Consuming The Beautiful Game

I’ve enjoyed retired life these past few years. With more time on my hands, I now consume the game quite differently than in my youth. The increased visibility of the game, the media, and technology have all proven to be factors when comparing how it was back then to how it is today. Here are some things I’ve noticed comparing back then to now.

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1) NEWSPAPERS/PINK ECHO vs the BBC WEBSITE/NEWSNOW: 

Back in the day, the first thing I turned to in the ‘Liverpool Echo’ or any daily paper was the sports pages —what was happening in the football world, especially at Liverpool FC. On Saturdays, the ‘Pink’ Echo brought immediate game reports and the latest results. 

I no longer live in England, but even if I did, newspapers would tempt me less. Everything is instantly online. I use the BBC website as my starting point and NewsNow for the latest LFC news. The latter is updated 24/7. 

MY PREFERENCE … I prefer 2026, as immediate access to comprehensive news is better for my lifestyle now, though I still feel a twinge of nostalgia for Football Pink from my earlier years.

2) CHARLES BUCHAN FOOTBALL MONTHLY/GOAL/SHOOT vs WORLD SOCCER/4-4-2/WHEN SATURDAY COMES:

I used to make a trek each month to ‘Murphys’ on St John’s Road for ‘Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly’. I read every page, clinging to every word. When Football Monthly published ‘Goal’, a weekly cousin, I devoured that too. ‘Shoot’ soon took over as my top football magazine choice. On Fridays after school, I picked up my reserved copy. These three magazines were the most popular at the time, though many others were available.

Football magazines today are better than those from my youth. Articles now target a broader, older audience, and ‘4-4-2’ is likely the best. ‘World Soccer’ began in the sixties as a black-and-white fanzine, later growing into a top competitor to Shoot and Goal. These days, it’s the only magazine that combines well-written articles with pictures of the “stars”. Older magazines favoured posters and team groups. I love ‘When Saturday Comes’ for its sarcasm. All three are readily available at Barnes & Noble. Still, I don’t always read them — online content now provides everything necessary to follow the game and more. It’s a sad but true fact. Football magazines, for better or worse, have been superseded by the internet.

MY PREFERENCE … I prefer the 60s/70s mainly due to nostalgia. However, the reality is that football magazines, for better or worse, have been superseded by technology.

3) SUBBUTEO  vs FANTASY FOOTBALL:

‘FIFA’ would be a more accurate comparison these days. My son and nieces play FIFA, but I just would not be able to compete with them. After trying early soccer video games in the 90s — unsuccessfully — I  soon realised PlayStation and Xbox were not for me. I still have my Subbuteo, and “flick to kick” remains my favourite, holding a special place in my heart and those of my peers.

I discovered ‘Fantasy Football’ after retirement, though it’s been around since the nineties. Soccer commitments kept me away. My first team had a classic lineup — right-back at right-back, etc. I was proud of the balance of the first XI I selected. Little did I know! Gradually, I learned the rules and became more strategic. This season, I’ve been doing okay, ranked between 400,000 and 500,000. Don’t laugh, it’s out of the 13 million players. I usually drop late in the season when the blank and double game weeks kick in. Can I navigate these years better this year?

MY PREFERENCE … Subbuteo all day long, though I do enjoy Fantasy Football.

4) THE POOLS/SPOT THE BALL vs SPORTS PREDICTOR:

Do they still have ‘the pools’ in England? I rarely hear about them — likely overshadowed by the Lottery, I would guess. After moving to the States, my mother insisted I continue submitting weekly entries. In the UK, I studied games to find likely draws. Later, when that didn’t work, I relied on family birthdays, lucky numbers, and house numbers. I failed miserably with both approaches.

The Sports Predictor (formerly run under NBC’s auspices) is a modern equivalent, involving predicting the scores of 5 EPL games each week for a cash prize. Similar to the pools, I’ve never been close to winning. Still, the lure of extra pocket money is always enticing.

MY PREFERENCE … I prefer neither, but I continue with Sport Predictor solely for its convenience on my iPhone.

5). MATCH OF THE DAY/FOOTBALL FOCUS/ON THE BALL vs NBC/PEACOCK TV/YOUTUBE:

Now this is a major difference! In England, only the Cup Final, England vs Scotland, European Finals, and World Cup games were usually live on TV. Otherwise, it was Match of the Day on Saturdays. As a kid, staying up for MOTD was a big deal. Later, I’d rush home from the pub to hear Jimmy Hill and his team pontificate over the day’s games.

Two personal MOTD claims to fame … I was in the crowd at the first-ever MOTD-covered game (Liverpool vs Arsenal 1964) and the first colour MOTD broadcast (Liverpool vs West Ham 1969). 

Review programs like Football Focus and On the Ball ran around lunchtime on Saturday, so I’d flip between them. Meanwhile, Granada TV in the North West aired a highlights show on Sunday afternoons. Gerald Sinstadt hosted ‘Kick-Off’ on Fridays. Before the 1974 Cup Final, his expert panel claimed that Newcastle was the better team in every area, despite Newcastle finishing 15th and Liverpool finishing 2nd. That final remains the most one-sided I remember — Liverpool won 3-0. I was there for that one, too.

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For years, soccer was a rarity on US TV, so every match was special if broadcast. Over time, things changed. While I was at Dartmouth, PBS aired “Soccer Made in Germany,” with Toby Charles commentating on a previous week’s Bundesliga match. In 1990, ESPN showed an hour of highlights from England’s Division 1. Moving to Boston and Tufts University, I watched English First Division games at the “Plough and Stars” pub in Cambridge, and later at “Kitty O’Shea’s” in Beverly. For big games, there would usually be a sizable crowd on hand.

Satellite TV changed everything. EPL games could be watched at home. The EPL was first broadcast by Fox, then by NBC. I enjoy NBC’s coverage with the 2 Robbies and Rebecca Lowe. CBS broadcasts the Champions League. All the major European and South American leagues, as well as MLS in the US, are available live. Times have changed!

MY PREFERENCE … I obviously prefer 2026. Watching multiple live games aligns with my interests and schedule, though I get frustrated when Liverpool games clash with my soccer commitments. Far too often, I’m sorry to say. I still value the witty commentary from older broadcasters for the memories they bring. YouTube is a treasure trove for footy nostalgia.

6). SPORTS REPORT/RADIO MERSEYSIDE vs FOOTBALL DAILY/606: 

Radio coverage was limited to the second half of Saturday games on the BBC until local radio arrived. In Liverpool, Radio Merseyside & Radio City increased local coverage. Rights restrictions prevent games from being on BBC Sounds, but coverage, analysis, and interviews are far more extensive now. Whisper it at the Beeb, VPN gets around many of the restrictions.

Podcasts have added a new dimension. The BBC’s ‘Football Daily’ offers daily news while I’m in the car. I also enjoy “Off the Ball” and ‘World Football Phone-In’, which mix football with music, another passion. OFB is Scottish, hosted by Stuart Cosgrave, a former NME writer. Despite the thick Scottish accents, it’s witty and full of music. “World Football Phone-In” is similar, hosted by Dotun Adebayo and Tim Vickery, BBC’s South American correspondent. Besides his knowledge of footy and music, Tim is like the little brother I never had and is very quick-witted.

There are numerous fan podcasts, but some go too far. They can be over the top at times. That said, I’ve found several pods that are enjoyable and worth tuning into. The BBC’s Five Live’s ‘606’, a phone-in football show, is a better forum for a football fan to voice opinions. Fans’ comments are often hilarious.

MY PREFERENCE … once again, 2026. Once you find the kind of coverage and podcasts that suit your needs, there is not much competition between then and now. One thing I do miss, however, is crowding around the transistor radio with friends to listen to the FA Cup draw.

7) ‘ROY OF THE ROVERS’:

 Forget Batman, Spiderman, Marvel comics, and all that rubbish. There will never be another comic book hero like Roy Race and his Melchester Rovers team. Is there a modern-day equivalent? Not to my knowledge.

CONCLUSION:

These are all my personal tastes. I was an avid football fan growing up and remain so today. I am surrounded by football stuff, and back in England, I have a substantial array of old footy mags, programmes and other paraphernalia. In just about every category listed, I preferred the present. That said, my love of Subbuteo and Roy of the Rovers remains undying. They are products of the era I grew up in and no longer have widespread appeal to the masses nowadays. I’m sure many of my contemporaries might be similarly inclined.

The irony is that while I enjoy many of the ways to “consume” contemporary football, there are numerous things in the modern game that I don’t appreciate. Primarily, the money!!  Call me old-fashioned, but the money side of modern football is obscene. If I were still living on Merseyside, I would not be prepared to pay the price of watching a match at Anfield. I would still be following the Mighty Reds closely, along with all the highs and lows that accompany supporting the team. I’m just not prepared to fork out the kind of money required to be there anymore. Beyond that, I love the game and would like to think I can still be honest enough to appreciate a rival team if they play well or score a great goal. 

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In the final analysis, following the game has changed over my lifetime. In a sense, things have developed from the days of growing up like what we see on the field. The other day, I was watching a Liverpool-United game from 10 years ago on the Premier League TV Channel (the game where Dirk Kuyt scored a hat-trick of tap-ins!!). This isn’t the same type or level of football played in the Premier League in 2026. Has the game advanced dramatically? For many, it is a matter of opinion. One clear difference is the players’ athleticism. Likewise, between TV, radio, internet, podcasts, Fantasy Football et al., following the Beautiful Game is not the same as it was for a young lad growing up in Liverpool! Whatever, I’m glad I have something that gives me not only an interest but something to enjoy and get passionate about. 

YNWA