No Hiding Place

There's a classic episode of Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? in which Terry and Bob go to drastic lengths to avoid hearing the result of a crucial England World Cup qualifier in Bulgaria so that they can enjoy cheering on the team during the highlights on telly that evening. Though it's far from the best episode of the series - most of the humour is packed into the climactic punchline that after all the boys' strenuous efforts to keep themselves in isolation, they find that the match was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch - it's still a nostalgic glimpse back to a time when football coverage consisted of sporadic score updates over radio waves, and television reports telephoned in by greying veteran reporters. Simply put, in this day and age, Terry and Bob wouldn't last a quarter of an hour without finding out England's soggy Bulgarian fate.

Not that I'm bemoaning what technological advances have given us in terms of sporting entertainment; like everything else in the world, sport must evolve, and it's only natural that the internet and satellite television have come to play such an immense role in football culture particularly. The clock will never be rolled back on these innovations, and nor should it be. But sometimes it's just pleasant to look back on old times and appreciate the simplicity.