Two months ago, I wrote about football trouble which had occurred at the West Ham versus Millwall Carling Cup tie. Amongst my reactionary ranting I highlighted that there was a romanticism attached to hooliganism that a whole new generation who had only just been born in the 1980s were now inheriting from their parents.
I felt strongly that this romanticism is clearly enhanced if not justified by relentless films and documentaries which portray violence, antisocial behaviour, and disrespect as a way of life - something to be embraced.
Social problems run a lot deeper than I can outline in a few sentences and I'm not blaming ITV for this but boy they don't help. They currently have a campaign promoting their football coverage in the UK under the banner "We Are Football United."
Now take a look at the schedule for ITV4 tonight:
Yes that's right. Two games of football from the Europa League followed by the movie Green Street, and if that wasn't enough a documentary on fan rivalry in Croatia and Austria.
A point of disclosure - I haven't seen Green Street and in some ways my comments can be seen as ridiculous as the Christians who complained about Jerry Springer The Opera without seeing it and those who were furious with Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand without hearing their radio show.
I accept that there may be some very valid artistic merit in Green Street with social commentary on emotional ties / personal identities that develop in all male groups bonded together by violence.
When the promotion of this art becomes intertwined with the promotion of football as sporting rivalry the lines between social commentary / art and glorification of violence become blurred.
My point, and what I was trying to say two months ago, is that this film was directly marketed at those who see football hooliganism as a romantic aspiration. The very people who looked forward to the West Ham v Millwall match for reasons other than football. The target audience and the commercial (not artistic) ambition of the movie sickens me, as does ITV's scheduling tonight.