Man Utd have avoided fixture nightmare but there are no winners in …
There was a time when primetime viewing consisted of The Generation Game, Noel’s House Party or the X-Factor. For Manchester United[1] fans, it is increasingly becoming Premier League[2] football.
The Reds have already been in the Saturday night 8pm televised slot and will fill it once again in early December when they visit Newcastle United. Come Boxing[3] Day, United will once again be the headline evening act.
The TV fixtures the festive period were announced[4] on Thursday lunchtime. United[5] will be shown live in four successive match days in two weeks over Christmas[6] across four different kick off times.
ALSO READ: Premier League announce United’s schedule for Christmas period[7]
From Sunday afternoons to Saturday lunchtime, to festive 8pm slots and Saturday evenings. It’s a minefield for supporters and it’s only going to become more commonplace.
The next TV deal will see an increase in live matches while an expanded Champions League[8] will involve more games and more television time. It means more uncertainty for fans, difficulty in forward planning, taking late night trips through motorway closures or seeking a train home that doesn’t exist.
Some would argue it’s par for the course given the riches that clubs make from broadcasters but that misses the point. It’s the fans that suffer. United are backed week in, week out by huge crowds and on the road the Reds supporters are some of the best, selling out away ends and generating a huge noise and atmosphere.
That dedication is taken for granted and has been for a number of years. Cost of living is rising, travel is more expensive and the match-going supporter is being overlooked for the casual sofa fan. And it could been far worse.
At least United’s Boxing Day 8pm game is a home fixture and the Reds have been spared the first Christmas Eve match in nearly 30 years. Their other Christmas week contest is a relatively short trip to Nottingham Forest for an awkward but not insurmountable 5.30pm kick off.
The Football Supporters Association (FSA) have long called for action, believing there should be a 12-week minimum notice period for league games to aid fans as opposed to the Premier League’s current rolling six-week system. The FSA also wants the football industry to liaise with rail companies to introduce flexible football tickets tied to fixtures to make travel more affordable, as well as pointing out that late kick off times often mean more fans travelling via car which undermines aims to reduce the game’s environmental impact.
It’s hard to argue with any of that. But the argument falls on deaf ears. This is the modern day Premier League and money talks. If there can be conversations around a European Super League then the merits of going to Newcastle for a Saturday night game are unlikely to be too high up on agendas.
The likes of Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Amazon Prime and in the future potentially DAZN or Apple, pay big money and want the big clubs on the box as often as possible. United are perhaps the biggest of them all and if that means Saturday night selections then so be it. The Boxing Day clash may be a Tuesday but the point applies.
As the FSA said when contacted by MEN Sport: “Far too many games are moved to unsociable times such as Manchester United’s recent game at Bramall Lane. The Premier League puts TV first and fans last, all too often.”
It’s hard to see it changing any time soon and United may well become as regular a Saturday night fixture as Ant & Dec. That’s showbusiness.
Follow the MEN’s United coverage on TikTok and YouTube, and subscribe to the Manchester is Red podcast[9][10][11]
References
- ^ Manchester United (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Premier League (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Boxing (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ were announced (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ United (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Christmas (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Premier League announce United’s schedule for Christmas period (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Champions League (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ TikTok (www.tiktok.com)
- ^ YouTube (www.youtube.com)
- ^ subscribe to the Manchester is Red podcast (bit.ly)