Thanks Andy as discussed the fixtures were getting closer and your impending holiday even nearer !
Enjoy !
Have a NICE time !
OFB
Thanks Andy. I'm happy with my assignments, but since i have been given both Luton games it might make sense to swap the second game with someone else
Watford (A) League 05-Oct
Burnley (A) League 07-Dec
Sheff Utd (A) League 12-Feb
Millwall (A) League 12-Apr
All OK for me
UTB
@andy-r - I make that to be as follows for me, if I have this correctly:
Sunderland (A) 21.09.24
Coventry (H) 02.11.24
Burnley (H) 29.12.24
Swansea (A) 08.03.25
That's OK by me. Thanks for doing the "legwork". And let's hope the team can make us proud this coming season.
I have a query/concern about the way the coverage of MFC will work this year.
Below is an email that I have just sent to the digital guys at the club (using the email address of digital@mfc.co.uk).
----------------------
I am resident in Australia and a long time subscriber to the live streaming service for Boro matches. With the extension in coverage of the EFL, more games will be available to overseas channels but I am concerned that there may be a problem should the rightsholder choose not to play all games.
The EFL rightsholder for Australia is BeINSPORTS. They are advertising that, over the opening weekend, they will stream 5 games from the EFL as set out below.
EFL Championship Matchday 1 starting 10 August;
10 Aug - Blackburn v Derby (5am AEST)
10 Aug - Leeds United v Portsmouth (9:30pm AEST)
10 Aug - Oxford United v Norwich (9:30pm AEST)
12 Aug - Sheffield Wednesday v Plymouth (1am AEST)
13 Aug - Luton v Burnley (5am AEST)
It is my understanding that Sky will be screening all 12 games from the opening weekend including BORO v Swansea.
In this circumstance whereby the rightsholder is choosing not to screen a game that will be available to them, will I be able to stream the game on a BORO Live Seasonal Video subscription and how would this work out for other weekends when Sky covers Middlesbrough and BeINSPORTS choose not to screen our game.
----------------------
I would guess that there are fans in other countries where the rightsholder will not show all 12 matches from the opening weekend. Does anyone have an answer to my question and, if not, is there anyone else at the club to whom we should be writing for clarification on behalf of overseas fans. I should point out that I will actually be in the UK for the opening weekends but I'd still like to know the answer because it could mean that, across the season, I will miss more games under the new Sky regime with a lot more coverage of the EFL than in prior years when we could use BORO Live on most weekends.
UTB
@selwynoz. It is my understanding (I may be wrong) that all games will be available to overseas subscribers to Boro Live except those where the local broadcaster has chosen to transmit the game. In your case BeINSPORTS and in my case DAZN.
If you are in the UK then the only way to watch the game is either at the stadium or on Sky sports if it has been chosen for broadcast in the UK.
As I see it both you and I should have access to all games via either Boro Live, BeInsports, or Sky as I have access to Sky in Spain.
DAZN in Spain is a streaming service which I do not subscribe to and on those days it chooses to broadcast a Boro game then I move to Belgium for the day 😉😉 and pick up the Boro Live stream.
Hope that clarifies it for you and that my understanding proves to be correct. As I see it we should have more games to watch as the Caraboa Cup games can be streamed; hopefully MFC will respond to your email and confirm my understanding. 😎
😎
I’m hoping that it works as you describe but my concern is whether there is a mechanism for MFC to be aware that their game has been picked by Sky but ignored by a streamer in a certain country. I may have to travel to Thailand or join you in Belgium…..where I used to live anyway.
I’ll post any update.
i should add that, unlike Boro Live, the advantage of BeIn is that it is an On Demand service which is a real benefit for games kicking off at 1.00am or 2.00am
utb
Hi All
Last season, when I was writing my previews, I often found myself using the same information to describe how our opponents were progressing, so I often repeated myself in successive openers.
I have therefore devised a simple data pro-forma which I’ll use right at the top of my openers whenever it’s my turn. See below.
Please feel free to use it, or amend it, or reject it as you so wish.
I’m well aware that this is far from perfect. It may be missing some piece of vital information. There are also lots of other statistics available which I might use, such as the number of corners scored from, number of throw-ins won by the left back in the first half, number of times star striker feigns injury or picks his nose, but I’ve selected what to me is the most useful. I’ve tried to keep it simple. Is there anything else you would like to include?
And I would have liked to insert it into some kind of text box to make it neater, but I can’t find a way to do that. Any offers, Werder?
In a further post I’ve done a worked example for Swansea using relevant statistics from last season.
Boro v
V Boro
Date: Time:
Opposition breakdown :
Manager:
Record this season P W D L
Goals for: Goals against:
Average XG : Average XGC:
Top scorer(s):
Home record P W D L
Away record P W D L
Current run of form : (eg) WDDLL
Recent results:
Current league position:
Points:
Points per game:
Yellow cards: 96
Red cards: 4
Key players/ ones to watch :
2023/24 League Position:
2023/ 24 results v Boro:
Riverside:
Away:
This is my worked example for Swansea - last season’s statistics, obviously!!
Boro v Swansea City
Date: Saturday 10 August
Time: 12.30
Opposition breakdown
Manager : Luke Williams
Record last (this) season
Finished 14th, 57 points
P 46 W 15 D 12 L 19
Goals for: 59 Goals against: 65
Average XG : 37.71
Average XGC: 50.44
Top scorer(s): Jamal Lowe 9, Jerry Yates 8, Liam Cullen 7 Jamie Paterson 7
Home record P W 8 D 5 L 10
Away record P W 7D 7 L 9
Current run of form :
Recent results:
Current league position:
Points:
Points per game: 1.24
Yellow cards: 96
Red cards: 4
Key players/ ones to watch :
2023/24 League Position: 14
2023/ 24 results v Boro: Riverside: Boro 2-0 Away: Boro 2-1
Thanks for all of your work on this, Clive. I think it's an excellent and very helpful idea. But, as you suggest, individual contributors shouldn't necessarily feel constrained by it. The joy of last season's openers was their sheer range and variety, and the imaginative way in which different writers used their freedom to contribute in any way and at whatever length they thought fit. I'd support the offer of some degree of formatting of the kind you suggest as long as it doesn't become compulsory and contributors feet that they have to reproduce it.
Absolutely Len! I wouldn’t want anybody to feel compelled to use it. I really enjoy writing the different prose (and poetry!) starters everybody writes, and I certainly wouldn’t want to lose any of that marvellous creativity!
Did I say writing other people’s efforts?? Losing the plot! I meant ‘reading’, of course!
I’m hoping that it works as you describe but my concern is whether there is a mechanism for MFC to be aware that their game has been picked by Sky but ignored by a streamer in a certain country. I may have to travel to Thailand or join you in Belgium…..where I used to live anyway.
I’ll post any update.
i should add that, unlike Boro Live, the advantage of BeIn is that it is an On Demand service which is a real benefit for games kicking off at 1.00am or 2.00am
utb
further to my note above, I now have the following reply from MFC
It is only matches which are selected for Sky’s ‘main event coverage’ ie those you have listed, which are unable to be streamed on Boro LIVE, so the Swansea game will be available.
With the new release dates it is clear that Boro will be in demand on Sky. However, as the Boro v Swansea game was not selected for main coverage, it will not be available to overseas rights holders and therefore will be on BORO LIVE. Going forward it may be a little bit more tricky as there may be less weekends when Sky shows more games in the UK than they make available to foreign broadcasters. Thus for people in awkward time zones or with schedules that make BORO LIVE impossible, signing up for on-demand services may still be the only way to see some games.
utb
@selwynoz. Thanks for sharing that reply. If I have understood it correctly, then it appears that most games will be available to overseas supporters on Boro Live unless it is a “Sky Main Match”. 😎
that’s my understanding.
However, with the new extended Uk deal for EFL matches, what I don’t know is how many games will be labelled ‘main match’. For example, if they have five time slots across the weekend for EFL games, will they all be main matches even if a country broadcaster decides not to allocate that many slots. The opening weekend is different because all games are being shown on Sky, aren’t they?
utb
@selwynoz. I agree it is still not entirely clear. I have copied the fixtures below which have recently been re-scheduled for broadcast and can only presume that those marked “Sky Sports Football” are main matches but only time will tell as the season unfolds.
I am slightly disappointed that the club has not taken the opportunity to stream tomorrow’s friendly match; would have been a good PR opportunity and also enable them to ensure all systems are working properly before the season starts; I will not be amused if there are any broadcast glitches next weekend.
Our re-scheduled fixtures
- Tue 1 Oct West Brom (A) - 8pm Sky Sports Football
- Wed 23 Oct Sheffield United (H) – 8pm Sky Sports Football
- Sun 27 Oct Norwich City (A) – 3pm Sky Sports Football
- Sat 9 Nov Luton Town (H) – 12.30pm Sky Sports +
- Sat 30 Nov Hull City (H) – 12.30pm Sky Sports +
- Fri 6 Dec Burnley (A) – 8pm Sky Sports Football
- Tue 10 Dec Leeds United (A) – 8pm Sky Sports Football
- Sun 29 Dec Burnley (H) – 8pm Sky Sports Football
- Wed 1 Jan Hull City (A) – 5.30pm Sky Sports Football
- Fri 21 Feb Bristol City (A) – 7.45pm. 😎
@selwynoz. A bit more investigation and I copy below an extract from the Blackburn Rovers website which to my mind is clearer and confirms my understanding.
“We will make all Rovers EFL Championship games available to international fans (those residing outside the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands) this season.
However, the rules are different if our fixture is selected by TV partners (Sky or International Pitch):
1) If the broadcasting partner in your country of residence chooses to show our game, you will not be able to watch the game live on RoversTV. You can still listen to live commentary.
2) If the broadcasting partner chooses not to show the game or the EFL doesn't have a broadcasting agreement in your country, you will be able to watch our game live on RoversTV. Please check our website periodically and follow our social channels for the latest updates.
A full list of the EFL's international broadcasting partners can be here.” 😎
@KP and Selwynoz A big thank you for all your posts on the matter. Appreciated.
I have bought my licence to the Boro Live today. Pity that they do not show the Heerenveen match, though. So must wait until the Swansea match next. Up the Boro!
@Selwynoz and @KP - Thanks for the posts on Boro Live it does sound a bit vague though from what I've read there will be 3 Championship games each weekend that are featured games so 6 teams from 24 that may not be available for clubs to stream a live service - unless they are made available for unsold international markets.
I've not read anything definitive as to whether there is a maximum number of times a club can be chosen by Sky for one of their feature games as you would suspect the more successful teams would be shown more.
I still find it annoying that a season pass is still not what it says on the tin as games are being sold twice to maximise revenue rather than provide a service that a supporter of a club actually wants. Imagine if your seat at the Riverside could be sold to another person half-a-dozen times to stop you using your season ticket for the best games - there would be uproar!
Thanks for the preview list Andy - I think I'm ok with my allocation except for the 18 April 2025 (Good Friday) against Plymouth - I suspect there's a good chance I might be away for that game as it's the Easter School Holidays - I could maybe swap my game with someone outside of the holiday period (4 April - 21 April)
@andy-r Just checking - have I been allocated Cardiff on 4th Jan? I think I stuck my hand up for Preston and Blackburn, home and away but my initials seem to be next to Cardiff.