No, I'm not referring to the weird programme on Star/ESPN featuring the ever-delectable Jamie Yeo. Last season the programme lasted an hour and was sponsored by Nokia. This season it lasts half the time and for some seemingly unrelated football reason is sponsored by Castrol Motor Oil. One of their ads does feature Christian Ronaldo who is famous for his good looks, sublime skills and for crashing his Ferrari, but that still strikes me as being a strange match up.Unlike last year's programme, it doesn't feature Andy Penders, a weird guy with eye make up whose only redeeming feature, in this viewer's humble opinion, is that he is a Southampton supporter. As they were then in the English second tier along with Charlton, this semi-guaranteed that I could get to see a goal or two.
As both our teams were relegated last season, along with Norwich, I fully expected to see a few more goals but, alas, he is no longer one of the co-hosts trying hard to keep his hands to himself (and off Jamie?), so that's one Thursday evening's viewing I no longer bother with. Shame really, as Charlton are currently in a promotion spot - early days I know - having yet to lose a match and having scored 18 goals at an everage of 2.25 a game.
As this is our best start in my lifetime, I suppose I ought to be well-pleased, but somehow I'm not.
You see, this season my satellite provider, Indovision, has (at last) secured the rights to show the EPL in all its well-financed overkill. Yes, if I wanted, I could watch every match in real time, in delay on the same day, or a couple of times in repeat mode during the week.
For sure I do get to see players who have turned out for Charlton in previous seasons strutting their stuff up and down England's currently sunny land. In the last six weeks I've seen Jermaine Defoe, Darren Bent, JLloyd Samuel, Andy Reid, Scott Parker, Jonathon Spector, Carlton Cole, Alexandre Song, Luke Young, Danny Murphy and Paul Konchesky. But knowing what might have been is no substitute for what is.
So, to assuage my Addickshun I turn, bandwidth permitting, to various webpages such as the official site, Dr. Kish and the many blogs.
It seems that I'm not the only one "disillusioned with football at the top level" as I've recently discovered "two football fans [who] decided to visit their local team in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup [and were] were instantly hooked."
As far as I know, the FA Cup is open to all clubs registered with the Football Association in England (as well as a few in Wales), so there is always a 'romance' invilved in pitting lesser skilled and young emerging talents against the big boys with their Ferraris.
This post has been occasioned by an email I received a few eweeks back from Boban (Bobi) Naumovski, "a huge footie fan and also one of the guys who runs the Goalie Gloves site, mostly a goalkeeper dedicated site, where we offer equipment and advice to goalkeepers around the world. We also throw in a couple of goalkeeper articles each week.
"Anyway, I was going through some blogs, and ran into yours. As a Europe based soccer fan I'm not that aware of Indonesian fans view on the beautiful game, so that's why blogs like your keep my attention."
Bobi and local readers should check out Jakarta Casual, an off beat look at Indonesian and South East Asian football from the terraces or the pub, by fellow Jakarta blogger Antony Casual. He's much more thorough in his coverage of South-East Asia football than the semi-official Asian FC site.
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Foot(ball)note
I vaguely promise to not post about football again until it hurts me not to.
