Welcome to Sky Sports Negative News

As a football fan of 15 years and having only experienced watching the Beautiful Game within the Premier League years, I will never fully understand what football was like pre-Sky Sports and the startling difference they have made to the landscape of the current game. Older members of my family will tell you they have destroyed it and believe that Kenny Dalglish was right the other week to suggest that the role they play in hyping up even the most trivia of incidents is having a negative effect on the game.

I’m not going to sit here and knock Sky Sports completely, as their coverage of matches are superb, the spin-off debate shows like Sunday Supplement make great TV, but it has to be said that the Sky Sports News Channel do go overboard with their coverage and look to blow up even the most minor of issues. Whether it is looking at a bad tackle, an off the ball incident, or even just a dubious penalty decision; experts will be brought in to discuss these issues and they subsequently make it worse and in some cases force the hands of the FA to act as a result. This is the same news channels that will in one hand champion the Respect Campaign towards referees, while in the next hour have someone like Dermot Gallagher in talking about the man in the middle’s failings over the weekend’s game and totally undermining them.

I know that some of you will agree with their policy and believe it right that players, officials and clubs are under such scrutiny, but is there a line that they shouldn’t cross? The channel churns out a hell of a lot of negativity around the game and the way they continually put the game under such a microscope is having a damaging effect. Some might say that Sky Sports News weren’t responsible for Luis Suarez failure to shake Patrice Evra’s hands, but as Kenny alluded to the other week their coverage leading up to the game only went to add some spice and pressure to what was always going to be a sensitive affair. Let’s be honest – how many of us were focused intently at that pre-match handshake ritual to see what would happen? Sky Sports News was obviously left thrilled at the result, as they knew they had the next 48 hours coverage and content sorted to discuss and analyse th ... MORE

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