GolTV's Fitting Tribute to 11-Year-Old Rhys Jones

If GolTV will ever get an opportunity to broadcast Premier League matches in the future, soccer fans in the United States got a preview of what type of coverage they could expect during Tuesday’s Champions League qualifying round match featuring Liverpool against Toulouse.

From the second the coverage began, GolTV commentators Phil Schoen and Ray Hudson set the mood and eloquently shared with viewers what makes an Anfield European night so special. Hudson talked first hand about his experience playing for Newcastle against Liverpool at St. James’s Park back in the seventies, marking Terry McDermott and remembering the 10,000 Liverpool fans who outsung the Geordies on that night in Newcastle.

That’s what sets GolTV apart from its competitors. Hudson, a former player and manager, is able to speak candidly about the game and impart his wisdom on the audience. Schoen, meanwhile, is one of the most knowledgeable commentators in the United States on the world game. The two of them together fuse a formidable partnership.

After returning from commercial, the duo then paused to let the final sounds of Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” bathe the audience and paid their respect — along with the players, fans and viewers at home — to 11-year old Everton fan Rhys Jones who was tragically shot dead last week.

The only shame about the opening coverage from GolTV was that they missed the two teams running out to the “Z Cars Theme” that was Jones’s favorite song and traditionally is the song that Everton always runs out to at their Goodison Park ground.

Other than that one oversight, kudos to GolTV for treating viewers to a touching opening for the match which Liverpool convincingly won 4-0 against the French opposition.