Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:03 pm
Excitement high ahead of fixtures day
For those eagerly anticipating the new football season, the excitement is set to intensify on Wednesday morning.
Last Updated: 18/06/13 at 16:24 Post Comment
Cardiff & Crystal Palace: Gearing up for Premier League fixtures
The promotion celebrations at Cardiff, Hull and Crystal Palace may still be fresh in the memory - at least for those that did not party too hard - but thoughts now shift to the year ahead with the publication of the 2013-14 fixture lists.
Inevitably most of the attention will be on the elite of the Premier League, which will return in August swelled by the riches of a new television deal and with a fresh look.
That comes about as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton and Stoke have all changed managers while the aforementioned Cardiff, Hull and Palace have replaced Wigan, Reading and QPR.
A year ago, the three clubs who were new to the top flight received mixed news on fixtures day.
Southampton were handed a tough trip to then champions Manchester City but Reading and West Ham were given home games against Stoke and Aston Villa respectively.
Supporters of this year's promoted trio are looking ahead in nervous excitement.
Gwilym Rees, a committee member of the Cardiff City Supporters Club, said: "It is massively exciting. At 9.30 we'll all be glued to the website looking to see who we've got first up.
"What Cardiff need are some winnable games early on to settle the side down.
"How many points do teams new to the Premier League expect to get off the top six or seven clubs? Few, I'd imagine.
"So, if you can settle down against the lesser mortals of the Premier League, hopefully when you play the top sides it'll be at a later stage when we've got into the pace of the Premier League.
"I think we want a home game against either of the promoted sides or one of last season's strugglers first.
"To get Man United away first, and lose by a hatful - that's not particularly good for morale is it?"
Cardiff are returning to the top flight after a 51-year absence and there is no doubt which fixtures will be looked forward to the most - the derby dates with rivals Swansea.
Rees said: "Obviously Swansea is eagerly anticipated in these parts, that is the main one.
"But when you get the likes of Liverpool, Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham coming to town, they're going to be great days."
Some Football League clubs already know where they will be playing on day one.
The League have released six fixtures early, all with historical connections, to mark the competition's 125th anniversary.
The Bolton v Burnley and Derby v Blackburn games in the Championship are both between founder members, as is Preston v Wolves in League One. Also in League One, another founder member, Notts County, travel to Sheffield United.
In League Two newly-promoted Newport host Accrington, a modern-day incarnation of another founder member club. Rochdale also play Hartlepool - the most-played fixture between any current league sides.
Yet while English football, namely the Premier League, continues to sell well around the world and attract huge commercial income, there is growing disquiet at home over increasing ticket prices.
The issue has been rumbling for some time but was brought into focus last season, particularly when Manchester City fans balked at paying £62 at Arsenal and the club returned a third of their seat allocation.
The Liverpool supporters group 'Spirit of Shankly' have organised a demonstration for supporters of all clubs in London to coincide with the fixture release.
The group plan to march from Regent's Park to the Premier League headquarters at Gloucester Place, where there will be a rally and speakers.
A statement from SoS read: "We encourage as many supporters as possible to attend, bring protest banners and wear club colours to show that the problem of escalating ticket prices is a cross-club issue and that we, as supporters, are no longer willing to subsidise football's unsustainable financial bubble."
Meanwhile, the popularity of the Premier League abroad has been underlined by the launch of a new TV service in Indonesia.
Broadcaster beIN SPORT are launching three sports channels in the country, "led by the most extensive and complete coverage of the Barclays Premier League".