Apart from the obvious sadness of falling short against Liverpool in the derby, there was another aspect of Saturday’s game that left a bad taste in my mouth.
When I learned that the game would kick off at 12:30 PM when I was there, I was unhappy. Jurgen Klopp and other managers have talked extensively about this early start time when discussing the calendar of their individual teams, and it is not just annoying to the players and coaching staff.It was absolutely terrible to give the Merseyside Derby this time slot, and I hope it never happens again. While it is fantastic to watch these games at home on Sky Sports or TNT, there has been a lot of discussion around TV hours. These actions by large corporations, however, are detracting from the experience of the match-going fan.
On Saturday, there was such a lack of energy that it resembled a preseason game or a charity match. The fans weren’t exactly at their best for either group. Due to the anticipation and anxiety, you go to derby games expecting a great atmosphere, but there was nothingYou can’t really blame the supporters for that because they got out of bed early to attend. The players, who found it difficult to establish any sort of tempo and took some time to get going, may be similarly described. The individuals in charge of the TV picks need to take a closer look at this slot because it isn’t operating properly. This big of a game shouldn’t start so early in the day.
There has also been discussion on whether the current custom of 3pm kickoffs should continue and whether the blackout should be lifted. I believe it ought to. The 3pm ban was instituted to safeguard match attendance, and I continue to believe that fans should attend games, but why not broadcast just one game, like the Merseyside Derby, live at that time? No one will miss out in that case because you will still see the watching numbers on TV and Goodison and Anfield will be packed to the gills regardless of the time.
