Soccer? It’s Chiles play...

CHANNEL HOPPING:

FOOTBALL is putting it about like never before. One-night stands in Europe, tasty FA Cup romance and red hot Premier League rendezvous.

A quick scout round the channels will reveal an Italian temptress from Serie A and Spanish La Liga love-ins by moonlight — top totty for any armchair fan. Then there’s the Saturday night cert with the childhood sweetheart — “Match of the Day”.

Champion football TV treat however, is the bit on the side — Sunday night’s “Match of the Day 2”.

MOTD2 is to football fans what Christine Bleakley is to Adrian Chiles – a final, forlorn stab at glory before the real world lamps us one on Monday morning.

When MOTD2 first kicked-off, down-to-earth Chiles used to signal the programme’s final whistle with “have a bearable week at work.” It was almost becoming the long-suffering West Brom fan’s catchphrase.

Then came the recession. Thousands of jobs perished. A fact not lost on Chiles as the familiar last line swiftly bit the dust.

That’s what cutting your teeth on BBC2’s business programme, “Working Lunch”, will get you — and why Chiles made a big money transfer to ITV this week.

His new £6m four-year deal will see Chiles front GMTV before he swaps couch for Crouch and ITV’s World Cup coverage. A spectacular own-goal by Beeb bosses. For Adrian, presenting popular TV programmes is Chiles play. The BBC would have been much better off giving old big ears Lineker the boot.

Not that Chiles is much to look at — some say he bears more than a passing resemblance to Humpty-Dumpty. Actually, he’s much more of an all-round good egg.

When the South African sun inevitably sets on England in the quarter-finals, at least fans can rest safe in the knowledge that Chiles will keep them warm that night. Hope not.



A NOD to “Coronation Street” on Friday — awash with St George’s flags. Not so on Albert Square, which usually prides itself in being topical.


More misery in “EastEnders” surrounded Syed’s sexual preference. Ironic then when amid all the rows, doom, gloom and occasional tears – not forgetting his beautiful bride Amira — Syed still felt gay.


Soap roar: Deidre thought her home-made humus looked like grout, then went to bottom the cupboards on Corrie. “That’s the last time I try to be sophisticated and continental.” The evenings must fly by in the Barlow house.


Soap bore: Denise and her uneven eyebrows. Hardly in Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti’s league.