Weekend Latest (w/e 1 April)

[Dodge]

Absolutely nobody in proper well-structured leagues wants to play on a Friday night. A few games are played then for tv reasons only.

And absolutely nobody in ireland wants to watch LOI games on a Saturday afternoon. Which point do you think is more relevant?

[monutdfc]

Still trying to fathom as to how we did not win that game. We created so many chances but just could not put them away. The Mons players seemed to go to ground for anything. So many players went down looking for "treatment" throughout the 90 minutes. I don't know if was a Roddy tactic or they were genuinely in pain. Either way I'd be worried if I was a Mons fan. The ref was abysmal for reasons outlined by razor. Sava seemed to have a tactic of timewasting since the opening whistle. On the plus side we played quite well until Shawadaroddy wanted to play with 10 men behind the ball, then played well again when we got our second.

Magicme it was very nice to meet you.

So we time wasted to get a result away from home to one of the title favourites....it might not make me feel proud but why should I be worried? (Sure, I'd give out yards if a visiting team did against us, but it's part of the game.)

[mypost]

And absolutely nobody in ireland wants to watch LOI games on a Saturday afternoon. Which point do you think is more relevant?

I never suggested Saturday "Afternoon". I said they should be played at weekends. Friday is a workday. Saturday and Sunday is the weekend. Play at the weekend = less traffic, less panic, better crowds, it works everywhere from Chile to China and America to Australia.

[Hibs4Ever]

So much so, that another Friday night Dublin club has just gone bust.

Are you saying they wouldn't have gone bust if they had played on Saturdays or Sundays?

[bullit]

I never suggested Saturday "Afternoon". I said they should be played at weekends. Friday is a workday. Saturday and Sunday is the weekend. Play at the weekend = less traffic, less panic, better crowds, it works everywhere from Chile to China and America to Australia.

Sundays for Dundalk so,forget about the indeptth studies and polls that were taken,Hmmmmm !
Are you Ghadafi ??

[pineapple stu]

Yes, people work on Saturdays, yes there are junior club games on Saturdays. But the games have to be played at some point. And they should be played at the time when the most people can go. When was Real-Barcelona last on a Friday night? Celtic-Rangers? PSG-Marseille? Inter-Milan? Liverpool-mu? They're all played at the time where the greatest possible audience can see them. That's what should happen here.

So you want the LoI to play at the time when it has the most direct competition?

Please provide a study to show that LoI crowds would increase if we switched to Saturday. Because as other posters have noted, many clubs are happy Fridays are the best from actual evidence (not unsubstantiated mypost drivel).

I wish being a complete spacer was an infractable offence; you'd have been banned from here years ago.

[mypost]

So you want the LoI to play at the time when it has the most direct competition?

Please provide a study to show that LoI crowds would increase if we switched to Saturday. Because as other posters have noted, many clubs are happy Fridays are the best from actual evidence (not unsubstantiated mypost drivel).

Never mind the study, just look across every league's top division in Europe, and tell me how many leagues insist on playing all their scheduled weekend games on...weekends.

If Fridays are so wonderful and revolutionary, there must surely be more than a single 1 in the entire continent that plays all their games on the night. Then we're on the right track here, so everyone else are fools for thinking "the customer is king", and hosting games at times that suit their fans/general public instead.

[pineapple stu]

Never mind the study

I stopped reading here, because I asked for

actual evidence (not unsubstantiated mypost drivel).

[mypost]

No answer.

So they're right, and we're wrong. Just what I'm on about.

[Dodge]

No answer.

So they're right, and we're wrong. Just what I'm on about.

You might have a point if they all played oin the same time, but the don't. Saturday afternoons suit British football, Sunday afternoons suit Italian football. Do you think Il mypostio is on foot.it saying that Serie A should change to Saturday afternoons as 'look at the crowds England gets? Nope, they do what suits them best. just like we do.

[pineapple stu]

And of course there's the reasons why they play on those days, which are often particular to the leagues themselves. So in England, games are at 3pm because the dockers and miners traditionally worked a half-day on Saturday and 3pm gave them time to get down to the ground to watch (and play). That tradition has been built up over more than 100 years. In Ireland, we don't have that tradition, so we're better looking for a niche time to call our own. Something like - I don't know - Friday evenings?

Also, aren't you in favour of summer football? Do you realise how silly it is to say we should change to Saturdays because everyone else does, but say that summer football is good even though most countries play a winter league?

[mypost]

You might have a point if they all played oin the same time, but the don't. Saturday afternoons suit British football, Sunday afternoons suit Italian football. Do you think Il mypostio is on foot.it saying that Serie A should change to Saturday afternoons as 'look at the crowds England gets? Nope, they do what suits them best. just like we do.

No, they don't have to change. Like most normal well-run leagues, they play at the weekend.

And of course there's the reasons why they play on those days, which are often particular to the leagues themselves. So in England, games are at 3pm because the dockers and miners traditionally worked a half-day on Saturday and 3pm gave them time to get down to the ground to watch (and play). That tradition has been built up over more than 100 years. In Ireland, we don't have that tradition, so we're better looking for a niche time to call our own. Something like - I don't know - Friday evenings?

We did have a tradition in Ireland. Used to bring regular crowds of 20-40,000 in the 50's-60's. It was called Sunday Afternoon. Then everyone changed. Now there are crowds of 2-3k at best at most grounds. One of the reasons: Friday Night. People (both home and away fans) have to work/study that day instead, and 15-30 Euro+ per person per gamenight (at home) is harder to justify today.

The last time the top league in England played games on Friday nights, was 1984. And only for tv. They play at all kinds of times now, but never on Friday night.

[Guinney]

I can see both sides of the argument, in my opinion I feel Friday nights work best. Personnnaly speaking I think its a good way to start the weekend and there is something about playing under the floodlights (well for a good part of the season) that creates a better atmosphere. If the games were on Saturday/Sunday I feel there is to many other things on that would hinder people going to matches - GAA, playing in local football games, EPL, going to IKEA, etc. The biggest problem of all would be what would the leagues new website 'We Play on Fridays' call itself - 'We Use to Play on Fridays, but now we Play on Saturdays and the Odd Sunday'.

The counter argument may be that a change would suit the people who work weekdays 9-5. But this only really applies for away matches when more time is needed to travel further distances. Also as Mypost mentioned maybe the fact that Sat/Sun works in other countries, but I think Ireland is a different kettle of fish with regards to domestic football. Today people have far more options with regards to entertainment and can pick and chose, I feel thats the real reason why attendances have dropped since the Leagues heyday. Maybe some sort of poll should be set up to see what people prefer, but I can only see sticking with Friday nights coming out on top.

[Hibs4Ever]

The last time the top league in England played games on Friday nights, was 1984. And only for tv. They play at all kinds of times now, but never on Friday night.

German and Dutch 1st Divisions play games on Friday nights

[mypost]

I can see both sides of the argument, in my opinion I feel Friday nights work best. Personnnaly speaking I think its a good way to start the weekend and there is something about playing under the floodlights (well for a good part of the season) that creates a better atmosphere. If the games were on Saturday/Sunday I feel there is to many other things on that would hinder people going to matches - GAA, playing in local football games, EPL, going to IKEA, etc.

The counter argument may be that a change would suit the people who work weekdays 9-5. But this only really applies for away matches when more time is needed to travel further distances. Also as Mypost mentioned maybe the fact that Sat/Sun works in other countries, but I think Ireland is a different kettle of fish with regards to domestic football. Today people have far more options with regards to entertainment and can pick and chose,

Ireland is different with regards to domestic football alright. And why newbies snub it in favour of foreign football. I'm sure the bogballers love going to Ikea too, but even the GAA don't play Fridays, and they have the broadest sports-attending fanbase in the country.

"Going to Ikea". Suggest that to another European as a reason why we play on weekdays, and he'll have hysterics. You can still play under lights on Saturdays and Sundays too. Unfortunately, only a handful do.

German and Dutch 1st Divisions play games on Friday nights

For television. Neither association wants their live games to clash with the rest of the schedule, and deny their target audience the chance to watch it. Here, we have live games on Fridays too, at the same time everyone else is playing. There's the difference.