Sky Sports moves three Premier League games with just two weeks notice

[editor]

Sky Sports and the Premier League are so fucking shit.

Fans of six Premier League teams face disruption to their travel plans for the penultimate game of the season after Sky Sports moved three games with just two weeks’ notice.

With Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur proceeding to the semi-finals of the Champions League, Sky Sports have decided to change their original selections made in the latest round of the TV picks.

Liverpool’s trip to St James’ Park to play Newcastle United, chosen by Sky Sports for a Sunday 4pm kick-off on May 5th, has now been moved to a Saturday 7.45pm kick-off.

Similarly, Spurs’ game against Bournemouth, which was due to be played on the Monday night, has been moved to an early Saturday kick-off. Manchester City against Leicester City, originally picked for an early Saturday kick-off off, has been transferred into that empty Monday night slot.

Newcastle United fan site NUFC.com labelled the fixture changes a “farce” and said the contradictory information coming from Sky Sports’ was “trapping unwary fans into making travel arrangements based on misleading information.”

“There’s no reason for the original fixture list not to have been left untouched,” they said. “With the proviso that changes would follow depending on the fate of the clubs in Europe.”

This is not the first time broadcasters have acted with impunity by moving games at late notice after losing their first choice TV selections due to predictable fixture clashes.

Fans hit out as Sky Sports cause further disruption | Football Supporters' Federation

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Not that I want to defend Sky but isn't it likely to be the clubs pushing for earlier games here?

 

[cybershot]

Not to mention our (Liverpool's) away trip to Southampton was moved previously, to a FRIDAY FUCKING NIGHT!

Absolutely no regard to the traveling football fan. It takes 5 HOURS to get to Southampton, which now has to be done on a weekday, when people work! for an 8pm kick off, so you won't be getting home until 3am either if you're lucky.

Absolute shit house behavior.

 

[mx wcfc]

Not that I want to defend Sky but isn't it likely to be the clubs pushing for earlier games here?

Hasn't the Dutch league just cancelled a whole weekend's fixtures, to help Ajax in the CL? Here we end up with a whole weekend's fixtures being rearranged, because Sky wanted to copy "Monday Night Football" from NFL. Sky are a blight on English football. Football matches should start at 3pm on a Saturday and bugger telly.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Sky are a blight on English football. Football matches should start at 3pm on a Saturday and bugger telly.

I kind of agree. As a supporter of a lower league 2 I'd be quite happy with binning it all off and only having 3pm games with no TV tbh.

If you're a Liverpool or Spurs fan though unless you want to go back to games only being seen by the tiny minority of fans actually in the ground, and you definitely don't want the CL semi quality teams you have now, then Sky is the price you have to pay tbh.

 

[cybershot]

I kind of agree. As a supporter of a lower league 2 I'd be quite happy with binning it all off and only having 3pm games with no TV tbh.

If you're a Liverpool or Spurs fan though unless you want to go back to games only being seen by the tiny minority of fans actually in the ground, and you definitely don't want the CL semi quality teams you have now, then Sky is the price you have to pay tbh.

Not so sure on that to be honest. The overseas deals are as lucrative as the domestic deals.

I’m not sure the argument of if that games shown at 3pm on a saturday would stop fans of lower league teams going to the games.

If people really want to watch a game at 3pm these days it’s not exactly that difficult to find a source for it on the internet from overseas coverage.