The Ewings, the Carringtons,
the Giobertis and the Capwells, or more recognizably Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and the infamous Santa Barbara. There is a phrase known
as “must-see TV” which describes riveting plots, an obscenely beautiful cast
and loads of money. This combination always makes good TV. In recent times Prison Break, 24 and Desperate Housewives
have had families glued to their TV sets week after week wondering what will
happen next. Guys don’t usually fall for these badly written and unrealistic stories
- they need a bit more to get hooked, but every year between the months of May
and August I find myself sucked in.
My weekends are empty and
pointless with my adrenaline rushes saved for ZESA bills and dodging in-law
visits. It is upon further introspection that I realize during that time that I
am an addict - like most men I can’t wait for the next installment of the
English Premier League. I get giddy with excitement as the transfer rumor mill
kicks off: “will Alex Ferguson retire? Will Ballotelli leave Man City? Will
Arsene Wenger stop balancing the books? Is this Liverpool’s year? Will
Abromovich buy back the title?”
Like all good soapies we have an
evil patriarch refusing to go: Alex Ferguson. Whilst the young turks fuelled by
the bottomless pit of oil money “Man City” have their own ideas. After about
two months of the season as defending champions, despite their vast resources,
they don’t look convincing. It’s as if something is missing. I, for the life of
me, cannot figure out what it is, but sadly for them their opponents seem to
know exactly what it is. Chelsea are a bit more comfortable with their wealth,
riding high and at the moment they seem to have struck the right balance
between fortune, ability and form, putting their noses in front in the title
race. Perennial under achievers, Arsenal, are making more noise in financial
magazines for their profits than explosions on the pitch. At one point one
expects them to be in the Top Four only for them to sell their best players at
the end of the season, posting healthy profits with no silverware to show for
it.
Liverpool have had a difficult
start and even its most ardent fans have to agree that it will be a difficult
season and that they might have to keep quiet and watch ESPN’s glory days as
their best years seem behind them. Sadly, the writer, being a Liverpool fan,
has no choice but to begrudgingly accept the underdog tag and hope the script
will end in the usual Hollywood manner with the underdog prevailing. So as the
traditional giants fight for the throne, teams like Tottenham Hot Spurs and
Everton are pushing for their place at the high table with blatant disregard of
history. In simple terms these teams will not accept their place in life and
want to move up at someone’s expense. On the other hand, Newcastle have lost it
all. They once seemed determined to stay up and with Ba and Cisse buoyancy
shouldn’t be an issue – in theory.
So as the season progresses
with characters like “Brutus” Van Persie twisting the knife in the Gunners’
back and new heroes like Fellaini and Demba Ba coming to the fore, whilst the
Gerrards and Rooneys try and remind us that it is the English Premier League
despite the lack of Englishmen, it all makes for an entertaining and intriguing
watch. In the end I can’t live without my weekly dose of the English Premier
League.
The drama, the intrigue, the
betrayals, the passion… Ahhh!! To hell with it this is soapies for dudes, and
I’m hooked. For all those interested this is what the log looks like; let’s
hope when I next talk to you it will have changed.
