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Ann Gripper 25/07/2007
DAVID BECKHAM'S American adventure is set to change football in England - or the way we watch it at least, reckons TV presenter Tim Lovejoy.
While English clubs will not be looking across the pond for footballing lessons, some of America's screen style could be welcomed by Premiership coverage.
The innovation of putting a clock and the score in the corner of the screen is one that came from America - and former Soccer AM presenter Lovejoy, now fronting Five's Soccer USA show, believes more improvements to football on TV will also cross to this side of the Atlantic.
He said: "The football is not as good as the Premiership, Serie A or La Liga but the Americanisation of the game is where the entertainment comes from. They do analysis on corner kicks of speed and distance, things like that - all things that will potentially be adopted by our game in the future.
"Yet they talk to the Galaxy manager Frank Yallop about David Beckham in the middle of one match - halfway through they decide to do an interview with another manager.
"It's just priceless - you would never see that on the Premiership circuit.
"It's just seeing football in a completely different way. They interviewed Cobi Jones on the side of the pitch when he was a substitute. It just doesn't happen over here.
"They're doing football like they do their other sports - and they do their other sports very well. They're just 100 per cent full-on energy and entertainment.
"They're drawing all over the screen all the time with tactics and stuff. The exciting thing is whether we will be adopting any of that."
One thing unlikely to catch on is the vocabulary. If an American commentator says a pass has "gone in the waste basket" it means it has gone out of play, and a penalty kick is shortened to "PK".
And even Lovejoy admits he does not use the 'S' word. "I still call it football even though I was doing Soccer AM for 10 years," he said.
In his first TV project since quitting the iconic Saturday morning programme, Lovejoy's magazine-style show will follow Beckham through his first season in the States, along with interviews and news from the MLS.
And Lovejoy reckons Becks can succeed where Pele failed and finally switch America on to football. He said: "The MLS is starting now. I'm 100 per cent certain it's going to be a success, but if anyone thinks it's going to be as good as the Premiership or La Liga within a season you've got to be joking. You're looking at five years.
"If he can get football to be big in America and turn their league into a proper league then that's an amazing feat. If there's anyone who can do it, it's him."
David Beckham's Soccer USA on Five tonight at 7.15pm.
SO WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE THE HAIRDRYER LIVE?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON and Jose Mourinho would be sure to have a few things to say about it, but here are some of the things we might want to adopt from America. And a couple we can live without.
TOUCHLINE INTERVIEWS: As players come on and off. Forget kicking water bottles away in disgust, the players could share their complaints live with the nation.
LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEWS: Could we catch the hairdryer live on TV? But the cameras might need waterproofing to cope with cups of tea being chucked.
STATS MADNESS: We get a lot more statistics and technical analysis than we used to, but we still haven't caught up with the Americans.
MINI INTERVIEWS: Players talking about anything flash up in a corner of the screen at breaks in play.
REF MICS: They are a must in American football (the gridiron kind) and they have caught on in rugby - will football be next?
KICK-OFFS AT SIX MINUTES PAST HOUR: A cunning way to get everybody tuned in on time but still have time for an ad break
AD BREAKS DURING RUN OF PLAY: Motor racing on ITV has survived it - but it would cause uproar if it was tried over here. Wouldn't it?
SINGING NATIONAL AN THEM BEFORE MATCH: Would surely keep ITV and the Beeb in a constant stream of reality show talent search programmes.
DAVID BECKHAM'S American adventure is set to change football in England - or the way we watch it at least, reckons TV presenter Tim Lovejoy.
While English clubs will not be looking across the pond for footballing lessons, some of America's screen style could be welcomed by Premiership coverage.
The innovation of putting a clock and the score in the corner of the screen is one that came from America - and former Soccer AM presenter Lovejoy, now fronting Five's Soccer USA show, believes more improvements to football on TV will also cross to this side of the Atlantic.
He said: "The football is not as good as the Premiership, Serie A or La Liga but the Americanisation of the game is where the entertainment comes from. They do analysis on corner kicks of speed and distance, things like that - all things that will potentially be adopted by our game in the future.
"Yet they talk to the Galaxy manager Frank Yallop about David Beckham in the middle of one match - halfway through they decide to do an interview with another manager.
"It's just priceless - you would never see that on the Premiership circuit.
"It's just seeing football in a completely different way. They interviewed Cobi Jones on the side of the pitch when he was a substitute. It just doesn't happen over here.
"They're doing football like they do their other sports - and they do their other sports very well. They're just 100 per cent full-on energy and entertainment.
"They're drawing all over the screen all the time with tactics and stuff. The exciting thing is whether we will be adopting any of that."
One thing unlikely to catch on is the vocabulary. If an American commentator says a pass has "gone in the waste basket" it means it has gone out of play, and a penalty kick is shortened to "PK".
And even Lovejoy admits he does not use the 'S' word. "I still call it football even though I was doing Soccer AM for 10 years," he said.
In his first TV project since quitting the iconic Saturday morning programme, Lovejoy's magazine-style show will follow Beckham through his first season in the States, along with interviews and news from the MLS.
And Lovejoy reckons Becks can succeed where Pele failed and finally switch America on to football. He said: "The MLS is starting now. I'm 100 per cent certain it's going to be a success, but if anyone thinks it's going to be as good as the Premiership or La Liga within a season you've got to be joking. You're looking at five years.
"If he can get football to be big in America and turn their league into a proper league then that's an amazing feat. If there's anyone who can do it, it's him."
David Beckham's Soccer USA on Five tonight at 7.15pm.
SO WILL WE BE ABLE TO SEE THE HAIRDRYER LIVE?
SIR ALEX FERGUSON and Jose Mourinho would be sure to have a few things to say about it, but here are some of the things we might want to adopt from America. And a couple we can live without.
TOUCHLINE INTERVIEWS: As players come on and off. Forget kicking water bottles away in disgust, the players could share their complaints live with the nation.
LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEWS: Could we catch the hairdryer live on TV? But the cameras might need waterproofing to cope with cups of tea being chucked.
STATS MADNESS: We get a lot more statistics and technical analysis than we used to, but we still haven't caught up with the Americans.
MINI INTERVIEWS: Players talking about anything flash up in a corner of the screen at breaks in play.
REF MICS: They are a must in American football (the gridiron kind) and they have caught on in rugby - will football be next?
KICK-OFFS AT SIX MINUTES PAST HOUR: A cunning way to get everybody tuned in on time but still have time for an ad break
AD BREAKS DURING RUN OF PLAY: Motor racing on ITV has survived it - but it would cause uproar if it was tried over here. Wouldn't it?
SINGING NATIONAL AN THEM BEFORE MATCH: Would surely keep ITV and the Beeb in a constant stream of reality show talent search programmes.