Disgraceful. Don't get me wrong, 4 chances to see Varga's superb header would normally make anyone's day, but they must have had 25 minutes plus numerous "coming up later" slots. We had four goals and only saw them in real time - even Nobby's offside effort - while we pretty much watched the whole match for Newton Heath. This is what happens when advertising revenue is your sole reason for broadcasting.

As for f***in' Andy Townsend: why do you need an outside broadcast unit to watch a piece of video tape?!?!? Bloody amateurs.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Answers

It's a hopeless programme. used to look forward to MOTD. Good analysis and they took their time with it. Now it's all rushed, loads of stupid adverts and not much else. The whold atmosphere of the prog is wrong somehow.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

The only good thing to come out of today's coverage was to see Arca cutting in from the right to cross with his left and Kilbane cutting in from the left to cross with his right. I may not be a genius but I think I can see a way out of this....

Still, shouldn't mourn the loss of Mark Lawrenson but it does cause serious annoyance to watch licence fees spent on bringing us goals from the Primera Liga while these charlatans push coca-cola and their favourite merchandising team. Hopefully the collapse of On- Dig...sorry, ITV Digital will take them down with it.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Crowning turd in the bowl was when the commentator introduced ManUre as "The Entertainers".

Also (I'm trying to be objective here) their seeming incitement of SooperKev to quit the Mackems was outrageous. If I was a Sun'lun fan I'd be (in the words of Rodney Marsh on Soccer Saturday) really p1ssed off by that.

A disgrace of a programme.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Sorry to keep on about it but I'm still raging: wtf was all that bollocks about Cole?!?!? "Now he's surrounded by great players he will improve". He's been there for six and a half bloody years!!!!! He scored 41 goals in 45 games for us in 1993/94...no penalties amongst them....and they reckon he's doing better now?!?!? Clearly just needed one great player alongside him: the one, the only, the greatest St Peter of Beardsley. Booooooooooo! Get off!

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Softie, we stopped at a pub to watch it and started calling it The Man Utd Show, too. I tried "Man Utd Wankfest" but it was before the watershed.

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

I can only assume that they are bidding to take over from MUTV. Glad you had a good day out :-)

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Yeh, Softie - I found the fawning over AC hilarious also. I think I could mount a credible argument to suggest that Manure have totally ruined an incredible natural striker.

"Oh, but he now has the ability to bring others into the game, and his all-round game is so much better".

Utter bollox - footy is chock full of players "with a good all-round game". THE objective is to put the ball into the onion-bag. Why would you seek to convert arguably the best exponent of that art the British game has produced in the last 20 years - and convert him into a "good all-round player", who needs at least ten decent chances to score every goal? Can somone please explain this logic, 'cos it escapes me?

-- Anonymous, October 13, 2001

Perhaps Phillips will become a better striker after his move to OT? Neither is as good as Varga tho' ;-) Perfect header to beat an international goalie.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

No, Phillips is going to Spurs - it says so in the NOTW.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Ah, so he sees his International future as a partner to Sheri Teddingham then? Must be true if the NotW says so. BTW - I really hope you didn't buy that rag. I hope you just read it in the newsagent's.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

I really hope you don't subscribe to Sky - you're lining the same people's pockets if you do... I actually read my sister's copy. Is that OK?

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

We were out so I taped the late edition of the show to see if it was any better. It wasn't! More bliddy ads and more Manure while the highest scoring team of the day got a 'blink and you miss it' slot.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Dougal, in this capitalist world, I can't be @rsed to think whose pockets are being lined by whom nor which middle man is being shafted on both sides. My point was specifically towards that worthy oracle worthless orifice the NotW. Of course, everything they print is gospel......

As for your sister, I she's suitably embarrassed to be outted in public.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Nonetheless, Screach, Sky and NOTW are ultimately owned by the same man so you and I condone NOTW every time we watch Sky whether we like it or not...as you say, capitalism precludes ethics almost every time and we all do it.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Aye, but I can't wipe my @rse on my Sky dish (well, not without risking life and limb....................and being arrested). Mebbes yer sis has it right after all ;-)

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2001

Too right! How many editions of The Man Utd Premiership has there been so far? About 6 or 7 if i'm correct. They've been the main game for at least 4 of those and of the other two or three, two of those games they played on a Sunday so they couldn't have been on it.

Complain. Complain NOW. To the FA, the PL, the newspapers. Our Football on TV is being ruined. Appalling.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Oh yeah - and 'It's a Beautiful Day'

my F***ing arse!

Poor, poor commentary. Worse than useless 'analysis' - TO ANYONE AT ITV - LOOK THE WORD UP IN THE DICTIONARY. Appalling picture quality [how can you see who's playing when it's filmed on toilet paper?]. And that's assuming they manage to catch the action in the first place. Give up! And let people who know what they're doing take over.

Grrrrrrrrrr!

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

I was quite optimistic about ITV's new show before it started. But like everyone else on here it ever really lived up to expectations. I don't like the fact that it's Man U orientated, but wouldn't mind if the rest of the games got more than 30 seconds. I know this was the format on MOTD, so they copied it, but this is where the problem lies. Everyone who watches from NON man U teams must feel disillusioned.

On a seperate point, I heard that ITV 2 new football league live match got an amazing 950 viewers on the first game.

That's nine hundred and fifty, not 950 thousand.

Apparently it would have been cheaper to send limo's around to the viewers houses, take them to the game, give them the prawn sandwich treatment, then send them off for a weeks holiday in the Algarve.

Now viewing figures have gone up to 3,700 per game you would get the same cheaper option, except it would be a weeks holiday in benidorm.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Now I never thought I would say this about a footie show, but am I the only one who is p1ssed off with the way this shower of sh1te seems to be on my TV every five seconds?

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2001

Pinched from Grauniad Online:

The Premiership faces time slot relegation

Jason Deans
Monday October 22, 2001

The Premiership

ITV is expected to dump The Premiership from its early Saturday evening slot within the next month. The pressure on ITV's Saturday night football show continued to mount at the weekend, when only 4.6m viewers tuned in to see Manchester United v Bolton, Liverpool v Leicester and Arsenal v Blackburn.

The show was trounced by the BBC1 gameshow, Dog Eat Dog, which has watched by 7.1m viewers, and its talent show, Star for the Night, presented by Jane McDonald, which got 8.7m viewers.

The National Lottery show, once the weakest link in the BBC's Saturday night schedule, pulled in as many as 9.3m viewers.

ITV executives took a major gamble when they scheduled The Premiership in a family viewing slot.

They knew they risked alienating female viewers but believed the football would pull in at least 5.5m viewers.

ITV insiders privately admit the show must start hitting the 5m ratings target regularly if it is to survive in its 7pm slot.

MediaGuardian.co.uk revealed 10 days ago the network was planning to scrap the 7pm start time unless ratings improved.

A growing number of ITV executives believe the show should move to a later Saturday night slot - probably 10pm.

"It's a question of watching this space," said one ITV source. "Clearly The Premiership is being looked at like every other programme in peak time."

However, an ITV spokesman insisted no decision had been taken. "We've no plans to move The Premiership," the spokesman said.

It is understood the ITV sports controller, Brian Barwick, and the director of channels, David Liddiment, have clashed about the timing of the show.

Mr Barwick wants the network to hold its nerve and stick to the 7pm slot while Mr Liddiment is more anxious to take action.

The ratings are under weekly review and it is believed the network centre has set a November 17 deadline for a decision.

The Premiership has yet to come close to hitting its 5.5m target.

It has averaged 4.3m viewers since it launched on August 18, peaking at 4.9m on two Saturdays in September.

Excellent news. I don't watch the poxy thing any more. I prefer to watch the goals on the news, it's less irritating and helps accelarate their demise that little bit more.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

There was an artcile in the Mail on Sunday (I think) which said similar, but went on to say that ITV chiefs were going to bring forward Cilla's new series - Surprise, Surprise (nah, actually it was Blind Date). They reckon the "Des Factor" (is that Max's brother?) isn't working. Well as far as I'm concerend, until they change (i) the time (ii) the format (iii) the number of adverts (iv) the amount of references to ManUre, I'm not at all interested. Roll on Cilla (er, so to speak).

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Yup - I'm boycotting it too.

"Dog Eat Dog" is pulling almost twice as many viewers as the "Man U Show" - just how lame is that?

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001