is internet the only future for football?

You only realise what you've got until it's taken away.That's how I feel over this weekends England game, due to be broadcast that was only available on the internet, depending on when you buy.Watching football online is not new, the difference being it is usually on a dodgy free stream rather than an official pay-per-view service.Lets face it, we all do it. Especially on Saturday afternoons when we know the match can't be on TV.We have a hunt around the net, check out a few forums , find the link and wait for the stream to start buffering, chuckling at whatever language the commentary is in and cursing your computer when it freezes just as your side is about to have a shot on goal.I see them as 'bonus' games, matches I wouldn't normally expect to see live so can't really grumble at the technical hitches.But there are some matches that deserve to be on TV, indeed look at their best on the TV and ones I would rather make the effort to go and watch rather than tune in online.I'm not saying this particular match is vitally important, but if it was on normal TV you would watch with your mates in your front room or down the pub.This is especially the case with big England games - like at next year's World Cup.Online streaming will kill all of that. Instead they want us all to be huddled round our computers, each paying the right fee to watch the game on a tiny screen.In my opinion the boom in online match viewing is a reaction to high subscription and ticket prices rather than any particular desire to watch football through the internet . Money enveloped football a long time ago and fans will always innovate to try and support their team without being forced to pay through the nose - this is just an example of the media companies trying to catch up and rake in more cash.If I had my moral hat on I would say that watching dodgy streams is illegal and shouldn't be encouraged. However ask most football fans and they would say they wouldn't do it if prices - both for match tickets and TV subscriptions - were lower.There is a problem there, but I feel they have come up with the wrong answer.