Fox Soccer and the Champions League. 20 Aug 09.

Yes, it’s easy for armchair critics like ourselves .. and the FSC pundits.

Oh deary me! The coverage of Celtic v Arsenal was ruined by the commentator announcing what was going to happen on the pitch a second before it actually did: the soundtrack was ahead of the visuals. FoxSoccerChannelWatch recommends this: turn off the sound completely and you can provide your own commentary. Advertisers take note – we won’t be listening to the commercials, either.

It’s bad enough to listen to the Fox Soccer Report tell us what happens on the pitch before we see it: “And in a moment we see the only goal of the game.” Thanks for spoiling it for us, FSR! Viewers, turn off the sound! We also get the same shabby treatment with FSC’s new Champions League highlights program, with Max Bretos spoiling it for us again there.

You don’t get that sort of treatment from the Premier League Highlights Show. Across the Atlantic, the soccer’s better, and so is the TV coverage.

Fox Soccer Report glitch for tonight – yep, it’s the same old problem with the graphics; is the person who writes them permanently drunk? – a team by the name of Velencia is up on the screen. Is it some obscure Romanian team? Nope – it’s Valencia from Spain, just one of the most famous teams in the world. Velencia orange juice anyone?

Chicago Fire v LA Galaxy. Did I hear correctly? We are told by commentator Carlos Machado that Chicago don’t manage “a shot on goal”. Then we see the highlights, containing shots on goal by the Chicago team.

Not so “Super” Sunday 20 April.

Aston Villa 5 – 1 Birmingham City

Why doesn’t Fox Soccer Channel show all of the goals? For example, we see all of Aston Villa’s five goals against Birmingham City, but we are not shown City’s goal. We don’t know if it was a defensive breakdown, an the goalkeeper throwing the ball in his own net, or brilliant goal of the year. Who scored the goal? Does FSC pay for the rights to show the goals of only one team?

FYI: the scorers were (Villa) – Young (2), Carew (2), Agbonlahor; (B’ham) – Forssell

Blackburn Rovers 1 – 1 Manchester United. 19th April 2008

A game of two halves as the home team edged the first 45 minutes with santa Cruz scoring and Manchester United pourng forward in the second the find the equaliser that eventually came in the form of a header by Tevez. The game was notable for the number of penalty appeals igored by ref Rob Stiles. The lack of fear shown by the Blackburn players was something that other teams might learn from.

Guinness “Brilliant” Play of the Day

Oh dear! The “analysts” choosing the Guinness Brilliant Play of the Day for each live game seem to be choosing any play by the bigger of the two clubs involved in the game yet again. First off we had the Liverpool v Reading game that FSC’s Bobby McMahon correctly identified on yesterday’s (15 Mar 08) preview show as being a tougher job for Liverpool to win than many were predicting. This was apparent after the brilliantly-executed first-time rocket shot by Marek Matejovsky put the Royals 1-0 up early on. Mascherano equalised with a similarly powerful shot, but as any player or coach in the world will tell you a first-time shot is much harder to execute correctly than a shot such as that by Mascherano who teed the shot up for himself before striking it.An even worse decision came when FSC decided to award the “Brilliant” Play to Arsenal’s scrappy equalising goal – a header by Kolo Toure that may have been an own goal – rather than to Middlesbrough’s genuinely quality goal: a quick counter-attack by Boro saw Tuncay’s brilliantly struck half-volley cross converted on the volley by Jeremie Aladiere. There can be no excuse for not giving this play to the Middlesbrough pair outside of corruption or complete incompetence.Viewers! Please keep monitoring the number of the so-called “Brilliant” plays awarded by FSC to the big teams. Feel aggrieved? Complain to Guinness or stop buying their beer.