So I Hear We're Playing Burnley in December....

Wednesday, 17 June 09, 12:08 PM · Comments(0)

That seems to be the gist of every blog and every message board across the land as someone in the FA pushes a few buttons, chats to the Police, the fans and trys really hard to piss off Sir Alex. It's rather amazing how much debate can be generated by the publication of a set of football fixtures that, in essence, we already know. We know that all 20 teams play each other, home and away, over a period of roughly nine months. It's always been that way but now it all has to be (over) ANALYSED to the nth degree as fans, pundits and journalists try and determine whether this (relatively) random set of matches gives one team or another an advantage.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a bit of a "Pub type" debate about it and with no "proper" football for over 11 weeks the media have to write about something, it can't all be transfer rumour. However, I seem to remember the days when all we really needed was to know where and when we were going to be on the first day of the new season. That was all that we needed to keep us going over the summer months (well those who couldn't actually enjoy other pursuits or sports for 10 weeks or so).

And the thing is that even that pleasure has been taken away from us because despite knowing the first game of the season, we really don't yet know when it will take place. For that privileged information we await the decision from the people in real control, SKY TV. For it is they who determine the fact that fans have to travel silly miles on a Monday night or for a Saturday lunchtime kick off.

For me, that's the real issue and not who we play when but who determines it. It buggers up any plans I have to come back (by plane) as until the TV executives actually publish the "real" fixture list I can't book a flight or plan a thing so let's save these discussions until July or whenever they come out.

So I Hear We're Playing Burnley in December....

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