It's getting interesting

[dww]

They reckon it's completely random.

Obviously there's some tweaking for TV etc, but ultimately it is supposed to be random.

And, clearly, it's not.

Is it or is that just a general assumption? For example the PL is on record as saying that festive fixtures are chosen to be as close as possible.

[calvoboy]

It's never been totally random. Two tweaks they make that are well known about are 1) ensuring local teams aren't at home on the same weekend and 2) ensuring that most teams get a nearby fixture on boxing day so they don't have far to travel. I'm sure there are plenty of others too (e.g. certain teams always playing away when big annual events are on in their town/city)

[calvoboy]

Just found this:

How the fixture list is compiled
(courtesy of premierleague.com)

The release of the 380-game fixture list for the 2007/08 Barclays Premier League season marks the end of a complex process involving several months of work for representatives of all the parties involved.

The Premier League work alongside the Football League, together with representatives of the Football Association, the Football Supporters' Federation and the Police to create a final schedule which is acceptable to all.

The domestic football season runs from August through to May the following year, with the league fixture schedule having to take into account the requirements for international matches, European club competitions, the FA Cup and League Cup.

First priority in the calendar goes to international matches - such as World Cup and European Championship qualifiers - with European club competitions, the FA Cup and League Cup taking respective precedence on their selected dates.

Fixture questionnaires are also distributed to the 20 Barclays Premier League clubs on which they can make date requests and specify their preferred midweek day and kick-off time.

A variety of requests are made by clubs in the Premier League and Football League, with the compilers asked to meet - on average - over 100 date requests.

The success rate is almost 90 per cent for such requests, which range from pop concerts, carnivals and political party conferences to the Darlington Dog Show.

Given the amount of data to be handled, software developed by Atos Origin is then used to compile the full fixture list taking into account the agreed schedule and requests from clubs.

Each club across the league is also paired with another, and these clubs will not play home matches on the same day - for example Fulham and Chelsea.

The Atos Origin software also ensures that any club who are away on the opening day of the season will be at home for their next match, and prevents clubs having a run of more than two home or away matches in sequence.

The fixtures for Boxing Day matches are hand-picked to ensure that as many fans as possible are able to see their team in action at a time when the availability of public transport is reduced.

Once the Atos Origin software has produced the fixture list, it is analysed by the fixture officers from the Premier League and Football League before being approved by representatives of the FA, FSF and Police.

The fixtures are then released to the public, with the selection of matches to appear live on BSkyB and Setanta being made shortly after.

So in theory Sky have no input at all over the fixtures, other than to select their live games each weekend once the list has been published.

[Flake]

Perhaps its just me, but I can't tell if we're playing well at the moment at all.

The games we've played lately seem to have been so straight forward, (other than a nervous 40 minutes against Porto) that I can't tell if we're playing really well or if every team seams to want to roll over for us...

Its all seemed a bit easy.

I'm in no-way some miserabilist as those who are familiar with my posts will testify, but I honestly don't know if we're playing well or not.
We're getting results, but we seemed to have either come up against poor opposition, or else made them look absolute ****e by being great....

[Neil Young]

Is it or is that just a general assumption? For example the PL is on record as saying that festive fixtures are chosen to be as close as possible.

(Although there are plenty of Boxing Day games that seem to show the contrary in recent seasons).

I definitely recall hearing that the top 4 are often chosen to play against each other after mid-week CL games so if two are playing each other then the other two are also scheduled to do so. The purported aim of this is keep things level although they would say that of course.

I think UEFA Cup teams may also be included in this effort to make sure teams playing midweek play at the weekend against another team who will have played a midweek game.

[Shaggy]

how many teams cannot play at home on the same day? that will have some bearing on things.....us & bluescum,manc scum & City, brummies & villa anymore?

this will obviosuly randomize it less!!

Is it or is that just a general assumption? For example the PL is on record as saying that festive fixtures are chosen to be as close as possible.

It's never been totally random. Two tweaks they make that are well known about are 1) ensuring local teams aren't at home on the same weekend and 2) ensuring that most teams get a nearby fixture on boxing day so they don't have far to travel. I'm sure there are plenty of others too (e.g. certain teams always playing away when big annual events are on in their town/city)

Well yes, I took all this as a given.

Still doesn’t explain why, almost every season, the top 4 play each other on the same day, and that all the local derbies are often on the same weekend (Liverpool v Everton, Spurs v Arsenal etc – these games are often played on the same weekdn). THIS is supposed to be random, but it isn’t.

[calvoboy]

Well yes, I took all this as a given.

Still doesn’t explain why, almost every season, the top 4 play each other on the same day, and that all the local derbies are often on the same weekend (Liverpool v Everton, Spurs v Arsenal etc – these games are often played on the same weekdn). THIS is supposed to be random, but it isn’t.

According to the article I cut-and-pasted it IS totally random, and is pure co-incidence

And if you believe that....

[dww]

According to the article I cut-and-pasted it IS totally random, and is pure co-incidence

And if you believe that....

I don't see it say that anywhere (admittedly I only quickly scanned through it but that was what I was looking for) - in fact it seems almost deliberately vague about how the fixtures are decided when there is not a specific representation made to them.

[Neil Young]

Well yes, I took all this as a given.

Still doesn’t explain why, almost every season, the top 4 play each other on the same day, and that all the local derbies are often on the same weekend (Liverpool v Everton, Spurs v Arsenal etc – these games are often played on the same weekdn). THIS is supposed to be random, but it isn’t.

You're right, it's not random but, seriously, is that news? I mean, we know they factor in such things as Liverpool and Everton not playing at home on the same day.

[Harv]

whats the big problem with it anyway?

Its going to be a cracking weekend of football

[Shaggy]

whats the big problem with it anyway?

Its going to be a cracking weekend of football

Oh I agree, there's no real problem with it.

The problem for most of us is the sickly, Americanised 'tagline' Sky Sports insist on giving it. 'Grand Slam Sunday', or 'Judgement Day' or whatever the **** they call it.

It's hideous.

[Dhav]

Oh I agree, there's no real problem with it.

The problem for most of us is the sickly, Americanised 'tagline' Sky Sports insist on giving it. 'Grand Slam Sunday', or 'Judgement Day' or whatever the **** they call it.

It's hideous.

It's embarrassing and moronic.

[sonsofthedesert]

I'm waiting for the year when the big 4 face each ther n the last day of the season, Sky would love that.

[Sir Bob]

I don't care what anyone says, Sky have a massive impact on the fixtures. The bid 4 playing on the same day again for a start.

Also every season the likely title challengers always play each other in the last 6 games or so, as Sky loves title deciders.

[Craig_H]

whats the big problem with it anyway?

Its going to be a cracking weekend of football

The problem is that while Arsenal and Chelsea are kicking off, i'll be on the sodding motorway.

Fecking sky. :whatever: