ian1964 10,547 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 FOOTBALL chiefs have stunned fans by announcing SPFL games will be played on SATURDAY NIGHTS. Champions Celticâ??s opener against Ross County will be screened at 5.15pm on August 3 as Neil Doncaster lets the TV companies call the shots in the new-look regime. Friday night matches continue after being a hit last season. But the new Saturday slot has sparked huge debate. Hoops fans want talks with authorities after travel plans for the County clash were plunged into chaos. Kevin Graham, of the Affiliation of Registered Celtic Supportersâ?? Clubs, claims punters will be left out of pocket. He said: â??Holding this game on a Saturday night is a logistical nightmare. â??Our supporters travel from all over Britain and Ireland and have already made plans to come to the first match. â??Theyâ??ve booked ferries and hotels â?? now this has been announced with three weeksâ?? notice. â??We will be looking to talk to the new league about this and we will also speak to Celtic. â??The fans will be disappointed. Kick-off times are one of the main issues we have as a support. â??Due to the TV changes, our first three games kick off at three different times. This has been a long-standing problem.â? SunSport understands the new slot has been introduced in a bid to generate more interest. BT Sport join Sky and BBC Alba in screening Scottish fixtures this season and all are in favour of the move. The Saturday tea-time slot usually gains massive audiences and TV chiefs intend to give Scottish football wider exposure. Hampden bosses are keen to try new ideas and the plan has received the green light from police. But the move has not been universally welcomed â?? with Kilmarnock set to visit Motherwell at 5.30pm on Saturday, August 31. Rugby Park fans chief Sandy Armour said: â??Iâ??m not keen on a Saturday night kick-off. â??Motherwell is only an hour away, but you donâ??t want to be travelling long distances at that time on a Saturday.â? Partick Thistle begin the new campaign on Friday, August 2 by hosting Dundee United at Firhill live on BT Sport. The Jags also welcome Hearts on August 16, while Rangersâ?? away clash with Airdrie has been switched to Friday, August 23 at 7.45pm. Lunchtime kick-offs also remain on the schedule, with the Edinburgh derby on Sunday, August 11 and Celtic heading to Aberdeen on Saturday, August 17. Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/5005974/Fans-anger-at-Saturday-night-live-football-in-Scotland.html#ixzz2YcUJtOxr 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilledbear 16 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 What did they expect, the EPL have been doing their bidding for years. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Reap what they sow. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC 150 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I found this a very odd comment: “Motherwell is only an hour away, but you don’t want to be travelling long distances at that time on a Saturday.” He says Motherwell is only an hour away (therefore a short distance) and so why then mention "long distances" as being undesirable "at that time of night". Also, it is barely out of the afternoon - what is it about early evening on a non-work day that is so off-puttting to motor transport? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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