One of these days a football network is going to come up with a novel concept. A show where serious, mature, grown-up football-type experts sit around talking about football. Think about it. No talking over each other, no locker-room stories, no pranks, no heartwarming puff pieces, no rank cross-promos, no viewer contests, no contrived arguments, no comedians talking about the eighties, no players. Just people with brains talking about the caper. A suckless version of Talking Footy is the type of thing.
Such a show is unlikely to come from Seven:
A name Seven may consider, perhaps in a lighter format, is radio talent Matt Tilley.
A friend of Seven identity Tim Watson and a football fanatic, Tilley hosted a football quiz show on Fox Footy three years ago and has raised his profile with success at Fox FM and through his top-selling CD of recorded telephone calls.
Recorded telephone calls? Lighter format? Footy Quiz shows? Shit. A. Brick. Pass the asp, Cleopatra. If that's the sort of gear Seven are looking at, I've only got one question: Is there even the remotest chance they won't cock things up?
No, guaranteed 100% they'll fuck it up. The only question is in which manner?
Posted by: Living in Canberra | 29 January 2006 at 19:01
The most interesting thing to see, at first anyway, will be how Seven's Friday night coverage stacks up against Nine's. Judging by how low Seven had sunk by 2001 they have a bit of ground to make up. Anything less than bells and whistles will be met with howls of derision.
Mind you, this critique doesn't apply to the footage, which I assume will be roughly on a par. I mean, what else can TV people do with their cameras that hasn't been done competently before? Skycam was a bust, and that's about the only innovation since multiple cameras.
Posted by: Tony.T | 29 January 2006 at 20:28
Skycam wasn't original - it was just a tiny little Whitmans Airship. And just as useless for televising footy.
I have no doubt that the key topic at the Ch7 board meetings is who's going to sing the footy theme song. Mike Brady? Greg Champion? Those two twits who sung "Rock The G"?
Posted by: carneagles | 29 January 2006 at 23:39
Here's a suggestion - interactive TV - commentary on/off, crowd noise on/off, stats on/off, picture in picture on/off, widescreen vs action shots on/off - as more of us get large widescreen tvs with good pictures and digital signals, surely the coverage can match the equipment?
As for talking footy sensibly with grown adults - mates down the pub - it's the only way.
Posted by: nick | 30 January 2006 at 01:26
ps - I'm waiting for someone to hack the 'talking boony' - surely some whiz can come up with a way of using the computer to output a signal or sound that can activate the little buggers chip to spout erudite gems like 'fucking yarpies', 'chucker', and 'baaaaaaalllll'....???
Posted by: nick | 30 January 2006 at 01:27
Watching the Oz Open has filled me with trepidation at the return of footy to Seven. All those slow-motion montages and grand voice-overs. *Shudder*
Posted by: Tim | 30 January 2006 at 09:48
The super slow-mo is every producer's outro wet dream. Every fricken ad break is now preceded by some regulation piece of action slowed down with some sort of 'stirring' musical accompaniment. It's lazy, simplistic and inappropriate but it looks pretty and so it will remain a staple for years to come.
Nick's ideas are innovative, appropriate appeal to the sports purists. They have no chance of being adopted by a commerical network without some sort of legislation being enacted.
Posted by: Some other Bruce | 30 January 2006 at 10:51
All Channel Seven sport screams CHEESE! They just don't have the knack of doing sport well. Camerawork excluded. As long as you're pointing them in the right direction, you'll be pretty much ok there. But their commentary, their links and their general feel is shoddy. Is it just me, or do they always just seem to be trying too hard?
Posted by: Tony.T | 30 January 2006 at 20:57
Was there any better indication of their inability to do anything good or interesting than their 80 minute pre match show for the Men's Final last night?
These are the same no-hopers who will be giving us the 50 minutes of pre-match (for a game that is already well underway) every Friday night; or providing awkward bridging between the Sunday games.
Gawdelpus
Posted by: Some Other Bruce | 30 January 2006 at 22:13
Sunday night there was no way known I was going to watch anything other than short grabs of gametime during the cricket ads.
Posted by: Tony.T | 31 January 2006 at 14:19
Anybody still doing 'humorous' phone calls in the third millenium deserves to be shot. Lots of times. Starting at the extremities and working towards the middle, leaving vital organs 'til last.
Posted by: Dirk Thruster | 01 February 2006 at 07:35
Just wait 'til Seven exhume Live and Kicking and the awful Rex 'unt thing they used to run on Sunday arvo - I'm a Cunt & You're Not.
Posted by: Tony.T | 01 February 2006 at 12:42