I do think all finals (FA Community Shield, EFL Cup final, FA Cup final) should all be on a Saturday at 15.00, but this isVERTON, actually earlier than a Super Sunday PL game in London or the South coast would be (they kick off at 16.30), never mind a midweek game. So the match time is fine now to be honest.
I did back this boycott with it being a 17.30 kick off but that boycott worked in getting it moved to a more reasonable time. It’s not Saturday at 15.00 and maybe we should open talks with the club about this in the future but it’s at a more reasonable time now than initially.
My view on this is, football fans are paying the price for the FA Folly that is Wembley. The mystique of the place is being used to fund FA jollies and we as fans do not matter because we do not have FA accredited honorarium.
I despise the place, it is a football stadium that is dreadfully designed in the middle of a shopping precinct.
FA Cup semi finals played there is a fucking joke, it derides the history of the Cup when the whole point was getting to Wembley for the final. I have been to a lot of semi finals at Wembley but not one comes close to to going to the Semi Final at Villa Park in 1981, that day stays in mind because we won the right to go to the Final, the semis I been at the piss taking money making stadium I barely recall. That saddens me.
As for KO times, there is a big difference between 30k fans travelling and 3k fans travelling. Obviously the less fans the more transport options, its the law of supply and demand.
In the last few seasons I have been to away games at Palace, Southampton and others that KO at 8pm or maybe 7-45pm, and I aint got home until the early hours or in Palace case nearly 5am, but its what we do
The thing is, if TV companies want to show games in the evening why not pick games that mean less travelling time, like City v Everton, Villa, and leave the long trips for fans at 3PM. i understand that aint always possible but at least make games say like Arsenal away 7pm ko, which gives us chance to get the train back home.
Which brings me back to the boycott. I am not going, I am sick to the back teeth of being seen as a cash cow for the FA so they can fund their vanity project and corporate jollies. When its suited the FA they have moved it and the Charity Shield day at Villa Park was brilliant, the only reason they do not do that is because they need us is to pay for there vanity project and in my mind .............fuck em, they do not give a fuck about us the real fans who go every week and have done for years, it is all about looking after corporate interests.
As I see it and yes i do understand the allure of watching the greatest team in our history, as fans at some point we have to say enough is enough.
