La Liga on TV in the UK

borocooper wrote:They need to improve the picture quality too over here. Its awful in some games. I guess thats the spanish broadcasters fault.

It wouldnt surprise me though, if Sky are just trying to make them nervous so they can get it for the cheapest deal possible and then up the sky monthly payments anyway.

elbecko wrote:I wonder if the proposal of 3pm (and 1pm during winter) kick-off is putting the UK TV company off, as it'll cause enormous scheduling crash with EPL games?

TheCrazy58 wrote:Mediapro they dicked around the season before last too.

L r dd wrote:

elbecko wrote:I wonder if the proposal of 3pm (and 1pm during winter) kick-off is putting the UK TV company off, as it'll cause enormous scheduling crash with EPL games?

They'd find a way such as delayed 1 hour coverage they seemed to do that for some games anyway.

toon h wrote:not sure how popular the Saturday and Sunday evening times were either. Would there be any sense for a UK audience to have the games scheduled differently? I do know it causes me a headache because the wife doesn't like football at all and sitting watching games every weekend in the evening, doesn't always go down well, to put it mildly. 6 o'clock would actually be a great time for me personally.

L r dd wrote:Sky sports got the rights now and will be showing the Madrid game first.

L r dd wrote:Sky sports got the rights now and will be showing the Madrid game first.

It`s Stannardo`s Emerging Spanish XI







Spanish
football is back on the box this weekend and to help you sound learned
and continental, Tim Stannard has put together an XI of players who
don't get the same press as Ronaldo...


Goalkeeper - Sergio Asenjo (Atletico Madrid)
It
is a fact proven by those eggheads at NASA that Spain has 87
goalkeepers that are better than David James. One of them is new
Atlético man between the sticks Sergio Asenjo.

The 20-year-old
has been brought to the Vicente Calderón from Valladolid and handed the
job of cleaning up after the continuous bumbles and fumbles from the
rojiblanco back four.

And it's for this reason he's been seen
as the new Iker Casillas - someone set to spend many years in the
Spanish capital, yelling at his defence after yet another monumental
cock-up. However, it's not yet known if the youngster has the same
fondness for a drinkie or two as his now-bearded mentor.


Left-back: Filipe Luis (Deportivo)
"It
was like a plane crash," grumbled the Deportivo fullback. "We were all
guilty of big mistakes, Barça, my agent, Lendoiro (Deportivo club
president) and me."

The highly-rated Brazilian is a very unhappy
bunny indeed. And you would be too had you seen a dead-cert switch to
the Treble winners collapse as quickly as a title challenge from
Atleti.

A move to the Camp Nou was set to be the reward for a
brilliant campaign from the left-back who was by far the best player in
la Liga in his position last season.

A mean tackler with a
flair for forward play, it looks like Filipe will need another strong
season under his belt before his dream move away from dreary Depor will
come true.


Centre-back: Alexis (Valencia)
With
Raul Albíol having been packed off to the Bernabeu, it's time for
Alexis to finally make his mark in Mestalla. Outstanding at Getafe
three seasons ago, Alexis was tipped to be in the same spot in the
Spanish side that Gerard Piqué currently occupies.

A fringe
player at Valencia for the past two years, Alexis needs to take
advantage of the Albíol-shaped gap in defence to show off his powerful
play in the air and general nastiness - two traditional attributes of
any Valencia centre-back.


Centre-back: Gaby Milito (Barcelona)
The
Argentinean defender is hardly an unknown looking for a breakthrough
season. Instead, this will be the biggest campaign of his career where
he will either play a game of football or retire.

Having badly
knacked his knee in the summer of 2008, Milito has had setback after
setback in his continuous comeback. One more and it will surely be
curtains for the 28-year-old.


Right-back: César Azpilicueta (Osasuna)
The
full-back with the almost unpronounceable name looks set to be playing
his last season for Osasuna with a big club move just around the
corner.

Along with his left-back colleague, Ignacio Monreal,
the locally-born and bred defender is on the fringes of the Spanish
squad having already been a European U-19 winner in 2007.

Set to
challenge Sergio Ramos and Arbeloa for their international spots and
befuddle Sky's commentators, should they take a peek at the side from
Pamplona. The new season could be big one for Azpilicueta.


Left midfielder: Diego Perotti (Sevilla)
The
Argentine right-footed winger has become a popular man both in the city
of Seville and Spain by managing to shove the very unlikeable Diego
Capel from his midfield berth since moving up from the club's 'cantera'
last season.

Capel is an enormous diving cheat with an
inability to cross and someone who possesses a ridiculously-inflated
opinion of himself. So far, Perotti appears to be none of these things.


The one downside to his emergence onto the local scene is that
his name is pronounced 'penalty' by one particular TV commentator in
Spain, leading to much rushing in from other rooms should Sevilla ever
be in action.


Central midfield: Javi Martínez (Athletic Bilbao)
The
Athletic Bilbao man has started to make a name for himself outside of
Spain due to his links with Liverpool over the summer. Whilst he has
been compared to Steven Gerrard due to his stature, physicality and
love of bossing the midfield, Martínez has still some way to go before
being at the same level as the great forehead-less one.

But
there are genuine expectations that the Basque midfielder may one day
join the likes of Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso by flourishing in the
fast and furious world of English football. Martínez will be a very
watched man this season.


Centre midfield: Esteban Granero (Real Madrid)
With
a price tag of around three million euros, the return of the home-grown
Esteban Granero is surely the best value signing from the summer of
spending from Real Madrid.

Looking like he's in the Kings of
Leon and having the reputation for being a top fella to boot, 'the
Pirate' is an incredibly versatile, hardworking midfielder who's been
the star of the Whites' pre-season since being rescued from a two-year
exile in Getafe.

If the new Madrid is more 'Ronaldos and Graneros' than 'Zidanes and Pavones' then things should go fairly smoothly in Madrid.


Right Midfield: Pablo Hernández (Valencia)
At
just 4 ft 3, Pablo is yet another tiny midfield terror to roll off the
Spanish conveyor belt of fine football talent. Having moved to Mestalla
last season it took a while for the Getafe man to make his mark with an
already-formidable front four in front of him.

But poor form
from Joaquín saw Pablo take his chance towards the end of the season
and receive a call-up to the Spanish squad for the Confederations Cup.
A dashing midfield runner and a fine finisher to boot.


Forward: Nilmar (Villarreal)
A
summer signing that has snuck through the Spanish radar over the summer
what with all the barmy business at the Bernabeu. Villarreal have
boosted their already impressive forward line with this 24-year-old
Brazilian striker, recently called up to the national squad to face
Argentina in a fortnight's time.

Strikers from South America
can sometimes be a risky business for clubs in la Liga, but Villarreal
rarely blunder in the transfer market with a club record signing that
sees them as the strongest contender to break the big two hegemony this
season.


Striker: Roberto Soldado (Getafe)
Once
the great young hope of Real Madrid, Roberto Soldado has seen his
career slip backwards since a call-up to the Spanish squad in 2007.

Having
spent much of last season sulking with Getafe after a move from the
Bernabeu, Soldado finally woke up (and grew up) to notch up 13 league
goals, helping his side stay up by the skin of their teeth.

An
immensely frustrating forward with undeniable talent but the ability to
miss sitter after sitter, Soldado definitely has a 20-goal season in
him in la Liga. It could well be this one.

stinger wrote:Pablo Hernandez being 4'3? And it's Sneijder who's called midget