Farce over FA Cup will not change unless angry fans take a real stand in the war on TV kick-offs
action. Not anything to disturb the peace, of course. But stay away from these matches. Leave swathes of empty seats larger than there were for some third-round ties.
Or, as Bundesliga fans have done so effectively, organise a silent protest for the first 20 minutes of a match.
The authorities are more likely to take notice of the sound of silence than they are of a few foam-flecked
PRESUMABLY, the coppers who apprehended the Leeds United lurker did not find a bucket in his possession. No matter how po-faced you are, the spygate saga at Derby’s training ground is one of the funniest football stories for a long while. Funny because it is so refreshingly old-school. A bloke with pliers and binoculars? Has Marcelo Bielsa not heard of drones? THERE are players worth fighting tooth and nail to keep... and Marko Arnautovic is not one of them.
He’s decent, for sure. Talented, for sure. But, at the elite level, he is much of a muchness. In the mood, very good. Can’t be bothered, a passenger. If Arnautovic (right) wants to take the Yuan, so be it. But if his brother’s assertion is correct and Arnautovic wants to move to China, then it should be a reminder to us all that foreign players are not here because the Premier League is the best in the world. Port Vale striker Tom Pope comments on Stoke City’s new manager appointment in his own inimitable style. tweets. By authorities, we are talking about not just the FA, but the Premier League and Football League as well.
The English game has been sold to television.
If you are an armchair viewer, or a match-going fan who quite enjoys the logistical challenges you now face, that’s fine.
No one can deny Sky Sports, the BBC and BT Sport do an excellent job in covering the sport. A superb job.
But, if supporters are worried about the direction in which it is going, worried it will become intolerable to try and follow their club to every match, they must find more effective ways to make their views known.
Throwing tennis balls on to the pitch – as Eintracht Frankfurt fans did this season – is probably not the way forward.
But protests at other Bundesliga clubs included coordinated periods of eerie silence or shrill whistling designed to disconcert the TV viewer.
In the 2017/18 season, Borussia Dortmund enjoyed an average Bundesliga attendance of 79,496.
When fans groups urged a boycott of last February’s game against Augsburg – principally against Monday night fixtures – the crowd numbered 54,300.
You’ve worked it out, but that is a 25,000-strong boycott.
And when the next TV deal is up for negotiation, Germany’s football authorities have relented and will not offer games for Monday night scheduling.
The demographic and mentality of German club fans and English club fans might be markedly different.
There is certainly no vehement opposition to Monday night football here.
But every time a scheduling furore erupts here, the outrage lasts for, er, an hour or so.
And until fans actually do something meaningful, as they do in Germany, the authorities will continue to shrug it off.
RAHEEM STERLING is being lauded for writing a wonderfully supportive letter to a racially abused young boy. So he should be. But I suspect this is the norm for him. In fact, I know this is the norm. Raheem (above) will be embarrassed by the praise. Which tells you all you need to know.