That happens sometimes, people pick up on a minor point and argue to death, mainly because they agree with the rest of what you say Usually I try to take such points out of my articles before making them live but some get through and we’re then inundated by arguments that have little relevance in the grand scheme of the article…

Thank you for all your responces. Yes even the passionate ones, and the lack of swearing although we had disagreed on points.

Perhaps the Riverside or Upton Park aren’t sold out every week, but that’s not the point is it, you’ve not actually answered my question, what is the specific down side of the today’s 5:30 game of Man Utd V West Brom being played at 3pm and still being televised?

I admit it might not be a perfect idea, but I think we’ve gotten here by just ignoring the situation and letting it happen, why not look at policies which atleast try to balance business with football. Just trying to get some open debate going.

“Now if you are talking about the big 4 being sold out… If you were a fan of a team before the ‘big 4′ even existed, then you would have been there every week any way..”

I’m not quite sure what your point is, are you blasting me once for not “knowing” that not all premiership games aren’t sold out, and then blasting me again for them not being sold out??

For the record, been a Liverpool fan since I knew what football was, but really started watching in the mid Evans years when a run in the Cup was the best we seemed capable of.

I’ve no doubt that you have been a loyal Chelsea fan for years but in my football following career I have also come across ‘local’ fans who are uncommitted, only go to games occassionally. Equally in relation to the ‘bars around the world’ comment I have encountered fans who travel miles to watch the match on TV, wear their colours and show as much emotion as I’ve ever seen. The point is that they are as committed as any fans I have ever seen and, although they can’t attend matches, they (as a whole, and the whole equals many millions in Africa and Asia) contribute the money that has fuelled the huge finacial growth of the EPL and in particular the success of the top 4.

The point is that you seem to believe that you are a better fan than them and that is not acceptable. As I said, geography does not define privilige or commitment.
I’ve no problem with there being a hold on 3pm live coverage at all.

It is the presumption that the ‘non local’ fans are something inferior and the failure to recognise the importance of their commitment in bringing the EPL to where it is and how essential that is to Chelsea in particular that I take issue with.

Because of my Irish background, I respected what you said, before you started putting people in bars around the world before those who go to the games. Do you think I turned up after Abramovich and just picked up a season ticket? I was a Chelsea fan before Abramovich and all im sayin is that TV is harming the league. I don’t like the idea of 3 o’clock kick off’s being broadcast in England. I know it is done around the world and I have no problem with that as people outisde the UK have no choice but to watch it on TV.

Now you live abroad, you rely on Live broadcast and are berating me for going against it. Well done for getting up early to watch the final. After spending over £1000 to get to Russia myself, I dont think someone who lives in Australia should be insultig me because I am protecting the English Premiership, so you can’t sit comfortbaly watching saturday kick offs at home?

The increase in ticket prices and TV subscriptions is fuelled by the massive demand for the product.

With the global expansion of the game and the fan base there is unprecedented demand for TV access, which is the only way millions of fans can see their team. Equally, it is what puts the Top 4 where they are and fuels their growth. In the case of Chelsea, feeding off this is the ONLY way they will ever become profitable and be able to stay at the top, with or without Abramovich.

Some weeks ago a Chelsea fan wrote an article on this blog criticising Peter Kenyon. The only thing remarkable about the article was a comment berating the choice to play pre season games in Asia in order to “bring a few stragglers to the fan base”. The naiiviety of this comment is astounding and I believe the writer of this article suffers from the same problem.

If you’ve never been in a bar in Jakarta, Bejing, Bombay or Manilia or if we move to Africa, in the cities of Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa etc., then you will of course have no idea of the how fanatical and committed the Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool fans are.

Have you ever been to the docks in Liverpool at 6am on a Saturday morning to witness the hoardes of fans disembarking from a slepless night to travel onwards to watch their team play and return the same night on the same ferry?

No you haven’t and you still think that because you live near the ground and attend home matches you are somehow priviliged and it makes you a better fan.

Here’s the reality check, geography doesn’t determine anyones right to claim loyalty or privilage,nor any right to claim ‘ownership’ of a club.

Understand what drives the EPL as the biggest football product on the planet and what that means to the big clubs in terms of sustaining their positions.

As for: “Manchester United fans were actually from Manchester!”

Bollocks! I’m a Utd fan of over 40 years, lived in Dublin until 6 years ago when I moved to Australia. I became a Utd fan in the mid 60′s when my cousins from London visited and got me addicted. I travelled to Old Trafford countless times but on average only a handful of times a season, with much hardship, when I lived in Dublin and even went to cup finals without a ticket but in the vain hope that I might get one on the black market. Fans of Spurs, Liverpool, Everton, Leeds etc. made those journeys with me and were as devoted as any fans I’ve met as are the ‘new’ fans in Asia and Africa who fuel the domination of the EPL.

Either pine for the good old days, which will never return, and walk away, or educate yourself on what the modern game is about.

Based in Australia these days I rely totally on TV and the internet to follow my team. If you think that makes me a lesser fan then you you’re deluding yourself. I got up at 3am to watch the CL final and stayed up to watch it a second time, drank a bottle of wine and took the day off work! Sweet as a nut. Gotta love John Terry!

The empire ended a long time ago my friend. Get over it.

Now if you are talking about the big 4 being sold out… If you were a fan of a team before the ‘big 4′ even existed, then you would have been there every week any way..

I think everyone would benefit if they lifted the surely now defunct rule of not broadcasting Saturday 3PM games on TV. That’s one already sold out game back at the traditional time every week. Where’s the downside?

You’ve answered your own question – television revenues make more money than gate receipts, so unless that changes (which presumably is not likely) this will always be the case.

Other sports are now waking up to the idea as well – F1, for example, recently held its first night race in Singapore so it could have both the benefit of appearing in a new market without having the race on at a time when its core (European) television audience is in bed.