The Curse of Setanta

Today's Non-League Paper (30 March) offers an assessment of Setanta's coverage of the Blue Square Premier that seems ridiculously out of touch with reality, if personal experience is anything to go by. The man responsible is columnist John Lyons, dubbed either by himself or a benevolent editor as 'the loudest roar in non-league', and his assertion just doesn't match-up to the consensus of the fans.

The claim? "Not many people would quibble with Setanta's coverage of the Blue Square Premier this term."

But in reality, there are plenty of those who would dissent from that view. And angrily so.

The concept, from the outset, was an exciting one for fans in the Blue Square Premier. For some, it would be the first time they could get themselves on the television without having to battle through the early rounds of the FA Cup while hoping for that lucrative draw against a proper team. It showed that a television company was prepared to make a committed attempt to sell the passion and pride of the non-league to a wider audience following a half-arsed effort by Sky previously. And to start with, there were few problems.

For an example, let me use my own - Stevenage Borough. We understood that the occasional fixture would have to be moved to Thursday night for television purposes, and a return of three live games in the first 20 wasn't such a problem - after all, Boro' had started the season brightly and had briefly sat on top before establishing themselves as genuine playoff contenders. Further more, one of those games didn't need to be moved; a Bank Holiday clash with August put back from 3pm to 7.45pm. Fine, we thought - this is no big deal. After all, Boro' were on the telly for the first time in a long time and enjoying similar exposure to those Premiership clubs so willingly courted by Sky. As 2007 drew to a close, the ratio was sitting at 3/23, with two fixtures moved to a Thursday night.

Now here we are, at the end of March 2008. Since the turn of the year, Boro' have played 16 fixtures and have appeared live on Setanta five times. And all these games have involved fixture changes at the shortest of notices. Suddenly, planning ahead was no longer an option as the television company appeared to add fixtures to its schedule at a whim. Boro' fans with pre-booked tickets to Leeds for the Farsley Celtic game had no use for them when Setanta announced within a fortnight of the fixture that it would be moved to the preceding Thursday. Similarly a fixture away at Salisbury City was moved at short notice, and now there are unconfirmed rumours that the trip to Burton Albion in three weeks time may be moved. Again, a fixture where pre-booked tickets - which are planned when more or less when the fixtures are published in June are sorted out - become redundant. Not to mention the fact that Saturday's fixture with Exeter City has to be played at 5.15pm because the powers that be have Exeter playing on Thursday and Tuesday either side of the weekend.

Setanta seem unruffled by this. York fans were similarly troubled for a trip to Torquay and were only saved from an unfounded financial outlay by the generosity of a train company. That's not to mention that the coverage has been poor at the best of times. Wobbly cameras, partisan punditry from Paul Parker and ad-hoc interviews in the middle of the action have all contributed to a less than satisfactory service. And their customer services don't appear to care, if responses to fellow supporters are anything to go by.

Never mind the fact that Boro' are piss-poor on the telly, the treatment of the fans this season has slowly descended into farce and insult. And it is indicative of a trend that affects the highest level of the game too when Premiership games are shifted about for the sake of ratings. But then again, you tell me whether Setanta really are going to strike ratings gold with Grays v Droylsden before forcing fans to put up with it. Is it any coincidence that attendances are on the slide when fans are expected to make cross-country trips on Setanta's whim on a Thursday night. So, would not many people quibble with the coverage? Take a peek at what Aldershot fans think...

And what's more: Say No To Setanta