Derby day kick-off time changed.

Posted on September 30th, 2010 | 37 Comments |

Kick-off moved to prevent trouble.
Kick-off moved to prevent trouble.
The kick-off time for the game against Sunderland on October 31st has been moved forward at the requst of Northumbria police.

The only real surprise about the move is that it wasn’t made sooner. The return leg at Sunderland was moved forward pretty much as soon as the fixture list was released, yet the game at St James’ Park remained untouched.

So why did the bizzies wait until after the tickets have started to be sold before making the decision to apply to the Premier League for permission to move the game to an earlier 1:30pm kick-off? I, and many others, suggested that it may want to be moved to an earlier time, so why has it taken the authorities so long to cotton on to the same fact?

We’ll probably never know that now and no doubt there will be some legitimate reason, a reason that no doubt many of us could have forseen some months back.

I have a feeling that the atmosphere could be pretty dark around Newcastle for this derby. Don’t get me wrong, other matches against Sunderland are hardly knittting contests and always have an edge to them, but this is the first derby for a couple of seasons and no doubt there will be some Newcastle fans, and Sunderland fans, wanting to make a statement.

The move to the earlier 1:30pm kick-off should put a stop to that to an extent, but it won’t stop it completely. One thing it will stop is too many people having too much to drink before the game. There is now not enough time for the vast majority of people to go to the pub for more than a couple of hours before kick-off and drink enough alcohol to make themselves a problem. It also removes the likelihood of the Sunderland fans getting into Newcastle and waiting around for long.

As I said, I’m not surprised by this, just a little peeved that it has taken this long for the authorities to cotton on to what a lot of people have been saying. The derby is going to be hot enough, without everyone having to wait around for it and kill time on the day of the match!

Howay the lads!

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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37 Responses

  2. We have to learn how to defend against Ugly, Nauseating, Vile, Sleep inducing, God awful, Horrific, Dispicable, Deplorable, Woeful, Eye wateringly dull long ball sides like Stoke and Sunderland.

    Which would be helped by including the soon to be fit Campbell and Steven Taylor and dropping Perch and Williamson.

  4. Spot on, Toonsy – daft to wait until now, and I’m sure we’ll get some lame-arsed excuse in due course. Still, at least it shouldn’t put anyone out of pocket, unlike some of their worst decisions such as away games to London being shifted to different dates at no notice.

    I think you may be right about the atmosphere too. These derby matches are a good safety valve and we’ve had a whole extra year – plus the extra kick from a humiliating relegation – to build up the pressure. I hope I’m wrong, but there has to be a higher chance of trouble than for years.

    So – to cheer us up, here’s Batty’s suggestion for a positive, out-reaching and friendly song to bridge the gap on the day and offer a hand of friendship to the visitors.

    To the tune of ‘The Adams Family’ theme:

    “ya sister is ya mother, ya father is ya brother , you all f–k each other the mackem family, da da dada,”

    Oh, the huge manitee…

  5. Christ; a mackem spending time on an NUFC blog. I don’t even know where to begin.

    Welcome, um, friend. Hope you enjoy the song…

    And can you get Reid back, please – all our best songs involved ‘Monkey’s Heed’ references…

  6. safc says:
    September 30, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    we aint managed by peter reid anymore so no long ball and play much better football than you geordies.

    Have a day off, Every since sloth took over you’ve hoofed it from back to front, Did you watch your lot play Stoke last season, Sky should have put it on DVD and released it as porn for Allardyce.

    Against Arsenal all you did was boot it to that Elmo fella to win headers.

  9. Thanks, CC – was starting to feel like I was all alone. Which is just too bloody ironic when there’s a mackem on here!

    (And nice one about Allerdyce porn, btw) :)

  12. Daan – Why do mackems come on here?

    Simple…

    Thay are all over our sites lurking most days to ne honest. It’s nothing new and the little poppets disappear as soon as they announce themselves ;)

  13. Ok, open question to anyone who can answer it: how does an idea for a song like Batty’s excellent one (above @4) end up being sung by thousands of Toon at a match? Does some brave soul just belt it out again and again in the hope that it spreads, or is there something a bit more organised than that?

    Come on someone – I’m bored doing this sodding presentation here and need a distraction! Besides, I’d actually like to know. A bit.

  14. probably toonsy :D

    i know it’s obvious but i actually can’t stand them.. reaaaaaally can’t stand them!

  15. Whumpie – It’s all about ettiquete :D

    I’ve started a few chants at the match, and sometimes they catch on, other times I look like a twat and have to give up :)

    Gone are the days when there used to blokes hanging off the top of the satnds orchestrating things ;)

  16. Whumpie,

    probably better if a few people belted it out over and over rather than just a single person than more people are likley to join in :-)

  19. Whumpie says:
    September 30, 2010 at 2:19 pm

    Thanks, CC – was starting to feel like I was all alone. Which is just too bloody ironic when there’s a mackem on here!

    Aye it happens, They can clear a room without even trying, Their pungent B.O or drooling when they set eyes on a relative, Being the most common complaints…

  20. yea, thought it was strange that the Jan match was instantly put back and this one is just being moved now. ah well.
    really looking forward to this match. nothing like a 7:30AM kickoff in the pub with 50 toon fans and the odd mackem or two to take some abuse!

  22. What’s up Toonsy? I know you’ve been working hard but that’s two days of uninspiring stuff and very few comments. Is no one else around to write?

  23. Georgio – Evidently not….

    Work comes first at the end of the day – It keeps a roof over my head :)

    Edit – Plus I don’t like just copying and pasting every bit of news out there ;)

  24. see perch is a definete starter at city.cant imagine how r taylor is feeling,there aint much more he can do to get in the team,especially when the guy blocking him his struggling.who would you all rather have at rb if simpson,saylor,raylor,perch were all available? id go for raylor every time,he offers so much more going forward and can also defend just as well,if not better,than the rest

  25. Simpson for me. People are gorgetting just how well he played at the start of last season. He kept Raylor out then and will do the same again. People wanted him signed, he got signed, and spent half a season playing with an injury that has kept him out for 4 months. People are forgetting that.

  26. Why are ppl still talking about the RB position??? ;) ^_^

    we should be worried how many goals man city gonna smash into tim krul goal net…. :(

  27. agreed that its simpson for me, but raylor i think has shown more than perch to be starting RB at the moment. can’t understand what else he can do to get a chance.

    AOD – nice optimism ;) i really think on the back of the stoke match, and with city playing juve tonight, we’ll get some kind of result out of this one!

  29. This post is bloody hilarious. Thanks for the entertainment Toonsy. Great song Whumpie/Batty. Take a bow. Who are the scum playing before us. Lets slip one of their centre halves a tenner to knock Bent’s nuts off the game prior to ours. We’ll see how many inbreds are posting on here as they sink slowly into oblivion…Whey hey!!! :D

  31. I’ve been in a state of shock for past week after the Stoke game that I felt (as with the BPool game) we should have won. For my belated input I would lay a lot of the blame at Krul’s door for not being able to command his area. Plus the strange idea of using Collocini to “protect” Krul on corners and long throw ins, seems to me he was just getting in the way.

    Anyway I’m not to bothered about the Sunderland game as yet, its three weeks away. Hopefully we will have a few more points in the bag by then and we can go into it with a bit of confidence.

    I’m off to Sunny (I hope) Menorca tomorrow and am hoping to see us with a couple of wins by the time I get back.

  32. Toonsy.I said it more eloquently tho ;-)

    you have mail!

    El Toro…ref the old thread..I’m going to Citeh :-)

  34. The police want to go shag themselves. I have paid for rail tickets already working on a four o’clock kick off now I have to buy another set.
    Bar stewards the lot of them

  35. toonsy says:
    September 30, 2010 at 4:26 pm
    ‘Simpson for me. People are gorgetting just how well he played at the start of last season. He kept Raylor out then and will do the same again. People wanted him signed, he got signed, and spent half a season playing with an injury that has kept him out for 4 months. People are forgetting that.’

    Im afraid I have to disagree. Poor positioning, poor decision making, perhaps lessened when he was fully fit. mistakes lead to goals, behind about 50 players at Man U. Different league, different season, Perch needs more time, could take half a season but the point is the lad will get there, he has the quality and ability. Simpson, decent cover nothing more imo.

  36. Oh and I forgot to mention, holds off and holds off and holds off until ball is crossed into back of the net. Hughton knows the craic, ;) thats why he has said he will stick with Perch. After all he was an international RB himself.