tonight, enjoyable match and interesting coverage focused on the skills and talented players of the game and away from the melodrama and bull**** that wavers over premier league teams like a bad smell. Always a treat to watch them play.

I know they only did it because the two english teams playing tonight had their fate sealed already but it's still more than TV3 who passed up the chance to show a Bayern Munich v Juve showdown for the oppurtunity to rant on for 90 minutes about man utds injury problems and how darron gibson can hit balls pretty hard.

Fair play alright. The comparative viewing figures will be interesting? Unfortunately, it being RTÉ, if the Barca game wins out, RTÉ will perceive it as being because they are RTÉ and they can expect the viewership, and will revert to showing any English team in competition before they show the cream of exciting football, or at least another major European team.

Yes, viewers have to thank them in the hope the action continues but it's a bit like thanking hooligans for not been abusive.

TV3's first game they covered in the Champions League had two 'continental' teams opposing each other. But that didn't continue neither.

If United were playing on Wednesday, RTE would DEFINATELY have shown that, whether the group was settled or not

hopefully its a sign of things to come... especially at the group stages!

Yes well done. I was surprised but credit where it is due

They showed the Lyon v Barca 2-2 draw in November '07 in similar circumstances, so it's not like they set a precedent here. A cracking game that one was too. The panel spent all their time after the game talking about how technically inferior the PL teams were, compared to what they just witnessed.

yeah that was fairly odd alright.

Odd too that because Barcelona are Spanish they focus on the fact that they are "shaky at the back" when conceding a goal,They never seem to do this whenever the English teams concede goals