Southampton: Huge changes to Saints’ Christmas schedule
By Marc Walker
Five of Southampton’s Premier League fixtures over the busy festive period have been subject to date and time changes due to television broadcasting picks.
Matches against Manchester United, Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester City and Chelsea have been chosen for coverage by BT Sport or Sky Sports, and this could certainly affect both the Southampton fans and the team itself.
The game at home against Jose Mourinho’s United is the only game to keep the same day of Saturday 1st December, but has been moved back to 5.30pm instead of 3pm.
Another clash comes at St Mary’s two weeks later against Arsenal, and this contest has been changed to Sunday 16th December at 1.30pm instead of the 15th.
Saints were also due to face West Ham away from home on Boxing day, but Mark Hughes’ men will now made the trip to London on the 27th December for a 7.45pm kick-off.
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Their last game of 2018 then sees them host current Champions Manchester City on the South Coast on a new date of Sunday 30th December.
The new year will also see a new date given for Saints’ trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, with Wednesday 2nd January and a 7.45pm kick-off to be pencilled in fans’ diaries.
Hughes’ squad will be most stretched in the spell from December 22nd to 2nd January where they will play four times in a week and a half.
The people that these changes will affect the most are the loyal fans that willingly travel around the country and even in from other countries to watch matches.
Whilst the run of games against top-six sides around the festive period always meant that they were likely to be subject to change and being chosen for television coverage, the power of money is quickly becoming too much in the Premier League.
Fans already pump a lot of cash into the clubs that they support with high ticket prices, whilst replica shirts and other merchandise can also have a high cost.
For those reasons, there may be some disgruntlement among the fanbase as the fixtures have been changed to suit TV companies and not the supporters.