<a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/the_big_four_in_the_premiership.gif"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14077" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/the_big_four_in_the_premiership.gif" alt="" width="220" height="252"></figure></div></a>
When I first started watching English football as a Yank six years ago, I was drawn to the best clubs and star players, like anyone would be. &nbsp;But then I quickly realized that being a fan of one of the Big 4 clubs is no fun. &nbsp; Since the ’02-’03 season, only once has an outsider beaten one of England’s Big 4 to a Top-4 finish (Everton in ’05, and even then they couldn’t keep Liverpool out of the Champs League). &nbsp;If you’re counting, that’s once in 24 chances.
In short, Liverpool finishing outside the Champions League places can only be good for English football, and is something every non-Liverpool fan should want. &nbsp;Just from a neutral perspective, if Spurs or Manchester City were to break the Big 4 cartel for this season at least, it should mean a changing of the guard at the top of the league for the near future. &nbsp;Spurs are on solid financial footing, with a new stadium in the pipeline, and finally a solid manager to go with all the flair players they’ve assembled over the last few years. &nbsp;City, being the richest club in the world, will surely at least be in the mix, even if they have to go through another couple managers to get there. &nbsp;And while Liverpool currently have deep financial problems, even if they miss out on the Champions League and lose Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they’re still one of the world’s massive clubs and should easily be able to attract the investments needed to rebuild quickly.

While Aston Villa and Everton currently don’t have the financial clout or setup to challenge at the top of the league, they’re certainly solid enough to challenge for the 4th spot for the next few years if they can catch a few timely breaks. &nbsp;Both are well placed with solid squads and very good managers. &nbsp;As far as the rest of the league goes, massive infusions of cash will be necessary for any other club to vault from the ranks of the also-rans to a sustained run at the European places.
So in short, I’ll be rooting against Liverpool in the coming weeks, but not just for self-serving reasons (full disclosure, I’m a massive Spurs fan), as I’d still prefer Man City over the reds if I had to choose. &nbsp;I have nothing against Liverpool as a club, I just have a big problem with the structure as it currently stands in England.
So who are you rooting for to finish fourth?
[polldaddy poll=2994636]

Top 4 Anti-Bias

Top 4 Anti-Bias - World Soccer Talk

<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fox-soccer-on-hd.gif"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15806" src="/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fox-soccer-on-hd.gif" alt="" width="300" height="150"></figure></div></a>
<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fox-soccer-on-hd.gif"></a>It’s been three weeks since the launch of the new Fox Soccer Plus channel, and almost three months since the launch of Fox Soccer Channel in HD. But what progress has there been thus far and what do we still not know?
As of this writing, Fox Soccer Plus is currently being carried (in standard definition) on DirecTV, Dish Network, and Verizon FIOS. It is available in HD on some regional Time Warner Cable platforms, but will be added in select Time Warner markets by April 5. No definitive dates are available regarding when FS+ will be added to Comcast or any other cable provider, or AT&amp;T U-Verse, or of adding the HD version of the channel on any platform.
Considering that the changeover from Setanta to FS+ happened in the middle of the season and in a 24-hour period, overall I’d argue that it’s been handled fairly well. For instance, most people who originally had Setanta were switched over to FS+ seamlessly, within one day, on the same channel as before. And most of the coverage has been kept.
But I have some specific gripes with the product being shown currently between the two Fox channels. They are:

<ol>
<li>Where can I go in the US to watch the French Ligue 1, legally? After the monotony of Lyon dominating the league over recent years, this season has a 4 or 5 team title race going down the stretch. But since Fox didn’t pick up the Setanta coverage, there’s no legal way for us in the USA to watch the matches.</li>
<li>Why can’t or why hasn’t Fox shown replays of matches originally shown on FS+ on FSC later? Many of us remember the days when a portion of FA Cup matches and EPL matches were shown only on pay-per-view, and then were shown delayed later in the week on FSC in the middle of the afternoon, when FSC had nothing live to show. Well, now that Fox owns the rights to ALL FA Cup Matches, ALL Serie A, and (bar ESPN’s portion), MOST of the EPL, what’s to stop them from (for example) showing Sunday’s United-Liverpool match, which originally aired on FS+, on FSC this Wednesday or Thursday, instead of the 3rd or 4th replay of this past weekend’s EPL or Serie A matches? It would certainly throw a bone to the substantial amount of us cable subscribers without access to Fox Soccer Plus, and I don’t see how it would hurt the product or stop people from wanting to subscribe to FS+ by delaying the matches for a few days before showing them on FSC.</li>
<li>HD Coverage. Please Fox, don’t treat your viewers like babies. Don’t tell us we’re watching in HD when you know the vast majority of us aren’t. I understand the motives to get us to contact our TV providers to add the channels. I don’t understand why you can’t treat your viewers with respect. A simple, “This match is available in High-Definition…if FSCHD isn’t available in your area please contact your cable/satellite provider” would be much better than the condescending (and false), “You are watching FSC in glorious High-Definition.” At this point, HD coverage of FSC and FS+ is the holy grail for serious EPL fans, and the way it’s being handled by the on-air talent has been horrendous to this point.</li>
</ol>
Hopefully by the end of this season, or at the latest the start of the next one, Fox will have fixed these issues, the main ones being adding provider coverage and HD coverage. Thoughts?

Fox Soccer Plus and FSCHD: Latest Developments

Fox Soccer Plus and FSCHD: Latest Developments - World Soccer Talk

The #1 Source for Soccer TV Schedules, Streaming Links, Cord Cutting Reviews, Soccer News and Interviews With Broadcasters.

Phillip Badger

latest articles by phillip badger

News

Top 4 Anti-Bias

News

Fox Soccer Plus and FSCHD: Latest Developments