IT was a busman’s holiday for football commentator John Motson.

The veteran BBC man was taking a break in Bournemouth – and spent one evening of it watching the Cherries.

The Daily Echo spotted Mr Motson relaxing at The Brasshouse in Westover Road.

Ironically, our reporter came across “Motty” while asking passers-by whether they were already sick of football between the World Cup and an ever-earlier start to the new season.

Mr Motson: “I think the answer would be a mid-winter break, and a lot of other people feel that. Every other country in Europe apart from us have a mid winter break of at least two weeks in some cases.”

He suggested the respite could come around the second or third week in January.

Mr Motson, 64, whose voice and sheepskin jackets made him a household name, had watched the Cherries during the previous night’s 3-3 draw with Derby County at Dean Court.

Does he think players and fans could get fed up with the current scheduling?

“You would have to ask the players that. Obviously there’s a diversity of supporters.

“I went to the friendly at AFC Bournemouth last night and a lot of people had come down from Derby – they were not worried, they were making a lot of noise. But then they haven’t been out to South Africa over the summer like the England fans.”

Mr Motson said when he started commentating the season started later into August and there were not so many friendlies.

“They used to play the first team against the reserve teams,” he said. “There were the ordinary friendlies.

“The Far East tours and stuff like that didn’t used to happen – clubs didn’t used to be jetting off to Asia.”