RTE Sink to New Low with European Cup Final Coverage

**eoinh** · 27/05/2004, 10:08 AM

Tried to watch as little of the panel "discussion" of the match last night before I tuned and when i did they weren't talking about the match but about the premiership. Unreal!

At 4 minutes to the match Iraqi Bill finally said "now lets turn to the match". European Cup Final analysis consisted of two minutes discussion before going over to the commentary team.

Dunphy is some spoofer going on about how Deschamps had won the French League with Monaco. Really eamonn - there was me thinking Lyon had won it for three seasons in a row.

During the match Hamilton goes on about how he would be preferring to watch Birmingham v Bolton.

We now have a situation where we no longer have a football public interested in football. A broadcaster that hasnt a clue and "fans in this country who dont go to matchs.
"Independent" Tv stations who wont show UEFA cup finals but will show meaningless friendlies between Sevillle and Glasgow Celtic ( I'ld wager that match was shown on neither spainish or British TV).

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

Sheridan · 27/05/2004, 10:13 AM

The worst thing was the twenty-minute discussion about Chelsea after the game. Did they even analyse the game for more than two minutes?

Disgusting. It takes some bleedin' effort to have more of a one-track mind with regard to the Premiership than the English themselves, but RTE are managing it.

**eoinh** · 27/05/2004, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Sheridan

The worst thing was the twenty-minute discussion about Chelsea after the game. Did they even analyse the game for more than two minutes?

Disgusting. It takes some bleedin' effort to have more of a one-track mind with regard to the Premiership than the English themselves, but RTE are managing it.

Taking our views together on all subjects ......... we have to be related

**tiktok** · 27/05/2004, 10:22 AM

not just RTE lads, pick up a few newspapers today, the main news story is (rightly IMO) the friendly tonight (although the Keane thing is still taking up too many column inches) but outside of that you'd hardly know that the CL final was on last night (and I'd wager if Mourihno wasn't linked to Chelsea, there'd be even less written on it).

switched to ITV after about ten minutes yesterday, it was as bad.

Sheridan · 27/05/2004, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by eoinh

Taking our views together on all subjects ......... we have to be related

Heh, nah, I never agree with any of my relatives (besides, the two sides of the family are from Limerick and Waterford

)

**gspain** · 27/05/2004, 10:33 AM

Sky's coverage included the beauty from Ray Wilkins that 9 times out of 10 "our" 3 teams (Manyoo, Arsenal and Chelsea) would have beaten Porto.

**NeilMcD** · 27/05/2004, 10:42 AM

I actualy enjoy RTE's coverage as at least the let discussino points develop and opinions are expressed and whether you agree with them it makes for interesting television. I dont think Dunphys forte is facts, as reading the Keane book or the U2 book show. But i would rather an evening with Bill, Eamon Ray, John and Liam than Andy, Ally, Terry Gaby and Des.

Sheridan · 27/05/2004, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

I actualy enjoy RTE's coverage as at least the let discussino points develop and opinions are expressed and whether you agree with them it makes for interesting television.

That's hardly the point. I didn't really give a toss, much less agree or disagree, about the stuff they were discussing last night. The point is their total inability to talk about anything other than the Premiership, even during a European Cup final in which (SHOCK, HORROR!) no Premiership team is involved.

I dont think Dunphys forte is facts, as reading the Keane book or the U2 book show. But i would rather an evening with Bill, Eamon Ray, John and Liam than Andy, Ally, Terry Gaby and Des.

This is the problem. The British stations can (PERHAPS) be forgiven for their relentless insularity, but there's no excuse for Ireland's national broadcaster to behave in the same way.

Football doesn't stop when you reach the other side of the Channel. In fact, that's more or less where it starts...

**NeilMcD** · 27/05/2004, 10:53 AM

So its hardly the point that i enjoy it, I was just expressing my opinion of what i like to see, was not disagreeing with anybodys view point here at all,. I enjoy the coverage on Rte much more than other stations cause the topics are aloud the develop and they can go off in tangents but I lke that. Its all about taste really and I like their coverage.

**Pat O' Banton** · 27/05/2004, 11:49 AM

For me the insularty is at best insulting to the viewers intelligence, in a day and age where even most pubs will show Spanish, German or Italian football as well as Uefa and European Cup matches, domestic broadcasters or comentators still find it hard to relate to the fact that most of us can think beyond our domestic leauges, for a short while (or unfortunately in Ireland the English Premiership. Was there any mention of any of the eL sides in Uefa competition next season?)
I can understand the odd mention of Man Utd., Arsenal or Chelsea but I remember watching the Bayern v Valencia final in 2001 and counting the amount of times that they mentioned the Man Utd. v Bayern final final two seasons previous, we stopped at about thirty five time (its was just beating 'Hargreaves, the young English lad' into second place.)

Unfortunately there seems to be very little thought that goes into these programmes and for the stidio analysis the attitude seems to be why bother doing all that research on some foreigners when you safely talk about the Premiership and lets face it even if the viewers object what are they going to do about it.

(best Football Programme ever was Football Itialia as it treated the viewers as people who were capable of understanding football in other countries and was funny as well)

Sheridan · 27/05/2004, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by gspain

Sky's coverage included the beauty from Ray Wilkins that 9 times out of 10 "our" 3 teams (Manyoo, Arsenal and Chelsea) would have beaten Porto.

BTW, Jesper Lauridsen was asking for you a while back

**Roo69** · 27/05/2004, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by eoinh

Dunphy is some spoofer going on about how Deschamps had won the French League with Monaco. Really eamonn - there was me thinking Lyon had won it for three seasons in a row.

During the match Hamilton goes on about how he would be preferring to watch Birmingham v Bolton.

Did Dechamps win it as a player with Monaco ?

Thjat was the worst match on the champs league so far this season ! He was right in saying that ! dire stuff !

**lopez** · 29/05/2004, 9:16 AM

The football commentary is no longer about mere insularity or bias or supporting the underdog, it's about the product. I remember the 1979 Cup Winners Cup final - the first European club final I remember watching without a British team - and the commentators were pro Fortuna Dusseldorf against Barcelona because they were the underdogs. Now it'd be the other way round.

The worst piece of recent commentating for me (and I'm biased) was the first leg of the Milan v Deportivo game in which the commentator was going on about how great Milan were and 'go on, put another in the net.' To me this showed the shallowness of the TV companies whose main concern was how the Champions League would sell better. Milan: more high profile, more viewers. It must have p*ssed everyone off that Monaco and Porto made the final.

As for the Premiership and RTE, the boys in Soho Square must be over the moon about this contribution to neo-colonialism. No wonder many foreigners find it hard to come to terms that Ireland is indeed independent from Britain. Birmingham v Bolton: Sums it all up really.