As football hurtles down a pay-per-view highway that resembles Patrick
Vieira’s number-plate, BT must know it needs to build on its solid start
this Premier
League season. It has some good pundits but none with the authority
of Sky’s Gary Neville or Graeme Souness. It has some good commentators but
none with the authority of Martin Tyler.

If BT was really in tune with the terraces it would entice the BBC’s
game-calling gem that is John Murray. If Murray’s informed, perfectly
pitched voice was describing television games in the future, “The Dog and
Game-changer” would be even more packed.

So many channels will cover football. The Football League will surely present
itself as an expanded midweek option for Sky. In this new BT world, Sky can
legitimately be accused of taking its eye off the ball, but it will respond.
Competitiveness is in its DNA. It will seek to push BT off the main
battleground, the Premier League football ground. Sky now has 17 months to
start filling its war-chest after the Premier League confirmed on Monday
night that “we will likely be selling our next set of UK broadcast rights
(for seasons 2016/17 — 2018/19) in the second quarter of 2015”.

Sky’s main aim will be to outbid BT for the primary Premier League packages
and ensure BT does not repeat its impressive first “picks” for the supposed
fringe acts as this season. In three weeks after the incipient international
break, BT offers exclusive coverage of Everton v Liverpool,
Spurs v Manchester
United, Manchester United v Newcastle United and Manchester City v
Arsenal (Dec 14). That’s a formidable line-up. To repeat such a schedule, or
even push for the A-list packages, BT will have to invest a fortune. As will
Sky to meet the demands of a smug Premier League whose hand has been
strengthened lucratively by BT’s coup with Uefa.

Pay-TV is now king, the only show in town. Terrestrials like BBC and ITV, for
all their quality of personnel and history, are now so far on the back-foot
they risk falling over completely. Yet so many questions still attach to the
present Wild West of broadcasting football. How does BT put on free-to-air
games? Un-encrypt? If cheekily styling itself as a “free” broadcaster can BT
have a tilt at Listed events?

Will Virgin or TalkTalk join the Battle for Broadband? Will the ambitious
illegal streamers become even more ambitious? Will BT’s need for meaningful
summer “product” for its demanding broadband clientele mean a nibble at the
World Cup or Euros? Will a broadband bespoke service arrive for those of us
who want football, but not all the other sports? Please.

And what of those old-school types who actually go to games?

Clubs need to beware what Sir Alan Sugar called the “prune juice” effect of
television money flowing into the pockets of players, players’ agents,
players’ car salesmen. If Uefa had any moral rectitude it would demand a cap
on group-stage ticket prices. But it won’t. Maybe Uefa should buy some pubs.

Weed out the noxious chants

Criticised for a particularly noxious chant about Robin van Persie, Arsenal
fans make a legitimate point when raising the issue of the Stretford End’s
own unpleasant song about their manager Arsène Wenger.

It was heard twice on Sunday despite past Manchester United requests for their
fans to desist. Tribalism should be celebrated, and adds to the occasion,
but anyone associated with either club and possessing an ounce of integrity
knows both chants cross the line. Arsenal and United next meet on Feb 11
(unless the FA Cup gods fancy some third-round or fourth-round fun) so some
judicious board lobbying of fans would be welcome.

The chants are slanderous let alone tacky and the day will come when the more
vocal exponents are singled out by lawyers (discussions amongst m’learned
friends have already taken place). The chants demean two great clubs.
Enough.

Butcher cuts a managerial dash

Good managers move people. Terry Butcher certainly did in New York in 2005.
Butcher was covering England’s US tour for the Beeb and, facing a rare
Sunday afternoon off, gathered some friends for a kickabout in Central Park.

All the grass was taken. Butcher had somehow to commandeer some space from the
soft-ball, dodge-ball and Frisbee fraternities. So he went from game to
pick-up game to convince the locals to surrender some of their precious
sporting real estate, using charm and, more accurately, a land-grab approach
not seen from the English in America since the 17th century. Smiling at his
nerve, they budged up for the “limey soccer guys”.

Butcher has a warmth, humour, intelligence, experience and strength of
personality which was not always present in his faltering early managerial
days that indicate he could do well at Hibs.