The Flicker

At a risk of sounding pedantic here, the key to watching football on television is just to focus on one game. There are so many distractions while watching football these days that sometimes you can be watching a match which might later be hailed as a classic but you won't have thought so because you spent so much time flicking between different channels. You'll wind up thinking it was a boring game interspersed with a few goals which will have been pointed out ad nauseum during the countless action replays were caused purely by defensive errors rather than the genius of the attacking player.

A case in point being the recent 4-4 draw between Liverpool and Arsenal. Yes, there were mistakes leading to the goals but the finishing was clinical and of the highest order. Yet in the Sky Studios at half time all they concentrated on was an apparent offside for Arshavin's first. In my view there was no question of the goal being offside and perhaps Sky only focus on these issues because they are so keen to introduce the technology which would assist referees or more likely create more talking points and action replays for them to show but I digress.

Arshavin and Sky aren't exactly the problem here. The problem sitting watching a game and flicking to another one every ten minutes. It renders both games meaningless because you constantly switch in anticipation of something better happening. You are never happy.

The temptation to switch is obvious. So many Champions League games in particular are either meaningless draws or tame submissions by away sides hoping to pick up the points at home. We are being programmed to flick and football risks becoming as irrelevant as an episode of Corrie.

I had a real dilemma some weeks back when Reading were playing Norwich on one channel as were Newcastle and Portsmouth on another. I wanted to watch both as the joy of seeing Reading being promoted is about the equal of Newcastle being relegated, emotionally anyway. I could have flicked that night but I chose not to and for better or worse I watched the Reading game in it's entirety. We had to wait until the 68th minute for the first goal but I felt a greater sense of jubilation than normal. The game meant more because I had devoted the requisite time to it and we had bonded. Another goal followed quickly after and with no goals at St. James, I was relieved to find I had made the right choice for once.

The issue of flicking came to my attention again during the Chelsea and Liverpool match. I was so annoyed at Liverpool giving up the two goal lead after half time that I just had to switch over I was so incandecent with rage. Even as Liverpool made their usual highly dramatic stab at a comeback, I just didn't think they could do it. There was no way they'd score again especially without Torres on the field. I didn't believe it and I could easily switch off or flick over as soon as it started looking uncomfortable.

In future when the match starts, put the controls away. Decide on a game and hold firm to your decision. It will mean more.