Touchline Tony
I’ve kept my powder dry on the issue that has generated the most comment and feedback around the grounds of the Airtricity League over the last couple of months - until now. The issue is in relation to our coverage of the ‘live’ matches on RTÉ Television since the domestic season started.
I could fairly sum up the reaction of many fans with a direct quote from one of them ‘What are you doing talking to the managers during the matches? Are you mad? One of them is going to kill you!’
As our ‘live’ coverage takes a break maybe it is time for a little perspective. Not all good ideas are mine, but I’ve learned in life that other people’s notions or opinions may well be worth taking on board. That’s not to weasel my way out of responsibility or an argument - that’s not my style.
I fully endorse our decision to try and jazz up our coverage of the Airtricity League Live matches by bringing a new, fresh insight to proceedings that you don’t get on other match coverage. Well, that’s the idea anyway.
I have been reporter on each of the eight games, bar one, when I instead travelled to Derry for a feature on their game with Cork for the season opening MNS programme.
Up there we spoke to the two managers Stephen Kenny and Tommy Dunne in their offices, or in Dunne’s case in the hotel function room, just as he finished his team talk. We were in the dressing room of both teams and with them for the warm up. We were in the Derry City Supporters’ Club with Cork and Derry fans and, uniquely I think, we were on the pitch with Barry Molloy of 
Derry and Cork’s Greg O’Halloran literally moments before kick-off and immediately after the final whistle.
Genuinely, you could feel the tension and the atmosphere in the piece, which was well received by fans and viewers alike. The piece would not have worked; however, without the willing co-operation and easy eloquence of the main players in the drama that unfolded as it so often does on every pitch in every ground around the country.
And that’s the point. We Irish pride ourselves on our character; on our ability to tell a story; on our grace and humour. Is it just our managers that tend to set all that aside during the ninety minutes of sheer hell? If it’s that grim for them, then think of what it must be like for the poor viewer.
The truth is this: The Airtricity League struggles to get an audience, no matter how good the product on the pitch. If, however, you are being completely honest you will surely agree that not all the games this season have been gripping or high on quality. The poor standard of pitches doesn’t help, but if excuses were legal tender we’d have no need for NAMA.
But that’s football. Light and shade: a lot of darkness before a game can be illuminated with a moment of brilliance. The Manchester United versus Tottenham game last weekend, in the main, was only surpassed by the dross on show at The Emirates as Arsenal took on moneybags Manchester City. four of the top five in action against each other at the business end of their season and boy it was a tough watch.
Hype over quality you might say as our friends in broadcasting over there rather glossed over the cracks as part of their own propaganda machine.
I’d like to think we’re a bit more honest than that here and we tell it like it is. We still need viewers though. And ‘gimmicks’, if you like, or ‘innovations in coverage’ as we like to call them - which led us to ask the managers to allow us to talk to them during the game and to put cameras in the dressing rooms. We wanted our league, the league we love, to look its best, to glory in its difference. Unplugged, fierce, determined, embracing.
Our ‘live’ game doesn’t have the benefit of reflection and post-production in the edit suite and I understand that not everyone appreciates the interjections. However, the point was that they, the managers, all bought into the idea, or claimed to, at the beginning of the year.
Communication is mostly non-verbal and I understand that it hasn’t always looked comfortable, for them or me, in the television coverage.
Dundalk’s Ian Foster looked horrified as we tried to pick our moment to speak to him, but tell me a good time to talk to a boss when his side are two nil down in a local derby? Drogheda’s Alan Mathews was brief and insightful as he foresaw a game slipping away from him.
Shamrock Rovers’ boss Michael O’Neill was under pressure earlier in the season, but was never less than courteous and usually informative too. St Pat’s Pete Mahon, while being vehemently opposed to the idea of talking ‘on air’ during matches, has shown his professionalism by not only doing so but doing so with clarity and brevity, a trick that most television broadcasters and analysts can only aspire to.
One manager withdrew his co operation because Roddy Collins was back on the MNS couch and the other was afraid that he would be unable to stop himself from swearing on air. (Only one of those is the Sligo Rovers gaffer, by the way.)
It hasn’t helped that referees weren’t consulted before the agreement with the FAI, RTÉ and the managers and so zealously impose the ruling that the manger may not leave his technical area and the reporter may not enter it during interviews. Think of it like making love from separate beds and you’ll understand the issues with body language.
One viewer Mark Moloney was kind enough to write to us at MNS@RTE.ie with his thoughts on the matter and I reproduce the extract here to show you another side of the coin.
‘Hi Guys,
Love the show but am writing to you on a couple of important issues.
It is great that you are getting to show more and more games live and the show is really enjoyable to watch. I am a regular visitor to Dalymount Park and enjoy the games. As I would not be a season ticket holder or member at Bohemians I did not get a ticket for the Dublin derby against Shamrock Rovers.
Whilst watching the game I was absolutely horrified at the idea of a serious sports journalist like Tony O'Donoghue being made a fool of trying to speak Michael O'Neil and Pat Fenlon while the game was on going. It was quite evident from Fenlon's reaction that he had absolutely no interest in speaking to Tony and this made O'Donoghue look quite foolish.
Once again whilst watching the game from the stands in Dalymount on Friday night I once again noticed Tony over speaking to Sean Connor and you could see from Connor's body language he was not impressed.
Please, please, please knock this idea on the head it makes the League and RTE look really unprofessional and also makes a really professional guy like Tony O'Donoghue look quite foolish.’
He goes on to have a go at referee Damien Hancock, but as Mr. Hancock is not in the position to defend himself here, and I am, we’ll leave that bit out.
Thank you for your comments Mark, but can I say in all sincerity that the serious professional in me does not feel in the slightest bit foolish for trying to do something different. Something different that could help give our product a uniqueness and a style that might set it apart from a rather crowded television sports market.
We may have got it right, or we may not, perhaps it’s too early to say, but with the support of the main players (in this case the managers, if you get my drift) we might work together to offer the viewer something that readily supports their understanding and enjoyment of the action.
We cannot control the bounce of the ball nor the conditions, but there are parts of the production of the television element of the match that we can improve.
Knowing when to come in with information is a learned skill and depends as much on the pace of the game as the importance of the news to be imparted.
It may be the case that there should be fewer interjections throughout the ninety minutes, or none, and maybe the lesson to learn is, once again, that subtlety is a rarely understood art.
Less is more, sometimes, except when it comes to television ratings.
Tony O’Donoghue is Soccer Correspondent for RTÉ.
