we kick off at 6:30 here.

andy_d77andy_d77 Posts: 682
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over in the broadcasting thread we have got all a bit off topic regarding european matches in the 1970's-1980's

so people lots of us bemoan the fact that matches now can kick off at any time, on any day of the week and bemoan the 3PM saturday kick off... But some of you out there have had your league side kick off at a different time regularly on a saturday to everyone else. These were the days before ko were moved 'for tv'. why? what was the reason? (put your hand down Tranmere, we ALL know why you played on a Friday, give the others a chance)

this is the thread that is on the tv coverage in the 1970's:
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1129001&page=15
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  • jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,021
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    Yes Tranmere used to play most of there Home Games on a Friday, I think Southend did as well.

    Saint and Greavsie used to call Tranmere there regular Friday teams, and they would show the goals on the Saturday
  • PeePee Posts: 8,154
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    what was the reason for Tranmere playing on Fridays?
  • carefree_bluecarefree_blue Posts: 8,961
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    Pee wrote: »
    what was the reason for Tranmere playing on Fridays?

    I'd assume it was due to the Merseyside Police because either Liverpool or Everton would be playing at home on the Saturday most weeks?
  • Jamesp84Jamesp84 Posts: 31,040
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    I'd assume it was due to the Merseyside Police because either Liverpool or Everton would be playing at home on the Saturday most weeks?

    And to try and boost the crowd by attracting people who'd be going to Liverpool/Everton on the Saturday.
  • jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,021
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    Back in those days, if you weren't the one match that had been chosen for ITV's the Big Match. Then all the fixtures kicked off at 3pm
  • PeePee Posts: 8,154
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    I'd assume it was due to the Merseyside Police because either Liverpool or Everton would be playing at home on the Saturday most weeks?
    Jamesp84 wrote: »
    And to try and boost the crowd by attracting people who'd be going to Liverpool/Everton on the Saturday.
    cheers
  • andy_d77andy_d77 Posts: 682
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    Back in those days, if you weren't the one match that had been chosen for ITV's the Big Match. Then all the fixtures kicked off at 3pm

    except they didn't - lots of div 2,3+4 had differing ko times ask Bury
  • James1953James1953 Posts: 4,840
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    I remember odd kick off times back in the 70's when the power cuts were on and we couldn't use floodlights.
    I'm sure I can remember midweek games kicking off at 5.00. ( Shrewsbury Town)
    I'm sure regular evening games used to always kick off at 7.30. Can't remember when everyone switched to 7.45
  • Wallasey SaintWallasey Saint Posts: 7,596
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    I'd assume it was due to the Merseyside Police because either Liverpool or Everton would be playing at home on the Saturday most weeks?

    Nothing to do with the Police just Tranmere would get a bigger attendance on Friday night than if they played 3pm Saturday, even when Tranmere were in Division 1 now Championship, they still played home games on Friday nights if the game wasn't live on local TV.

    7:30pm kick offs for midweek games were the norm back then, very few games would kick off at 7:45pm, unlike these days 8pm kick offs were very rare. In those days half time was a 10 minute break in domestic games. I do remember going to Liverpool v Arsenal league cup tie season 88-89, the kick off time was 7:30pm.
  • carefree_bluecarefree_blue Posts: 8,961
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    Nothing to do with the Police just Tranmere would get a bigger attendance on Friday night than if they played 3pm Saturday, even when Tranmere were in Division 1 now Championship, they still played home games on Friday nights if the game wasn't live on local TV.

    7:30pm kick offs for midweek games were the norm back then, very few games would kick off at 7:45pm, unlike these days 8pm kick offs were very rare. In those days half time was a 10 minute break in domestic games. I do remember going to Liverpool v Arsenal league cup tie season 88-89, the kick off time was 7:30pm.

    Ah cool, think I vaguely remember them playing on friday nights but it never really crossed my mind it was due to attendance.

    I remember the 7.30pm kick-offs but can't recall exactly when they stopped.
  • Wallasey SaintWallasey Saint Posts: 7,596
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    Ah cool, think I vaguely remember them playing on friday nights but it never really crossed my mind it was due to attendance.

    I remember the 7.30pm kick-offs but can't recall exactly when they stopped.

    Yep a few lower league teams played home games on Friday nights if they had a big top flight teams in their region, like Stockport County who played most home games mostly on Fridays. It's a good idea for some clubs as in those days going to games was not as expensive as these days, think some people used to go to the Friday night game, then go to their own team on Saturday.
  • andy_d77andy_d77 Posts: 682
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    ah thanks yeah derby had a season of splitting midweek matches between 7.30 & 7.45 and the old 10 minute interval in div 2 when the prem had 15; we had a cup game at the bbg where keith hacket decided we needed a 20 minute interval!

    derby were one of a handful of clubs who opted out of the tuesday only playing in the championship - but now do as a majority decision was taken.

    we once played wigan at the bbg on the 22nd dec at 11:30 am!

    Derby had 2.30 ko Saturdays in the early 1980's regularly too.
  • big macbig mac Posts: 4,583
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    andy_d77 wrote: »
    ah thanks yeah derby had a season of splitting midweek matches between 7.30 & 7.45 and the old 10 minute interval in div 2 when the prem had 15; we had a cup game at the bbg where keith hacket decided we needed a 20 minute interval!

    .

    A question about evening kick-off times here. It used to be that 7.30 was considered the "standard" kick-off time for evening matches, but now it is 7.45. Why did it change?
  • big macbig mac Posts: 4,583
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    andy_d77 wrote: »
    ah thanks yeah derby had a season of splitting midweek matches between 7.30 & 7.45 and the old 10 minute interval in div 2 when the prem had 15; we had a cup game at the bbg where keith hacket decided we needed a 20 minute interval!

    .

    Duplicate post.
  • TheSlothTheSloth Posts: 18,711
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    I remember the novelty of Liverpool's game being shifted on Grand National day if they were at home. Apart from Christmas and Easter perhaps, it was 3:00 p.m all the way otherwise (prior to live terrestrial games on either BBC and ITV depending on who'd wrestled the rights back). Europe naturally meant some erratic kick-off times and the Intercontinental Cup saw some lunchtime games televised here which were definitely a rare treat.

    I guess the 7:45 was to allow people to get to games from 9-to-5 jobs more easily or perhaps to better fit with police shifts?
  • djfunnymandjfunnyman Posts: 12,518
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    Stockport and Bury played at home on Fridays
  • swingalegswingaleg Posts: 102,981
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    andy_d77 wrote: »
    except they didn't - lots of div 2,3+4 had differing ko times ask Bury

    I used to watch Bury in the 60s and they always kicked off at 3.15 on Saturday........

    I think Bury were very much the odds ones out though, it wasn't that common

    There was one advantage for us fans......on the way out of the ground you could pick up the Buff which had all the other results already printed in the front page.....
  • andy_d77andy_d77 Posts: 682
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    big mac wrote: »
    A question about evening kick-off times here. It used to be that 7.30 was considered the "standard" kick-off time for evening matches, but now it is 7.45. Why did it change?

    believe it or not it was a combination of clubs/police/the da and fl/ supporters.

    the clubs felt a later start [7:45] would be more useful to make it easier to get home have tea then come out again; the police thought it would ease congestion in towns; the met police did [and, I believe still do] want london clubs to ko at 8pm, though some are resistant to this. I do not have a met police map so can't verify the clubs against it. The FA and FL left it up to clubs to set ko times - unless under a clause the result could be beneficial to a team etc.

    still trying to chase up why derby ko that game v wigan in 85 at 11:30.
  • jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,021
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    Wasn't there also a period possibly in the 80's when the Saturday before Christmas fixtures, about half were played on the Friday Night, cause of people going shopping and stuff.

    There is a youtube video of the ITV results service, presented by Elton Welsby in 1991 I think, and on that Saturday only like 5 matches were played in each league. Man U v Villa that day was postponed due to waterlogging at OT.

    Also Didn't Good Friday always get a really big wedge of fixtures
  • snukrsnukr Posts: 19,580
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    Wasn't there also a period possibly in the 80's when the Saturday before Christmas fixtures, about half were played on the Friday Night, cause of people going shopping and stuff.

    There is a youtube video of the ITV results service, presented by Elton Welsby in 1991 I think, and on that Saturday only like 5 matches were played in each league. Man U v Villa that day was postponed due to waterlogging at OT.

    Also Didn't Good Friday always get a really big wedge of fixtures
    Up until the sixties teams played on Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday.

    Could you imagine the whinging from Moyes and Wenger if they had to play 3 games in 4 days now. :D
  • Wallasey SaintWallasey Saint Posts: 7,596
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    TheSloth wrote: »
    I remember the novelty of Liverpool's game being shifted on Grand National day if they were at home. Apart from Christmas and Easter perhaps, it was 3:00 p.m all the way otherwise (prior to live terrestrial games on either BBC and ITV depending on who'd wrestled the rights back). Europe naturally meant some erratic kick-off times and the Intercontinental Cup saw some lunchtime games televised here which were definitely a rare treat.

    I guess the 7:45 was to allow people to get to games from 9-to-5 jobs more easily or perhaps to better fit with police shifts?

    When either Liverpool or Everton had a home game on Grand National Day the kick off would be brought forward to 11:30am or the game moved to Sunday.

    I do remember Liverpool v Man Utd regularly having 11:30am kick offs, nowadays it's either 12:45pm Saturday or 1:30pm Sunday. One year late 80s may have been season 87-88 Liverpool v Man Utd had an 11:30am kick off, it was one of ITV live games however ITV started the programme at 12:30pm but showed the game in full.

    In those days when ITV had sole rights for the league, the ITVs The Match would start Sunday 2:50pm with a 3pm kick off just a quick preview & run down of the team sheet & go off air about 5 minutes after the final whistle.
  • jazzydrury3jazzydrury3 Posts: 27,021
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    When either Liverpool or Everton had a home game on Grand National Day the kick off would be brought forward to 11:30am or the game moved to Sunday.

    I do remember Liverpool v Man Utd regularly having 11:30am kick offs, nowadays it's either 12:45pm Saturday or 1:30pm Sunday. One year late 80s may have been season 87-88 Liverpool v Man Utd had an 11:30am kick off, it was one of ITV live games however ITV started the programme at 12:30pm but showed the game in full.

    In those days when ITV had sole rights for the league, the ITVs The Match would start Sunday 2:50pm with a 3pm kick off just a quick preview & run down of the team sheet & go off air about 5 minutes after the final whistle.

    Yeap I remember those days really well, loved the Big Match theme tune also.

    Football fans these days would be pulling there hair out, with the lack of football we had on TV in those days.

    I remember most football fans back then got excited when Man U got to the final of the Cup Winners Cup in 1991, fand would think that as small fry these days
  • Wallasey SaintWallasey Saint Posts: 7,596
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    snukr wrote: »
    Up until the sixties teams played on Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday.

    Could you imagine the whinging from Moyes and Wenger if they had to play 3 games in 4 days now. :D

    Until the 60s games were played on Christmas Day & Boxing Day normally the same 2 teams would play each other on both days, so quite often the result on Christmas Day would be reversed on Boxing Day.
  • this_is_methis_is_me Posts: 1,304
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    snukr wrote: »
    Up until the sixties teams played on Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday.

    Could you imagine the whinging from Moyes and Wenger if they had to play 3 games in 4 days now. :D

    Liverpool's 1963 Easter results stand out.

    Friday, beat Spurs 5-2 at home.
    Saturday, beat Man Utd 1-0 at home.
    Monday, lost to Spurs 7-2 away.

    Quite a turnaround in the Spurs results, with Man Utd sandwiched in the middle.
  • andy_d77andy_d77 Posts: 682
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    up to the 1990's level 2 and below used to play on consecutive days when christmas fell 'oddly'

    derbys 1/4 final v swfc was followed by a second midweek game that week.
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