Each and every Old Firm game at Parkhead is a television production featuring the green and white hordes giving vent to their hate while the Rangers support is a bit part player, lucky to be acknowledged, and with on-screen appearances as frequent as Graham Spiers articles praising Rangers.
Television coverage is contributing to lessening the Old Firm spectacle for the viewer, intent as it is on giving only one side a profile while the other watches on from what appears to be a distant horizon.
In addition, the Rangers support has to endure being a smaller percentage of the crowd at Parkhead than the more generous share the Celtic support enjoys at Ibrox - and this has got to stop. We give too many tickets to Celtic for Ibrox games, and I don`t care what the police says, their current allocation needs to be reduced.
Essentially, because of the nature of the crowd share at both grounds, and also due to the partisan nature of certain broadcasters, only one club is enjoying a high television profile in Old Firm games - and it`s not Rangers.
This needs to be addressed, and while Rangers should look hard at how to influence better television coverage of home games, it should also look to reduce and relocate the Celtic support at Ibrox.
It`s time to play hardball - with the police, with broadcasters and with Celtic.
They brought it on themselves.
Rangers First.
Number Eight
I've long suspected the same companies (and individuals) who operated Setanta would be involved with the Sky coverage, as it seemed to me to be the easiest option as Sky don't have the desire or the need to give the SPL their own Premiership-standard production.
Anyway, I thought I'd have a look and unsurprisingly I quickly found what I was looking for. I suspect the similarities don't end here.
I'm not sure how much input 021 Television have in the outside broadcasts - if they just provide equipment etc - but I suspect the producers/editors and other staff may well be the same individuals involved. Maybe provided by another company contracted by Sky.
As shown by yesterday's match, the level and the editorial approach to Glasgow derbies remains exactly the same as was the case under Setanta.
July 2008 - Setanta use 021 Television for their SPL Coverage
http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2008/07/setanta_uses_o2.html
August 2009 - SKY taps 021 Television for SPL OB Coverage
http://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/200...ague-ob-needs/
If the Club aren't interested in settling this problem of disparity, then perhaps the RST, or individual fans and RSC representatives, may wish to contact the relevant companies directly.
IbroxBear