LOVEJOY GETS HIS COLONEL OUT (Soccer A.M.)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Soccer A.M.
Date:	15/12/02 (3999 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny, Don't have to like footie to watch it

Disadvantages: Erm....NONE!

Do you know, there are certain times during a week that should be ring fenced as special moments where you can switch off from what's going on in the rest of the world and immerse yourself in a frenzy of self-indulgence. For me, Saturday mornings mean SoccerAM and, if I can resist the lure of the Internet, I'll watch as much of the show as I can. The thing is, it's on for 3 hours between 9am and 12pm (usually unless there's an early fixture in which case the show may go off air at 11.30am) so I have to dodge the tidying up bullets of my good lady and also side step the nickelodeon landmines set by my daughter. Assuming I can watch the programme in peace, this ranks alongside my other highpoints of the week including "Six Feet Under" on Channel 4 and the return of Alan Partridge on BBC2.

SoccerAM has been around for a few years now and is hosted by the schoolboy cheek of Tim Lovejoy (Lovejoy!!!!) ably assisted by his sexy sidekick - Helen Chamberlain (Hell's Bells). You'll need to be hooked up to Sky Sports somehow as it's transmitted on Sky Sports 1.

Both presenters support minor teams (he he) i.e. Chelsea and Torquay respectively but it's as clear as day that both know their sport, recently branching out into an all-sports show which shows on a Friday evening on Sky Sports 1.

Basically, the programme is a soccer magazine made up of different sketches and improvisation. Needless to say, it's all things football but the beauty of it is that you don't have to like footie to like the show (a bit like "They Think It's All Over"). Tim is the proverbial tongue-in-cheek merchant with more front than Brighton whilst HC provides a wonderful West Country foil for Lovejoy's wit and schoolboy charm (look out for H's fire-eating shenanigans at Christmas).

SoccerAM is watched by all the soccer pros, such is its status in the game and is loved by all. The kind of things you
'll find on the show include:

 The topless weather (now sponsored by Northern Graaaaavy) according to Sheep Head (who is a fella, btw so calm down guys), which involves one of the resident comics presenting a large map of Britain split according to footie territory. The forecast tends to be the same including a focus on Poland (land of the midnight sun) where..erm...not a lot seems to happen.

 The Soccerette is always a favourite with young ladies writing in each week to have the honour of appearing on the show to display the T-shirt that can be won via a penalty shoot out competition (via The Iron Curtain) at the end of the show. The weekly candidate gets to walk the catwalk with Lovejoy to the sound of "Pitstop" in the background and goes on to choose one of the audience to re-create the catwalk afterwards. Beware the chosen one who often gets suckered into a handshake with Lovejoy only to get the star's hand withdrawn at the fateful moment and a ner signal (thanks to Jill Murphy for that colloquialism. Say, where is Jill these days?) instead.

 The audience is made up of a different set of supporters each week sitting in a mock "Luther Blissett" stand and they provide a lot of the atmosphere throughout the show. Always genuine supporters, they breathe life into the production as the collective set of footie fans do throughout the land whenever they turn up at their resident Mecca.

 Possibly one of my favourite moments is where Lovejoy gets his colonel out and 2 of the resident comics appear as a RAF colonel and his sidekick Ginger (who never says very much). They go on to fire off a string of one-liners that invariably work and have the studio in stitches. Watch out Chris Moyles who always gets a mention and is the butt of comic derision, which is only to be expected with his lack of talent (Ooh..I'm feeling cruel today).

 All the week's goals
are shown at various points from both the Premiership and the football league including the hardest shots of the week.

 Features include both the Spanish and German Leagues with Brian Reagan (Terry or Te from Brookside fame) doing a suitable impression of a German pornstar, blonde wig and all!

I don't always get to watch the show as I work every other weekend but when I do get a chance to watch it, it always lights my day up and is a fantastic way to set up my Saturday afternoon if my team is at home and I'm due to go and watch them (Aston Villa - I travel from Northampton for all of the home games). There are so many other things packed in it's just impossible to detail them all here.

Yesterday's show included the live draw for the LDV trophy, no less...both Northern and Southern section semi-finals, Hardest shot of the week and the taxi feature including the biggest gaff of the week which was Neil Clement's close range miss for WBA at Spurs last week (haaaaaa!). Hey, you can even challenge the stars of the show to a footie match as the Soccer AM Badgers are going on a nation-wide tour taking on all-comers at the beautiful game (see http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1-10 69945,00.html for more info). Via the Sky Sports website (http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/home) you'll find loads of other link ups to the programme including new *Third Eyes, archive Soccerettes etc).

By now, you'll have got the impression that I adore the show and strongly recommend it. It's worth subscribing to SKY/NTL or whoever it is that applies just to watch this. OK...it's a bit hit and miss at times but that's the nature of the beast as there's nothing funnier than spontaneity so when it works it REALLY works.


"What's that, my dear..stuff needs taking to the dump?" <<Groan>>....There's a lot to be said for being single :O(

This is my last op
before Chrimbo so thanks to all those that have read my ramblings during the year. 2003 just has to be a better year on Dooyoo although I am back now so that's a bad start already, LOL.

Have a great Christmas!

Marandina

*Third Eyes are obscure incidents that have happened at matches that people have spotted and Sky has isolated for public reflection. They are always funny so feel free to take a look.

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