The Mail Bag

Kick-Off 17:45 Tuesdays???

Comments (50)

According to a steward at the BATE match, we will be playing home ties in the knockout stages of the Europa League on Tuesdays at 17:45 hrs. How many people will be in the ground by kick off is a different matter.

Isn't a factual announcement of course — sheer hearsay on my part — but he informed me that stewards are already being briefed on their arrival at the ground by 3pm. It's apparently — a Uefa directive. Liverpool will have 8pm Thursday night home kick-offs according to the steward.

As it's a new competition, I guess that the knockout rounds are seen as fair game by Uefa to set new standards and precedents. Everyone surely knows that it won't work in England but another sign that the game is bit-by-bit changing for the worse.
Alan Chadwick, Liverpool     Posted 17/12/2009 at 21:10:03

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Liam Dowd
1   Posted 18/12/2009 at 06:28:30

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Honestly, I know one of the kick-offs had to be changed, and it was a 50-50 shot, but it’s very hard not to see this as preferential treatment of Liverpool once again. They should be out of Europe now, and if one team has to kick off in the middle of the god damn day it should certainly be them. But you know that that would never happen in a million years.

If this effects our revenue from ticket sales we have a right to be very cheesed off with UEFA.
Adam Bennett
2   Posted 18/12/2009 at 10:16:01

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It’s confirmed on the OS.

I think now, we will see if the powers that be at Everton Football Club have any kind of backbone, or if they are just a bunch of spineless bastards.

If I was Robert Elstone, I would be turning up at the draw this afternoon with the clubs legal team, and tell UEFA that if this kick off time is not changed, then they can expect a court date and be sued for loss of revenue.

Having a kick off time for an English club at home, when a huge amount of the English workforce will still be in work, is a complete and utter disgrace, and just shows that UEFA couldn’t give a flying fuck about the fans. (Who needs fans when we have a shitload of sponsors!)

For me, we should have our Europa League game on Friday night (8pm) and our Premier League game on the Monday night.

Either that, or tell the redshite to go fuck themselves - after all, they shouldn’t even be in the competition.
Chris Lawlor
3   Posted 18/12/2009 at 10:51:38

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Liverpool get the nod over us based on who finished higher in last season’s league positions.......

Wtf has that got to do with this tournament? Why dont they simply give the daft match timings to the team that has only dropped into the tournament because they were eliminated from the laughably named Champions league?

Uefa and Fifa are the epitomy of why so many fans are becoming completely disillusioned with football these days.

This afternoon’s draw should be interesting....What are the bets we get Juve and the RS get Hapoel Telaviv?

Ciarán McGlone
4   Posted 18/12/2009 at 10:58:04

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Seems like a simple application of the rules based on priority to me... Just like the seeding issue.

I don’t see any smoke and mirrors. Whether you like it or not, we are a smaller club than Liverpool.

Them’s the facts lads...
Chris Lawlor
5   Posted 18/12/2009 at 11:07:16

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Fair enough Ciaran but it doesnt mean that the rules are very fair. Why should they get preference over us when they are getting a back-door entrance into the tournament? All these teams should take a back seat on these decisions.
Kevin Jones
6   Posted 18/12/2009 at 10:41:20

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Why is it every fucking thing we get involved with ends up being dictated by that shower of shite across the park? Just read the official line on the Everton website, absolute fucking bollocks. I’m fucking livid. The RS don’t even want to be in the fucking thing, they’ve come down from the so-called Champions League yet they get precedence over us because they finished higher in the fucking league last season. Fuck off Plattini, Blatter and whoever else make’s these fucking decisions. Robert Elstone and Kenwright should tell them to fuck right off right now. What do I do, I don’t finish work till 5.30? If Everton let these faceless bastards get away with this they can fuck off as well.
Brian Reidy
7   Posted 18/12/2009 at 11:24:07

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I told ye this would happen last week — will their shadow ever leave us? Crazy time to have a game.
Anthony Millington
8   Posted 18/12/2009 at 11:43:46

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Why can’t they just fuck off! We’ve been in the Europa League longer so why don’t they get messed about instead? They shouldn’t even be allowed in it, if you get knocked out the Champions League that should be it.
Liam Reilly
9   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:02:44

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The RS get the Thursday evening slot because they finished higher in the league last season. Utter bolloxs. If Everton had finished higher, the ruling would have been based on something else.

Everton were never going to get precedence over the Shite.
Andrew Flanagan
10   Posted 18/12/2009 at 11:59:49

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Boycott the game. When Blatter and those other snakes at UEFA see an empty stadium they will shit themselves. Give them enough rope to hang themselves!
Anthony Millington
11   Posted 18/12/2009 at 11:46:36

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It’s ok, Uefa have implemeted Rule 587 meaning Liverpool can go back in the Champions League.
Anthony Doran
12   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:10:51

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Favortism for the bigger CL dropouts, it's a joke that they are allowed in to the Europa League at all and straight into the knockout stage, this really is a Mickey Mouse cup!
Liam Reilly
13   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:19:39

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Anyone watching the draw on Eurosport. Fuck me, they could not make the selection process any harder if they tried. They have one guy drawing the seeds and another guy running around filling up an unseeded bowl after every seed is drawn.
Liam Reilly
14   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:26:01

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Fulham V Shaktar and the Shite have AFC Unirea (who)
Liam Reilly
15   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:28:43

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Here we go - Herta Berlin, bottom of the Bundesliga.
Gareth Humphreys
16   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:35:39

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Sporting Lisbon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Liam Reilly
17   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:35:25

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Actually, I don't know what's going on. They said we got Sporting and then changed it to Hertha, but Sky are reporting Sporting.
Anthony Doran
18   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:37:03

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Thats us fooked... Fix! Fix!! Fix!!!
Roberto Birquet
19   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:39:04

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So Moutinho will be playing at Goodison after all. FFS Arteta, get fit!
Bradley Nolan
20   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:42:15

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Athletico or Galatasaray if we beat Sporting, Couldn’t get much harder.
Ciarán McGlone
21   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:46:10

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"Boycott the game."
---------------------

Yeah good one. Lets kick ourselves in the nuts, because you lot think there’s a conspiracy and we should be crowned ’king of the footballing world’..

Wise up.
Bradley Nolan
22   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:47:17

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Fulham will get Ajax or Juve if they progress while the other shower will get Lille or Fenerbahce.
Dave Wilson
23   Posted 18/12/2009 at 12:54:05

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WTF has the size of the club got to do with the fairness of the competition?
Norman Merrill
24   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:09:22

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I am not surprised that we have been handedthe early KO on a Tuesday, it just goes hand in hand with everything that Uefa has thrown at us over the years. No conspiracy, just bad luck my arse.
Paul Mackie
25   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:20:23

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"Lets kick ourselves in the nuts, because you lot think there’s a conspiracy and we should be crowned ’king of the footballing world’.."

----------------------------------------

Whilst I personally don’t think it’s a conspiracy, a 5.30 kick off will be hard enough for people living in the city to get to, let alone those of us who don’t live in Liverpool.

It’s not so much kicking ourselves in the nuts as UEFA doing the kicking.
Mark Jones
26   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:20:59

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The only good thing that has come from the early kick-off is that it is half-term. Also, if we have to play any of the youth team it will not finish after their bedtime, like last night's game.
Kevin Jones
27   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:16:15

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Ciaran, we’re not kicking ourselves in the nuts — Uefa are doing that for us. They’ve just anounced if we beat Sporting, in the next game we have to play both legs away to Brazil on the fucking moon on a Tuesday afternoon kickoff 11 minutes past 2!!!

Explain to me why I have to take a day off to go to a fucking home match because the Fucking Redshite have come into a competition they don’t want to be in? Fuck them, Boycott it.

Dara Vaughan
28   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:31:29

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Ciaran, I assume your a Republic fan. Have we not just been dragged through the hawthorn bush by Fifa (Uefa) or whoever over seeding et al.. and then laughed out by Blatter and his 'fairplay' buddies.

Of course there’s a undercurrent of sleaze and wink-wink at Uefa headquarters. Yes, the Sshite do get preferential treatment because they're a bigger club... The dog on the street knows it.

Roberto Birquet
29   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:35:58

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They don’t look as crack an outfit as Benfica. Of the 13 league games so far, they’ve won four and lost three. They lie 7th.
http://www.sporting.pt/Info/Futebol/Liga/futebol_liga_classificacao.asp

I’d love to get through this and Atletico. Lisbon and Madrid, that’s not a bad touring itinerary.
Colin O'Keeffe
30   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:30:11

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It’s a bummer, no doubt about it. It’s taken the gloss off the competition for me now. It’s obviously going to affect the attendance massively — I reckon we’ll be lucky to get 25,000 and the atmosphere, sense of occasion will be impacted negatively.

The same thing will happen if both teams qualify for the last 16, as both teams were the 2nd set of matches to be drawn out for that draw — hence presumably both due to play their 2nd legs at home on the same night. I guess the fairest thing then would be if Liverpool volunteered to play their glast 16 game on the Tuesday. All if and buts I suppose. Just have to stay cool and use it as additional motivation.

Andrew Flanagan
31   Posted 18/12/2009 at 13:55:26

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Ciarán,

Maybe I was a bit knee jerk in saying boycott the game but Uefa do enjoy fucking us over and I am sick of it. We definitely need to make some sort of gesture. When has European football ever been played at 5:45 in this country?
Mike Allison
32   Posted 18/12/2009 at 14:29:14

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I’d much rather play Tuesday than Thursday, the Thursday games disrupt the week, put the weekend game back to Sunday and over a long period of time, disrupt the season.
Brian Waring
33   Posted 18/12/2009 at 14:24:24

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Whoaaaaa, the conspiracy theorists are out again. Look lads, if Uefa had it in for us, then why did they agree to allow us to play the kids last night? We had to ask for permission to play the young lads, because they weren’t registered, and because it was a dead game, they gave us the go-ahead.

Now, surely they have helped us out there, because it meant we could rest the 1st team for Sunday? It just gets a little boring, all this ’The world is against us’ shite.

Kevin Jones
34   Posted 18/12/2009 at 14:58:59

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Brian, I’m not saying it’s a conspiracy I’m saying its wrong to expect people to get to Goodison for quarter to fucking six. Ciaran can’t answer it, I’ve emailed Everton and they haven’t answered so I’ll ask you. I finish work at 5:30, without taking time off, how do I get to a fucking home match for a 5:45pm kick-off without a freaking helicopter?!? And all this because those fuckers across the Park can’t hack the so-called Champions League. It’s absolutely fucking ridiculous. Everton should tell Uefa to go fuck themselves and pull out now.
Karl Masters
35   Posted 18/12/2009 at 15:30:43

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Kevin.

I agree it’s a silly kick-off time at 5:45 (only done to avoid the Champions League matches 2 hours later and maximise Tv money for Uefa - and us) and I don’t know anything about your job, but could you....

Take a day’s holiday?

Talk to your boss, leave early and either start earlier or make up the time another day?

Buy a helicopter???

There is one good thing, mate. At least it won’t disrupt our game at the weekend afterwards and give us time to prepare for that one.
Peter McHugh
36   Posted 18/12/2009 at 15:36:36

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Kev, I suggest taking a day’s holiday so you can watch the game and take a chill pill. Alternatively, rent a helicopter as opposed to buy.

5:45 Tuesday — spot on for me!

I find not playing all league games at Sat 3 pm a lot more annoying than leaving work early or taking a day off for a European game.
Dave Moore
37   Posted 18/12/2009 at 15:35:20

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Brian, They had to agree to let us play the kids, what other option was there? Cancel or reschedule the game? Kick us out? Make us play with half a team? It's not about conspiracy theories, it's about preferential treatment and that always goes to the other side where we are concerned. Why? Because we don’t force the issues enough with the powers that be.
Kevin Jones
38   Posted 18/12/2009 at 15:47:03

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A) Why should I take a day off to attend a home match.
B) My boss hates football and couldn’t give a shit if I don’t go
C) Have you seen the price of helicopters.
D) Where do you work Peter in the Park End Car park
Karl Masters
39   Posted 18/12/2009 at 15:57:13

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Kev,

If your Boss has a brain (don’t answer that one!) he or she would see an opportunity to do you a favour and gain some loyalty and respect from an employee, ie you.

Of course, if you always shoot from the hip about everything you don’t like, then maybe they couldn’t give a toss.

Like I say, I don’t know your job, your boss or you, but it’s just a thought.
Peter McHugh
40   Posted 18/12/2009 at 16:08:55

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Kev

(a) Because you have to as otherwise you can’t get to the match
(b) Noted
(c) Yes - £129 for pilot plus 1 at my place - v. reasonable
(d) I work for Fast Helicopters
Dave Wilson
41   Posted 18/12/2009 at 16:06:16

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Is it any wonder we are treated like second-class citizens? Kevin Jones has every right to be angry and instead of supporting him he has to listen to idiotic claims that he’s a conspiracy theorist. This is not about conspiracies, it's about fairness.

Karl why should he use his holidays up? The Kopites wont have to. Even if this was resolved by a primitive toss of a coin at least Kevin wont be left feeling like a second-class citizen.

Everton get treated like this because they fucken accept it.
Larry Boner
42   Posted 18/12/2009 at 18:13:24

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Absolutely no issues with this, as long as the next round the kick off times are reversed, but I will absolutely guarantee that either they wont be, or Liverpool will still pull in more than we do at 17"45 kick off, probably a sell out.
I have no idea of the working hours or statutory holidays in Norway,but they will all get there whatever time.
If Everton do not get to play at 8 pm for the next round then I would fully back the club withdrawing from the competion on a matter of principal and seeing as this club has abandoned all its principles this will never happen.
Trevor Williams
43   Posted 18/12/2009 at 18:45:57

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Why cant we just play it on the Monday or the Friday ?

or am I being too sensible ?
Greg Murphy
44   Posted 18/12/2009 at 19:19:42

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Don’t reckon we’ve heard the last of this. At the end of the day it’s not UEFA that governs civil order in this city it’s Merseyside Police. And from what I’ve heard they’re none too keen on the usual rush hour at 5pm on Queen’s Drive, Walton Lane, Priory Road, County Road and Rice Lane merging with Everton pre-match traffic.

How are they gonna block Priory off as usual? What about all the people arriving home in their cars to the streets around the ground that are blocked off as usual on a match day.

It’s not gonna happen. This kick-off is gonna be moved.

I think Everton have played it well today by exposing this.

Karl Masters
45   Posted 18/12/2009 at 21:55:17

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Dave Wilson.

When the fixtures are published every June for the fllowing season we all know some dates will get moved. For most of us, if we want to attend, those changes may either make it impossible or mean we have to take a bit of holiday etc. If you fancy a trip to Lisbon you will have to make arrangements etc.

This is no different. Stop bleating about LFC, it’s boring and makes us seem small-time and paranoid.

It means diffrent things to different people. Kev finds it is less likely he will attend. Personally, as I don’t live in Liverpool, any evening game means a day off work and what puts me off is getting home at silly o’clock in the morning and having to get up at 6am and go to work the next day. A couple of hours extra in bed seems good to me, but that’s just my perspective, and as I say above, it’s better for the Team to be playing on a Tuesday than a Thursday to avoid disruption of the following weekend’s fixture.

There’s more than one way of looking at anything. You can either be half full or half empty. Anyway, as Greg says it will probably get overruled by the Police, and if not, we have 2 months to get used to the idea and make arrangements.
Martin Gray
46   Posted 18/12/2009 at 22:20:11

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Will the second leg be moved as well? By my reckoning Sporting and Benfica are scheduled to be at home in the second legs on the same night. I wouldn’t book any flights just yet.
Dave Wilson
47   Posted 19/12/2009 at 06:41:47

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Karl, first of all, you will never find me bleating about LFC, not ever. I have no axe to grind with them and don't share the same hatred many blues feel towards them. So can we please, at the third request, push aside idiotic accusations of conspiracies and paranoia.

Kevin Jones is right, can you imagine Spurs supporters accepting this if Arsenal were in it? Imagine trying to tell Sellic that because Rangers fucked up in the CL, they would have to kick off at a time guaranteed to have a detrimental effect on their attendance?

You say you don't live in the City, but Kevin does... and he is likely to work with Kopite colleagues who will not be inconvenienced at all. It's not about paranoia, it's about fairness of rules.

Nobody else in Europe would even notice if Everton's Kick off time was put back to 6:45 — except the thousands of people who would then be able to attend — It would be the fair and sensible thing to do.

As long as you are prepared to accept second-class status, I’m afraid we will always be treated like a second-class club.
Dave Wilson
48   Posted 19/12/2009 at 07:07:32

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And by the way, Karl, I really don't get your point about playing on Tuesday being advantageous, whether you play on Saturday and Tuesday, or Thursday and Sunday... you still play 2 games in 4 days.
Ray Roche
49   Posted 19/12/2009 at 10:20:23

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There is NO WAY our home game against Utd on the weekend after the Lisbon game will kick off at 3:00pm on a Saturday so the comments about a Tuesday kick off not affecting our weekend fixture are null and void.
Brian Waring
50   Posted 19/12/2009 at 11:37:40

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Hasn’t someone already mentioned, that Uefa rules state because the shite finished higher than us in the Prem, they get the later kick-off?

If they are playing by the rules, what’s the problem?

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