Time for bed

For Newcastle United fans, there has never been more midweek matches than we are experiencing this season.

It is not only that though.

For Newcastle United fans, kick-off times are also at the same time, getting later and later.

I was talking to a mate the other day, who is younger than me and has younger kids than myself, mine are adults now (at least in terms of age, if not maturity!).

Anyway, we were talking about all the night matches and he was saying about how they have become a bit of an issue when taking his school age kids, especially recently.

Specifically, the introduction of 8.15pm kick-offs, as an extreme.

I have seen nothing said as to why the football chiefs have started doing this BUT quite obviously none of the reasoning will be for the benefit of the fans who actually go to matches.

The 8.15pm thing is I am assuming, very much, all to do with broadcasters. So they stagger kick-offs at various times now right up to 8.15pm, especially if multiple matches, to be able to get maximum bang for their buck.

Games finishing at different times and so the TV audience able to jump from one match ending to then a later kick-off one, then on again to yet later.

Not blowing our trumpet BUT I think it shows what a big draw Newcastle United are, as we seem to be repeatedly getting the later ones.

Manchester City was ‘only’ an 8pm start on Tuesday night, but then again, it was the only big match on. However, before that, the night matches against both Fulham (Carabao Cup) and Leeds (Premier League) were both 8.15pm. That Leeds one in particular, the broadcasters got a huge bonus, such a late kick-off AND the latest ever winning goal in a match in the Premier League era!

Not sure what time I actually left St James’ Park after that 4-3 against Leeds but I am sure the sun was coming up!

Back in the day

This all triggered me, got me thinking what it was like back in the day.

I loved night games on the terraces in my youth, back in the days of proper floodlights, late 70s and early 80s.

Any midweek night game, Newcastle United always kicked off on a Wednesday at 7.30pm.

I had totally forgotten as well that it used to be only 10 minutes at half-time.

There were no VAR delays.

Only one sub allowed for each team and I can’t even remember them being used too often. Unlike now where quite often you see ten subs made in total!

I don’t recall added time at the end of the first half even being a thing, if it was it certainly wasn’t more than maybe a minute or so.

Then at the end of a match, unless something of huge significance had happened (Peter Withe diving to catch a dog on the pitch springing to mind) it was rare for anything more than one or two minutes added at the end of  the game.

So you were pretty much guaranteed a night match would end at 9.10pm (2×45 minute halves and 10 minutes half-time), or very shortly afterwards.

As a kid with my mates from age 12 (kids can’t even get in now without an adult unless they are 14!), we would get the bus at 9.30pm to get home from town, after walking down from St James’ Park.  I don’t remember ever missing that bus and I was probably in bed asleep by the time most Newcastle midweek matches end these days!

On a serious note, I have seen that when they do have multiple matches on now in midweek, especially in the Premier League, they have some of them kicking off at 7.30pm,

There clearly is no reason then why night matches can’t kick off then, the rest of the time, it is a choice to instead kick off at 7.45pm, 8pm, even 8.15pm now. Who is to say the broadcasters and Premier League won’t extend that further? Maybe kicking off at 9pm in the near future…?

For Newcastle United fans in particular, why not have both home and away games kicking off midweek at 7.30pm like back in the old days? Easier to take kids to St James’ Park, plus for travelling, especially on public transport (trains in particular), helping so many NUFC fans getting to games home and away AND getting back home afterwards.