TV VIEW/Gerry Thornley Thrills and spills, goals and gimmicks galore. Great games and dross presented as something a good deal more than it is. Over-priced (especially the replica shirts made in sweat shops), over-rated, over-hyped; here comes the overkill. Love it or loathe it, the English Premiership is back.

At least with RTÉ you get more balanced analysis of the English game. The season is scarcely started and already the difference in approach at Montrose to everything across channel is manifest.

There still seems to be something wrong with the world when the BBC aren't showing us Match of the Day. It's an institution, whereas ITV's irritating chirpiness and ho-ho-ho love-in, for all Des Lynam's polished presentation, is junk food by comparison.

Nor has the replacement of Eamonn Dunphy with the astute Brian Kerr in any way diminished the RTÉ panel's analysis. Kerr is particularly informative when assessing the young Irish players breaking through in England, such as John O'Shea. Highlighting O'Shea's strengths in his reading of the game, Kerr revealed that the centre half insisted on finishing his Leaving Cert before going to Old Trafford.

On Saturday evening's Premiership highlights, though, Kerr echoed John Giles' insightful critique of Rio Ferdinand in the World Cup when observing that while Ferdinand will improve United's defensive frailties, "he's still similar to John O'Shea and (Laurent) Blanc in that he likes to stand off at the back. They lack that physical presence of a rough, typical old-style, English centre half who's going to be a dominant presence, the likes of (Gary) Pallister and (Steve) Bruce. So, he, (Ferdinand) mightn't solve their problems completely."

Admittedly ITV throw the kitchen sink at it, and their coverage is slicker, and somehow sounds better and looks better, with more actual football and less of last season's junk accessories. They also had the wit to start off their highlights with the eminently more entertaining Leeds United-Man City encounter, varnished by Robbie Keane's cameo and the Elland Road chants of "there's only one Keano".

For better or worse they also have the post-match interviews with the managers. And fulfilling the Après Match caricature, what's the first thing Terry Venables did on camera? You guessed it, he laughed.

"Well done, great start for you," concluded Des of the first of the thousand love-ins to follow. "The seat's always vacant if you need to come back of course."

"Keep it open please," roared the laughing Tel. "You never know."

"You will watch the analysis of course tonight, won't you?" asked a smiling Lynam.

"I'll be there," laughed Tel.

"Good lad."

"Thanks Des. Bye."

"Bye Terry."

Pass the sick bag. Ron Atkinson at least adds a bit of badly needed bite in the tackle. Ally McCoist ventured that City were poor defensively. "Ally, Ally," Big Ron interrupted him. "Defensively they were awful. You cannot afford to allow top-class opposition the sort of time and space that Man City have done. It was standard patter last season at Maine Road that if they conceded three they knew they'd get five themselves. They won't do that this year. If they concede two goals at home they'll be dead," he said dismissively.

Gary Newbon also had clean-shaven Roy Keane on, instigating the brief, post-match talk by revealing that for legal reasons Keane couldn't talk about his vexed book, but asked him how it had affected his football.

"Not one bit," said Keane, with typical cold-eyed intent. Eh, end of discussion.

But it didn't stop ITV reviewing Keane's infamous tackle on Alf-Inge Haaland, prompting Atkinson to hit the nail firmly on the head when commenting: "I'm surprised that the powers that be at Man United have even sanctioned that book," adding: "If they (the FA) look at the book I think he (Keane) has real problems ahead."

While then focusing on Keane's more advanced midfield role on Saturday, United's defensive frailties weren't even mentioned. At least RTÉ's more rational and reasoned analysis of United makes the slavish devotion to them on screen and in print (er, do the runaway double winners, record shattering Arsenal still exist?) easier to take. And as the overkill begins, does the Irish game still exist? Not on TV anyway.

Viewing figures for live domestic games have competed very well against audiences for English highlight packages. Yet in the week when two Irish clubs competed in Europe and when the FAI Cup pitted the top two clubs in the country against each other_ St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne - not a gimmick or a comment or a goal in sight. Frankly, it's a thundering disgrace.