When I was at University and Sky TV was a rare commodity, watching live football
was always a bit of a hassle.
The one TV that could show the pay-tv channel was located in the sports centre - not the
bar - and, on Sunday afternoons, this became the domain of the hockey club who
trained there.
Anyhow, in the early days of my time away from home, Manchester United were facing
Liverpool in the Premier League.
A colossal fixture in any calendar and one that has even neutral fans salivating in
anticipation.
Except this was 1992 and Channel 4 had the foresight to show Serie A matches live.
Football Italia was for the snobby set who preferred their football to be a tactical
chess game rather than the blood and thunder of the domestic scene.
It's clear that those who played hockey on their Sunday afternoons were perhaps not
typical of the general public but there was a wider fascination about this continental
fare that was worrying.
How could anybody rather watch Italian football ahead of the tribal clash of the titans
that is United versus Liverpool?
In a rare act of stubborness, I sat in front of the one TV showing the Old Trafford clash
and refused to change channels. My friends from my dormitory, sensing the growing
hostility from the others in the room munching on their sandwiches, decided to head home.
So it became a solo mission, having to put up with constant complaining about how the
Italian game would be a far better watch and how everybody, bar me, wanted to change channels.
As it turned out, Liverpool went into the break 2-0 ahead with Ian Rush managing to score
against United for the first time at Old Trafford and only the second time ever.
The Red Devils roared back with two goals from Mark Hughes in the last 12 minutes forcing a
breathless draw.
If I needed affirmation of the qualities of the English league to get out of this tiny venue
in one piece, it was provided with a thrilling match which even had the dissenters watching
the last couple of minutes with some genuine interest.
I recall this incident because you only need to look at the two leagues now to see which one
is not only more exciting as, for me, has always been the case but also far superior.
The Premier League is so dominant in the Champions League it's little wonder UEFA chief Michel Platini is trying to hatch up plans of handicapping United, Chelsea, Arsenal and, although not this
season, Liverpool.
In my view, Italian teams simply have no answer to the pace and intensity of the top English sides.
Roma were humiliated 7-1 at Old Trafford and Milan were despatched with the same disdain.
Yes, Fiorentina may have beaten Liverpool this term and Inter Milan have the edge over Chelsea
going into their second leg.
But I can't help thinking that not too many people would entertain the thought of even daring
to request a Serie A game being shown in any pub up and down the country in favour of ANY Premier
League game these days, let alone Manchester United versus Liverpool.
The English top-flight has gone from strength to strength. Football here is bigger than ever before.
So much for Serie A.
