Planetarion Forums

pig · 14 May 2006, 01:41

Link to the story

Every saturday about 6pm I buy the sports argus (a red paper which lists the football results and match reports from the midlands and the rest of the country), in the last 2 years villa have been featured less and less in it due to premiership teams playing at weird times like 5 on a sat or sunday or mon or tue or wed etc...

My dad told me stories how he used to go to the villa, then go to the pub, on his way home stop at the newsagents and just hang around until the argus came then went home and read it.

My grandad pretty much did the same.

Its ashame that papers like this have seen a demise, they seem part of the history and heritage of football. The newcastle one iirc was also put out of circulation some months ago.

You could blame the internet, radio, sports fans. But I blame the fact that there isnt much football on a saturday anymore to make it worth buying. Still it will be funny not to pick up the argus on a sat evening at new st station.

Nodrog · 14 May 2006, 02:08

I'd guess that the internet has far more to do with its declining sales figures than sky. You dont need to buy a paper to check out the match scores when you can find more information online once you get home. If you really cared, you could check out whether sales of similar papers in other countries have declined in recent years. Most games in Scotland get played on a Saturday and there's a paper in edinburgh called The Pink which is pretty much the same as the one you mention, but I'm not sure how/if its circulation has changed.

pig · 14 May 2006, 02:12

Im sure the internet has caused its decline but I also believe that the lack of action of the top teams on a saturday has caused its decline. I remember one week about 2 months ago when neither villa, blues, baggies or wolves were playing. The main page featured walsall. Its also a decline of 3pm kick offs in all leagues I guess. With the argus not being a first port of call to get football results as there arent enough results to make it viable to buy it.

Still its ashame, a bit of history in football dying ;/

Oh well

pig · 14 May 2006, 02:14

Also just read that it was the best selling paper in the country for what it was so doesnt say much about these publications if the best selling one has gone down the pan.

eJohn · 14 May 2006, 13:59

If villa were slightly better than the least entertaining side in the prem, they might be featured more.

Also, just buy the sportsman every day, as its ****ing great

pig · 14 May 2006, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by eJohn

If villa were slightly better than the least entertaining side in the prem, they might be featured more.

Also, just buy the sportsman every day, as its ****ing great

You dont get it at all.

Its not about villa playing well, its the lack of sports action on a saturday to make it viable to buy. Its part of the history of football in the midlands and now its disappeared as a paper on its own.

eJohn · 14 May 2006, 15:43

in fairness, im on the completely other side of the debate. i dont buy into all the "every game should be saturday 3pm" argument at all - if it was up to me, there'd be games pretty much all saturday and sunday, and all week. You get a lot of tuesday and wednesday games, a few thursday games, but mondays and tuesdays are the worst

no football, its ****ing rubbish

Appocomaster · 14 May 2006, 15:52

Quote:

Two jobs have been lost through the closure.

I find that quite funny. Usually people quote job losses of thousands or something to scare us all. 2 sounds weird in comparison

(I'm not saying i'm laughing at the fact they have no jobs. I sympathise with that)

I think it is partly tv-related though. Sky wants matches all over the place so it can get lots of money from people watching match after match live. I'd make it part of the contract that the matches are all on saturday unless midweek fixtures force it to be otherwise, and all 15:00 unless there's a good reason. Playing to Sky is all very well as they're paying the cash, but ...

lokken · 14 May 2006, 15:56

I'll make it easy, football at 3pm on a saturday is essential.

A 12 pm saturday kick off usually has atmosphere as flat as a pancake and starting on the beers at 10am is just not quite right. Not to mention, if you're away fans, you're talking about a ridiculously early start. 3pm saturday means that even if your game is at the other end of the country, you'll get there amd back on the day. As for 5:15pm, it means we're talking about getting overnight accomodation unless you're away in London.

As for sundays, public transport is a nightmare and it's just plain awkward getting to games. I do like midweek home games under the floodlights, but I can understand that away fans find it horrible.

pig · 14 May 2006, 16:04

Completly agree Lokken

Dante Hicks · 14 May 2006, 17:00

Is there still a law in place restricting anyone broadcasting football games (in the UK) on a Saturday between 3pm and 5pm or whatever it was? If so, surely abolishing that would increase the amount of games played on a Saturday again? Or am I missing the point?

pig · 14 May 2006, 17:04

I think there is yes but think of why the law was there.

I can only assume it was there to ensure people would go to the football rather than watch it at home. If football is on at 3 then less people may go to the match etc.

lokken · 14 May 2006, 17:57

the reason why games are as they are, so those crazy kids in the far east can watch wall to wall football all evening from 8pm until 2am. Football fans in this country are therefore being forced to pay sky high prices and carted around for other fans who haven't got the vague idea of the ideal ingredients of a matchday.

From a football fans point of view, it's crap.

Reidy · 16 May 2006, 11:26

I'm not as bothered about it as you pig. I must admit i enjoy watching football on TV on a sunday, it means i can watch sunderland on the saturday (most weeks) and then have a good look at upto 6 other teams on a sunday.

What pissed me right off this season was sky changing games at the last minute. I work evenings so i bought my train tickets to old trafford for a saturday game and the feckers moved it to friday night. I think they only gave about 3 weeks notice.

I understand sky want to maximise the viewing numbers and need the most significant games to do that but they could at least guess a bit at the start of the season when deciding when the fixtures will be. If sunderland are going to have to play on a friday night then we should be allowed to know in August.

Our paper is called the football echo btw. its not really a problem when the games are, because even if the lads arent playing then it just gets filled with speculation, anti-mags stuff. It would be terrible if it went out of publication tho.