Champions League,* Ibrox Stadium, 24/11/10

Paint could have watched this game dry.

What a (lack of) advert for the football tournament proclaimed to be the world’s best. Even better than the World Cup, forsooth.

I don’t normally bother with it, in televised club football I prefer Europa League – UEFA Cup as was – matches; but this was a Scotland-England contest. Or rather it was a seven-or-eight-plodding-Scots-plus-some-equally-plodding-mercenaries – bunch of overhighly-paid-mercenaries-made-to-look-pedestrian contest.

I’ve seen football that was more creative in the Scottish Third Division.

* So-called.

Carling Cup, Semi-final, first leg.

This is what you’re reduced to when the weather puts off match after match and you’re feeling withdrawal symptoms. (I would have been at Brechin on Saturday to assuage those but the thaw and heavy rain put paid to that.)

It was one of those games that starts with one team so on top, scoring, you think that there’s only one winner. Then of course, they lose.

Despite the commentators’ and pundits’ attempts to talk it up the match was turgid. City did little in the way of attacking and United had no cutting edge. It only really brightened up in the last ten minutes when United began to show interest. Wayne Rooney is a player, though.

It’s nice to know English refs are as error prone as ours.

(Actually it’s not. It’s depressing. It means there’s no hope of improvement.)

Old Trafford, 25/11/09

I’ve just watched the second half of the “Champions League” match on TV tonight.

And what a deeply dispiriting experience it was. Totally devoid of interest and, apart from a flurry in added time, any spectacle whatever. I was knackered, though, and couldn’t be bothered even switching channels

I know Utd fielded their Carling Cup side but Besiktas are on a seven game unbeaten run in Turkey.

So this is what passes for high class football? Both teams were entirely run-of-the-mill.

And Rangers were knocked out of this competition last night.

I don’t normally bother with these “big” teams live on TV. If this is what’s on offer I’m glad I don’t pay the Rupert tax and ITV’s viewing figures for their flagship football programme will surely decline.

I genuinely get more entertainment from watching Dumbarton in the Second Division. Hell, even in the Third. Partly that’s the live experience, being involved, shouting encouragement, decryng the ref and assistants, partly the emotional involvement. But the whole package is so much less hyped and more grounded. (Even a humping you can resign yourself to as being good for the soul.)

What I saw tonight was highly paid professional players being unable to pass the ball to a colleague, or make a cross get past the first defender, or running up blind alleys. Not likely to make me want to come back for more.

*I know the result was 0-1 but the goal was in the first half. The second was all I saw and it was a snooze-fest.