Shying away from ‘God’s chosen time for football’, fortune favours Chelsea on Friday’s

Five days after their trip to Wales; Chelsea host Liverpool at the Bridge, a match that has assumed such a global significance in recent years that it would be unthinkable not to televise.

To that end, kick-off was moved to 8:00pm on a Friday, and while it might be a great way for TV viewers to usher in the weekend, it, to say the least, inconveniences the match-goers.

With a journey of more than 350km (220 miles), Liverpool fans face a daunting trip to London, and those relying on public transport who want to return after the match will have an eight-hour, overnight train ride as their option home.

While there is no love lost between the clubs, surely Chelsea fans can commiserate with Liverpool supporters who find they can no longer attend the match following the fixture change.

Forward Costa will be looking to add to his four league goals in four outings when Chelsea face Liverpool tonight – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside.

Considering the unfathomable amounts of money the television networks funnel into the Premier League for the rights to broadcast its games, football fans can perhaps understand the channels’ prerogative to air matches at their discretion.

However, the league has increasingly been accused of putting the interests of sponsors and TV companies above those of the regular match-going fans.

Since its origins, Saturday afternoons at three o’clock have always been ‘God’s chosen time for football,’ a natural culmination to the weekly English working patterns: at the end of five-and-a-half-days, the factories and mines released their multitudes into the football grounds in time for a 3pm kick-off.

In the 1960s, the fear of a possible negative effect on match attendance and the potential loss of income for the clubs resulted in the 3pm ‘blackout’: no English football can be televised in the UK from 2:45-5:15 pm on Saturday.

However, the ban does not hinder match attendance at league games; in Germany, the games are available to watch on television, yet Borussia Dortmund still have the highest average attendance in Europe, and, according to a study of fixtures from the 2013/14 season, six clubs from the Bundesliga are in the top ten.

Eventually, with the introduction of midweek evening games and the ever-growing frequency of Sunday matches, the prevalence of 3pm football on Saturday began to all but decay.

The foundation of the Premier League in 1992 meant that the modern-day football weekend spans from Saturday lunchtime until Monday night, with kick-off times constantly reshuffled so that the matches can be broadcast.

Perhaps the Saturday 3pm kick-off is sacred, a tradition that should remain untouchable, but practically speaking, our jobs and our society no longer dictate the need for a correlated match start.

While there is no time-honoured establishment of Friday night sport in England, top-flight clubs have periodically played on Friday nights over the years, and this season, with 10 Friday matches scheduled, it is becoming common practice. While not egregious, the fixtures conceivably could be better scheduled to accommodate the travelling fans.

Jurgen Klopp brings his Reds to Stamford Bridge tonight in the Premier League’s second installation of Friday Night Football – Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The culture and tradition of away travel and away support is an even more massive one that we absolutely cannot stand to lose, but if TV priorities continue to make it nearly impossible for supporters to get to and from away games, then travelling numbers will undoubtedly dwindle, which will in turn affect the TV entertainment value.

The last time Chelsea played a match on a Friday night was 14 years ago, Manchester United’s visit to the Bridge on 22 August 2002. On that occasion, the match was not scheduled as such to accommodate broadcasters; rather, it was moved from its primetime 4pm ‘Super Sunday’ spot on Sky because it clashed with the Notting Hill Carnival, which demanded all of the Met Police’s resources that weekend.

Interestingly, many who attended that match preferred Friday evening to the customary Monday night slot, with the weekend ahead, lighthearted supporters would more readily make the long-distance, yet worthwhile, journey.

It is at least reassuring to know that the Blues have enjoyed some glorious results on Friday nights. These include two victories against Real Madrid, in the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup replay (Peter Osgood scored the winner), and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, won thanks to a late strike from Gustavo Poyet; as well as a 2-0 win (Pat Nevin, Kerry Dixon) against Manchester City at Maine Road in May 1984, which saw Chelsea secure promotion as Division Two champions.

With that in mind, Blues supporters will be hoping that the good fortune of Friday night football resumes tonight.