October 10, 2006

Can you please NOT show England matches?

Dear Astro Programming Director (& Sports Programming Dept),

I would like to register my protest on the unmerited attention you people give to the England football team.

How could you show us a 0-0 bore draw from the slum that is Manchester, when on the same evening there were six (6) goals scored in Cardiff, seven (7) in Nicosia, and the cheese-eating 2006 World Cup final losers were losing yet another match in Glasgow?! How could you? How dare you?!

Let's not even consider the seven goals Croatia and the Czechs scored on Saturday night, while the rest of us suffered 90 minutes of tedium watching Peter Crouch chase corner flags whilst Stuart Downing was trying to emulate Steven Gerrard's trademark "over mountain, over sea" shot a.k.a cross a.k.a long pass to buddy in stadium carpark. After all, the Croats and Czechs were playing Andorra and San Marino, respectively. Then again, I would have paid an extra subscription to Astro just to see some goals that evening. By anyone, Against any team.

You people need to learn that just because the English Premier League is loads of fun and excitement, it does not mean that the English national team is the same. In the EPL, we have players from all over the world to provide the fun and excitement. With the English national team, we only get a bunch of Englishmen.

If you people ever needed a hint, the England manager has been quoted as saying he is suspicious of the word "entertainment". Howzat?

Come on lah dey, I can understand that you want to show matches involving "big teams" in order to draw a bigger audience. On the same token, do you understand that your audience need to see goals, or in lieu of goals, some excitement during a match? Where was the excitement during that match between England and Macedonia?

I hope you pick better matches to show on Thursday morning. If you persist with the England match, you better hope they get trounced 7-0. Or that Lampard and Terry both score hattricks and the match finishes 6-6. Three deflected goals and three majestic headers from corners / freekicks during a match, now I'd pay to see that. Not that it would happen in an England match.

Astro, home of England konon. Tiu. Podah!

Up yours,
Joe R.

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