Standing Room Only (1991 TV programme)

rdf:langString Standing Room Only (1991 TV programme)

rdf:langString This week: the results of a nationwide survey into the FA's laws of disrepute. Every League manager in England and Scotland has been questioned on their understanding of the current regulations and asked whether they think they are too severe and need changing. Their answers will be presented to the FA. And, with just two years to go before the next World Cup, a report on how football is growing in popularity in the USA – among women.

rdf:langString Liam Brady speaks his mind about the modern game and looks back on an extraordinary career which saw him become one of the world's greatest players and now manager of Celtic. Also a report on press photographers, spending a match day with sports cameraman Michael Steele.

rdf:langString French tennis star Yannick Noah talks about his team Paris St-Germain and there's an interview with Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff.

rdf:langString Why do big clubs with multi-million pound players not have qualified physiotherapists on their staff? Standing Room Only joins former England star Danny Thomas on his first week as a qualified NHS physiotherapist. And ex-PFA Chairman Garth Crooks has the chance to put last year's FA Cup Final referee Roger Milford on the spot.

rdf:langString Eusebio reflects on his spectacular career.

rdf:langString Life at the bottom for Middlesbrough YTS trainees.

rdf:langString The big money behind video soccer and West Germany's World Cup star Jurgen Klinsmann on paparazzi pressures at Inter Milan. With Simon O'Brien.

rdf:langString Includes a profile of Bobby Charlton, and the first fan elected to the boardroom by his fellow supporters. Presented by Kevin Allen.

rdf:langString Simon O'Brien follows a day in the life of commentator John Motson as he covers an England game, and Dutch master Johann Cruyff talks exclusively from Barcelona about the pressure that nearly killed him.

rdf:langString A Euro fanzine, and an interview with legendary Denis Law.

rdf:langString Former Spurs player and ex-Newcastle manager Ossie Ardiles reflects on his career. And, in the week that Dutch club Ajax play Genoa in the Uefa Cup semi-finals, Bobby Robson discusses Ajax's innovative youth policy.

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rdf:langString Standing Room Only

rdf:langString Standing Room Only was a television programme on association football shown on British channel BBC2 in 1991. Standing Room Only was produced by the BBC's Youth and Entertainment Features department, at the time headed up by Janet Street-Porter who was also executive producer. The first series consisted of six episodes broadcast in BBC2's "Def II" slot. The host was Simon O'Brien (who would later also co-present a series of Def II's "Rough Guide To The World" with Magenta Devine) but other people, including Shelley Webb, presented small sections of the programme. The format was magazine style mixing current news stories with star interviews and comedy. Notably involved were comedians David Baddiel and Rob Newman who delivered weekly sketches under the banner of "Sepp Maier's Comedy Shorts", Rory Bremner who recorded comedy voices, and Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell who drew a weekly graphic comic strip. The series was inspired by the growing mainstream interest in football and the popularity of so-called football fanzines magazines notably "When Saturday Comes" which offered the opinions of football fans themselves rather than professionals. It had an informal style, with presenters usually standing near football grounds rather than sitting in a studio. In 1994, Baddiel would go on to co-host the hugely successful football series "Fantasy Football League" with fellow comedian Frank Skinner. One feature was the Supporterloo (a pun on portaloo), a small trailer with little more than a camera and a seat shaped like a toilet, which was taken to different grounds around the UK. Members of the public were invited to sit inside and give their views on their favourite team. On one occasion the Blackburn Rovers reserve goalkeeper Bobby Mimms sat inside and expressed his frustration on not playing regularly for Rovers' first team.