our fixtures

[canada shrimper]

When i was a young lad enjoying the delights of 4th division soccer on the famed north bank,I used to look forward to the first game of the sesaon as much,if not more than the next person.I see that the first game of the new season is on august 6th, now surely the first game of the season is getting earlier and earlier in the year.I seem to remember it was the 2nd week of august or maybe even the third last year.When i was a north bank regular i am sure it used to be the first week in september.I looked to see when our last game was this year and it is the first week in may.For some reason i always regard the 1st or 2nd week in may as cup final weekend with the league season ending mid april.
WHY IS THE SEASON STARTING EARLIER AND RUNNING LONGER?

 

[Grayson]

I blame the Premier$hite myself

 

[Andy_S]

The first game of the season is always the first weekend in August as far as I remember. Admittedly I'm part of the 'younger' fan group though!

 

[Grayson]

I seem to remember it being in the 2nd and 3rd week of august. It annoys me coz it goes into holiday season, I'm away for the first 3 games of the season. Luckily only one is at home

 

[The General]

Its a week earlier this year due to Euro 2006 ( i think ) ...

 

[Csboy]

Think you will find theres a World Cup in 2006 not a European Championship.

I agree with Canada Shrimper the season is starting way too early. It used to be the last week in August when the season started in the 80's which was fine most people were back from thier holidays then and the players had a good long rest.

My concern is that our players will not have had a long enough rest after the play offs and we could have a slow start.

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

It's definately getting earlier. Just a quick look through Robin Michel's excellent SUFC database finds that we started the much later in the month of August until about the mid-90s when it started to creep towards the first half of the month.

WS

 

[A loyal supporter]

Traditionally the charity shield (as it was known then) was the last Saturday in August and the football season proper started first saturday in September.

All games were played at 3.00pm on a Saturday except for some mid week games.

 

[Bluesmanager]

It's the TV lot. I mean I'm all for TV publicity, one because it gets clubs money and two it means I've got something somewhere decent to watch that doesn't invole a bazillion idiots locked up in a house 24/7, but now it's getting ridiculous, the midweek matches have only come into play recently cause Sky's looking for something to put on and can't be arsed to do anything original. Why can't they go back to September 8th starts (or closest Saturday to) with the Champions League and Uefa Cup in the midweek? Save us all alot of hassle, and means the traffic won't be as useless for Bank Holiday Derbies.

 

[Mick]

Quote[/b] (Bluesmanager @ June 27 2005,10:11)]It's the TV lot. I mean I'm all for TV publicity, one because it gets clubs money and two it means I've got something somewhere decent to watch that doesn't invole a bazillion idiots locked up in a house 24/7, but now it's getting ridiculous, the midweek matches have only come into play recently cause Sky's looking for something to put on and can't be arsed to do anything original. Why can't they go back to September 8th starts (or closest Saturday to) with the Champions League and Uefa Cup in the midweek? Save us all alot of hassle, and means the traffic won't be as useless for Bank Holiday Derbies.

The only valid point in your post is the one about the incarcerated idiots. You want to go back to starting on Sept 8th with no midweek games? So the season would finish at the beginning of the following August !!  You say "go back to" Sept 8th. It never used to be that late. Even in the late 60s, early 70s we were starting Aug 9th, 15th, 14th, 12th. We have never started a League season in September as far as I am aware.

I can't see how TV can possibly be blamed for starting the season one week (two at most) earlier than once was the case.

 

[Guest]

The season can't start early enough IMO, not enough to do on a saturday afternoon! Seriously, I can remeber when the season used to start later, but we had more midweek games... cup final has always been either sepnd or third week in May as far as I can recall.

I don't think it would be practical to start the season later than the second week in August, though, unless we want to see more midweek matc hes, and personally I prefer games to be played on a Saturday afternoon.

 

[BlueJ]

I suppose it would be better for the players if the season started later, but there are more stressful jobs than being a professional footballer, so bring on next season!

 

[Csboy]

Try telling the Southend players its not a stressful job when they went into the play offs last season especially when Freddie Eastwood when he went up to take the penalty agianst Northampton knowing if he missed our entire season could go up in smoke. I would say it can be pretty stressful at times.