Not too long ago somebody complained to me that Bill O'Herlihy handed to an ad break just as a battle of words between Eamon Dunphy and Graeme Souness was reaching boiling point.
Needless to say, the person making the complaint to me knew very little about the workings of television, and the need to hit deadlines, like the start of a match, or the start of the second half of a match, or the end of a programme which must finish by a certain time to allow for the start of the news bulletin or whatever follows the programme in question.
The reason I raise this is because a correspondent criticised me for interrupting a heated debate between the panellists on the subject of finance - and whether the players might be forced in the future to take a further paycut.
Opinions were strongly held, and the conversation bristled. Seven minutes had been allocated to the chat. After ten minutes, the programme editor was shouting in my earpiece that we had to move on. It's at that point I had to intervene.
It was an interesting show this week (I hope they all are!), and Richie Sadlier's comments on the quality of the referees in the League of Ireland were passionate, and perhaps as a result of his top striker being forced out through injury for up to three months after a challenge from Drogheda goalkeeper Paul Skinner.
That Quigley had a free kick awarded against him in the incident further added to Richie's annoyance.
The authorities might not be happy with Mr Sadlier's comments, but as a former professional and someone who's been involved in the game at a top level, perhaps they should listen to his criticisms and see what can be done to try to improve the situation for all concerned.
As I write just a short time after we've come off air, we've already received a number of emails to mns@rte.ie from supporters agreeing with Richie's comments. Although I suppose the reality is that you're not going to get too many fans writing in to put the case for the referees.
I said on the programme that it's something we will be returning to, and I would hope that we'll get a representative of the referees to fight their corner. I'm the same as everyone else and have been known to moan and bitch about refereeing decisions and those of referees' assistants, but let's face it, without them, we've got no game.
Actually, while I'm at it, one of the things that really irritates me is a fussy fourth official telling managers and coaches to sit down in their dug outs. Managers should be allowed consult with their assistants about changes they might need to make, or the way a game is going. A zealous fourth official can make their life uncomfortable to say the least, and really they should have more important things to be worrying about.
The precarious financial state of many clubs in the League of Ireland came up for discussion this week, and the fact that the European games could be a key factor in the very survival of clubs is a worrying fact.
All clubs going into European competition from wherever they are in Europe will be under a huge amount of pressure with the spotlight on them from within and outside their countries. Add to that the pressure that players could be playing for the future of their clubs, and it makes it a very tough proposition.
I'd be very hopeful that Sligo Rovers will progress to the second qualifying round of the Europa League. Rapid Vienna should be a step too far after that.
Derry will fancy their chances against Skonto Riga and they should progress to the next round. Likewise, St Pat's, depleted and all as they are, would be favourites against sides from Malta or Iceland, although the Icelandic teams have improved in recent years.
Unfortunately in the Champions League, Bohemians' hopes of progressing are small enough, facing a tough Austrian outfit in Salzburg, but it would be nice to think that the tie will be alive for the second leg at Dalymount Park, and then who knows?
Certainly the likes of St Pat's last season, Derry City and Bohs themselves in recent years will give rise to some hope. Having said that, the optimist in you would need to outpoint the realist to think that the Gypsies will advance.
One of the lads who works on the show with us, Kevin, is travelling to Salzburg to see Bohs in action, and it got me thinking about a couple of away European ties that I attended.
In 1978, Shamrock Rovers played Banik Ostrava of Czechoslovakia, as it was then, and I travelled to that game. It was amazing to go behind the Iron Curtain to a city like Ostrava and see things like I'd never seen before.
Unfortunately the Hoops - managed by Johnny Giles - lost 3-0 but it was still really memorable, and I also travelled to Budapest in the mid 1980s when Rovers played Honved. This time it was a 2-0 defeat, but again it was a great city to visit. The drilling of the road outside our hotel at about 5am on the morning of the game was a bit of an eye opener in every sense of the word!
I hope Kevin enjoys the delights of that beautiful city of Salzburg, a city noted for Mozart and the musical, the Sound of Music. I wonder will that other musical great, Johnny Logan, travel to show them what real music is all about? Certainly if Bohs can get a decent result, the fans that make the journey will have plenty to sing about.
It's unfortunate that we have to spend time once again talking about the financial crisis that many clubs find themselves in, but I suppose we can't bury our heads in the sand.
It's probably not great for the MNS brand to be spending time talking about the possibility of clubs going to the wall, when we're hoping to get a new audience for the domestic game, but to ignore the problems would leave us open to ridicule.
There are many positives about this season and we'll be happy to cover those as well.
It's the mid-season break now, the players and managers get a deserved weekend off. At least we have the Confederations Cup final to enjoy at the weekend. Not to mention the rest of the world of sport that keeps churning away.
Enjoy the break, and roll on the second half of the season.
