I know you all know this. I assume you've all debated this, but I seem to have missed it. nonetheless...

Having moved house on Monday, I'm just preparing myself for the new season with the installation of Sky digital - been without it for a few months whilst in temporary digs. Stick on Sports 1, and what do i see? 'Take advantage of this special offer to see premiership footy'. Not me, thinks I, all smug like. Already paid for me Sky Sports, haven't I? HA! Hold on though - what's this? EXTRA matches? More money? Two words spring to mind, rat and smell.

So, I have to shell out another beedink fortune to watch footy on Sky. Oh yes, they give you all that bollocks about 'you can now see an ADDITIONAL 50 games next season' on PPV, but I've noticed that all the PPV games, by happy coincidence, happen to be the biggest. (Apart a couple of shitty derby/charltons thrown in to keep the regulators off their back.)And have you seen how many Newcastle matches are on between now and Xmas? Oh yes,they've done their research and know who are the passionate, richest fans (which we appear to be in the top ranks, according to research).

Well, I ain't doing it. This is not the thin end of the wedge, this is the bloody thick bit that you stub your toe on. Sorry if this has been aired here before, but I am desperately unhappy about this situation. Spittin' bombs as me Ma used to say.

If none of us pays, will they soon revert to normal, or at least drop the price dramatically? Or is this just the inevitable decline of the working man's game? Is it the curse of being a fan of the world's most popular game and we must therefore pay the price? Personally, I have now officially reached my limit.

How about you?

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Answers

Actually very Pissed off.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

I agree matey, in fact sky had the ordasity to ring me last week and try and sell me this package. I sent the guy away with a reet flea in is ear.

we allready pay enough for our season tickets and sky subscriptions, without having to fork out more cash for supposed dodgy games. However even worse it means more games are going to be changed to Sundays to accomodate sky's - and clubs greed.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Pay and watch or don't pay and don't watch. If you don't think it's value for money then you can make that choice. There are too many people willing to pay though for your "if none of us pays" reasoning to work. I already know a lot of people who have bought the 'season ticket' in advance.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Hopefully when season ticket prices are 750quid and we are paying a tenner to watch on tele , the revolt will start. I for one will be just as happy supporting grass roots footy and spending my season ticket dosh on the bairn - or new golf stuff whichever is the most desperate...

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Simple supply and demand, nick. As long as people are prepared to fork out, they'll pile it on, greedy bartsads. But the pile on always comes first.

I don't have Sky of any description but I have this feeling it's killing not just football. I hope ppv is the biggest non-starter in history, because if there's the slightest sign of it becoming the norm, you can kiss any sort of 'free' (used advisedly) tv goodbye.

You'll be paying extra to watch repeats of 'Only Fools and Horses' before too long.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

PPV will be a disaster for football or at least for those of us who want to watch the lads live. On another thread you will notice a market of 100m in Asia wanting to see Premier games. In this country, millions watch SKY.

At SJP, a "paltry" 51,000 turn up to see games. Which market is more important to the clubs? Our game is being stolen from us and we sit back and take it, preferring to fight amongst ourselves (club vs club) rather than unite as fans against the FA/UEFA/FIFA who are doing this to us. MotD is quite as much TV as the game ever needed. All the extra cash flows straight out of the game into the pockets of vastly overpaid millionaires who we have to pay up increasing amounts to watch. We should unite as fans to fight what is happening - but the millions in their armchairs will probably outnumber us ...

I do not subscribe to SKY and will watch only United's away games at the pub although I'd prefer the beamback.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Okay so there used to be a small sized pot of money that went into the coffers of the club owners. MotD and Shoot was our football on the telly. We never got to see Newcastle on the box live, but we did get recorded highlights 6 or so times per season on BBC, and once a month, a day after the event on Tyne Tees.

Big bad Sky came along and paid a fortune for the right to show live games. Those now at games sit where they previously stood. Those with the desire can now see us live 6 or so times per season, and can see goals, and usually extended highlights from all our games within 24 hours. The early years of the money went in re-building grounds, the latter years has gone straight to players.

My 67 year old mother has never been to a match in her life but supports Newcastle with a worrying (and very ill informed) passion. She loves the Sky games as she is seeing her team play. She may well balk at the ppv approach but at least she has the opportunity to make a choice.

If no one buys ppv then yes Sky will drop it, I suspect they will look to pay less for their rights to show games, all the clubs will have less money. Suddenly we'll be back at level playing fields in the transfer market with say Germany. We won't be able to attract a Lauren Robert cos we won't be able to pay him what others can.

I won't be buying the ppv season ticket thing but I will buy us away at Chelsea. £8 to see us seems a bargain, although I'll have to watch it all the way through even if we happen to lose.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Exactly Macbeth, For fans that cant get to St James sky provides the next best thing. £8 to watch Newcastle vrs Chelsea, seems like a bargain to me. I'd rather Sky didnt charge for these extra games but if you view it as they are advertising then 60 quid for a 'season ticket' isn't that unreasonable.(I know that you already fork out 20 odd quid a month already to watch sky sports but they haven't reduced the number of games available) AM

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

What a hero! How was Genoa, citizen jonno?

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

What I want is a season ticket to watch SJP matches - I've got Sky but only watch us and very occasional other matches. The PPV ST is for 3 of our games so far.

My missus says we're not paying - you can go to the pub and buy some beer with the money and watch it if its on. Seems a good idea to me - is the PPV available to comercial establishments ?

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

I elected to try & win the season ticket on the quiz on Sly Spots Xtro. At a cost of 75p I am in the hat for 1 of 50 prizes, I hope its a small hat, I may stand a chance that way.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

It's all bollocks. I'll continue going to the pub to watch games on Sky. The more they charge PPV, the more people will go to the pubs. Better atmosphere there than in your lounge.

-- Anonymous, July 31, 2001

Exactamundo Nick. At least in the pub you can scream and foam at the gob at the telly without the funny looks out the side of the face putting you off.

That's if she isn't in the kitchen where she belongs, ironing or whatever it is they get up to in there.

Should never have given them the vote.

Precisely why the world is such a sh1t hole.

Next post, December 23rd.:-))

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001