It's not even 2007, yet Sky have already suggested moving the (cough) "title clash" to a prime-time slot at the end of the season, rather than moving it to a mid-week slot should the two protoganists both make it to the FA Cup semi-final weekend.

Quite how this will fit in with the usual practice of the last round of matches all being played on the same day remains to be seen, but regardless of ifs and whens it's alarming to think that Sky should have any say in this matter at all. Dictating kick-off times according to TV requirements has always been questionable, but changing matchdays by a few weeks will set a new precedent of TV power, to the detriment of the fans.

It'd be interesting to see how keen Sky and the money-hungry Premier League would be on this rearrangement were two less "exciting" teams, such as Portsmouth and Bolton, the ones battling it out for the title.

As Football365 have pointed out, the main thought behind this idea is so that Sky can have their "Michael Thomas moment" as well. What Sky seem to have forgotten is that these moments are spontenous, happen at the most unlikely of times and can't simply be created. If they were to move this match, it would almost certainly turn out to be a damp squib of a match decided by something as dull as an uncontroversial penalty or a toepoke from one yard out.

Labels: Chelsea, football, Man Utd, Sky Sports

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 at 12:03. You can skip to the end and leave a response.