“Frappuccino Plays For Inter, Right?”

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A question. Well, more a rambling. Yes, I’m getting more like Grandad every day, and rightly so (except for the bit about sport which he’d highly disapprove of, but I digress).

Why, when I want to go out and watch a major football game do I have to go to the pub?

I went out on Sunday to find a spot to watch the Liverpool/Chelsea match as I do whenever I can and there’s a major encounter involving my childhood team of choice. The only places you can go are:

(A) A mate’s house – not an option as Amanda was down home for the weekend.

(B) A pub – grand most of the time but not that particular day.

You may have gathered here from reading over time that I drink occasionally. It really isn’t that often, just that the major nights all seem to end up here in one form or another. There are few more perfect places on God’s green earth to be than a proper pub on a Saturday night with mates you like and a few beverages. However, on a Sunday afternoon when you have no intention of getting pickled and you’re on you’re own (as I was) it can be a depressing place to be; smelly, lonely, half-empty and a reminder of the great night a group of us had had in the same place the Saturday night before.

On top of that I didn’t really want to have a drink but funds were low so a pint is the best thing to nurse for 90 minutes while the drama (all 4 minutes of it) unfolds.

While I was sitting there a thought flitted through my head (as it can when we’re fruitlessly trying to get a cross in for the 50th time and John Terry effortlessly heads away). Why couldn’t I be doing this in a coffee shop?

I mean I know I could have a  coffee in the pub (but 9 times out of 10 it’s tasteless shite that’s been brewing all day) and I’m aware that most coffee shop patrons would be horrified at the thought of plasma screens blasting out Sky Sports every Sunday but maybe one or two places could do it as a trial? See us all in our replica shirts getting agitated and tense on 3 lattes, then leaping up, casting our chocolate muffins in the air as we score late on?

Starbucks, seriously. Get your act together. There’s an idea for free.

11 thoughts on ““Frappuccino Plays For Inter, Right?”

  1. Trust me on this, if cafés did do this, they’d quickly start to sell alcohol which brings you back to square one.

    I’m not into sport, but I worked with a guy who used to use BBC sport online who would stream the matches live, is that not an option?

  2. A toss up between a mate’s house or a pub? For God’s sake, man, get a grip. You can see your mates at their wedding or their funeral, but pub time is precious, and should be grasped at any excuse and every opportunity.

    Here you have your excuse and you start whinging? What kind of wimp are you?

  3. Ahem. If I may, as a non-football-fan (cue *gasps* etc.) just say… I strongly dislike the way every pub and hotel lobby is overtaken by The Beautiful Game or any other sport/news show when all you want to do is have a quiet cuppa and a natter with mates. It’s why I love-love-love cafés. There are no plasma screens. I’m so sick of plasma screens. I wholeheartedly agree that there should be more public places than just the pub to watch a match but I really really hope that cafés don’t get taken over by football. It’s my only sanctuary!! Pleeeeeeease don’t do it! There is a whole section of society that doesn’t actually love football. I know it’s controversial but pleeeeeeease don’t contaminate peaceful cafés with plasma screens. Sky News tickers or men in shorts. Just no.

  4. MJ – A man after my own heart! Have you ever thought of doing what I do? Bring a universal remote control with you? There is nothing like switching of a telly just as a goal is about to be scored!!

  5. MJ, headrambles,
    As someone who has seen football taken over by television, as well as Irish pubs/plasma halls filled with Liverpool/ManU fans, I’m completely with you! Maybe we can have a universal remote campaign?
    Pub for beer. Café for coffee. Football stadium for football.

  6. i hear you. same with pay per view hockey games over here – only place to go watch is in a sports bar (ie pub with big screen tv’s). but i also agree with MJ … i hate going into a restaurant only to find tv’s on every wall – so much for nice conversation with my meal mate

  7. Grandad I start to believe that more and more… 🙂

    Brian, nice but I do like watching it in a group of people…

    And MJ, Grandad and ergosity strangely I’m with you on that. I hate fekin Sky News/Sports News being on everywhere at all times. Now specific sporting events, I do like.

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