|
We had no choice but to put up with it and the only consolation was the money coming into clubs from ITV Digital. It should have been clear to everyone before the season even got underway that it wasn't going to work, hardly anyone had access to the service.
Most people who want to watch football on television had already committed themselves to Sky and lo and behold the new channel would not be available to Sky subscribers. ITV Digital loved this and boasted that their service was the new home for football. It was just a pity that hardly anyone had a key to this new home. ITV Digital had more football than anyone they said and tried to let the world know.
Our own club even told people that the ITV Digital platform was the only way to get the service so cock sure were they that it would succeed. This was incorrect information put out by our club, it was already going onto cable with ntl:, but they had fallen hook, line and sinker for the ITV Digital bullshit.
In November we then had the embarrassing situation of clubs falling for it all again when they started their pleas to Sky to start carrying the channel. Oh how Sky must have been laughing now.
At the end though it is the directors of Carlton and Granada who think they are having the last laugh by shoving ITV Digital into administration and trying to wash their hands of the who sorry episode.
They have even been doing their best to stop people complaining to them and have even shut down email addresses to stop complaints from football supporters.
We recently suggested that you write to the Minister for Sport and to your own local MP and also asked that you protest in the strongest terms about Granada Chief Executive Charles Allen being chairman of the Commonwealth Games committee.
You could now write to Mr. Allen himself and ask him how on earth he can hold this position whilst seemingly going out of his way to destroy league football in this country.
If you don't know where to write to we can help. Listed below are the names and addresses of the directors of both Granada and Carlton including that of Mr. Allen. If you feel strongly about this then please write to them and explain to them the damage they are doing and try and get some answers from them.
Granada Media plc
Executive Directors
Charles Lamb Allen
105 Woodsford Square
Holland Park
London
W14 8DT
Stephen Roger Morrison
16 East Heath Road
London
NW3 1AL
Henry Eric Staunton
Fairfield
Nursery Road
Walton on the Hill
Surrey
KT20 7TZ
Non Executive Directors
David Christopher Chance
15 Richmond Bridge Mansions
Willoughby Road
Richmond
Surrey
TW1 2QJ
Nigel Mervyn Sutherland Rich CBE
65 Chelsea Square
London
SW3 6LE
Carlton Communications plc
Executive Directors
Michael Philip Green
1 Old Barrack Yard
London
SW1X 7NP
Doctor Gerard Martin Murphy
Treetops
2 Moyleen Rise
Marlow
Buckinghamshire
SL7 2DP
Paul Colbeck Murray
20 St. James's Walk
London
EC1R 0AP
Non Executive Directors
Sir Maurice Sydney Lipworth QC
The Gables
115 Hamilton Terrace
London
NW8 9QU
David Brian Green
5 Wildrose Rise
London
NW11 6TA
Leslie Francis Hill
Kington
Flyford Flavel
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR7 4DQ
Sir Brian Ivor Pitman
25 Cabot Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 4QA
Etienne Marquard de Villiers
22 Bolton Gardens
London
SW5 0AQ