Non Boxing Day football [moved to Tue. December 18th]

[DJ Leon]

Pathetic decision. Another football tradition dies a death. At least there'll be plenty of others in the same boat......oh hang on.

 

[Oscar]

Pleased about this. Saves a lot of guilty negotiating to get to the match amidst family duties over Christmas.

 

[del strangefish]

Paul Barber "The Grinch who stole Christmas!".

 

[Baaaald]

I'm over the moon. Means I can go!! ��

 

[Peter Grummit]

Disappointing but hardly surprising.

What is a DISGRACE is that the club have marketed and sold the Match Package to explicitly include Millwall on Boxing Day within the last few weeks, when at the same time lobbying with the League to move the game. Naked duplicity and sod the fans!

PG

 

[Jim D]

In 50 years time The Amex will still be there. The local residents and Sussex Uni had better get used to it.

Are you saying that the 'restricted private transport' agreement was only for the purposes of getting planning permission and that all bets are now off? Strange, I don't recall reading about that - even in The Argus.

 

[Simster]

Well they seem to think they'll be able to find a solution for future Boxing Days, if that's the case why haven't they done it this season
Someone at the club (before Barber's appointment) should have planned for this contingency, we were always going to get a home game on Boxing Day sooner rather than later.

My assumption and hope is that the issue is not that we were handed a home game on Boxing Day with no public transport running, but that we were handed a home game on Boxing Day with no public transport running against Millwall.

They were f***ing dicks when they last came down, and if I was commercial manager I would be very concerned that their stone age behaviour was going to put off my customers. Lets not forget we've quadrupled our gates inside 2 years, and they're not paying £5 to get in anymore.

However, if it turns out that this shambles happens on future Boxing Days when we play a lower risk team, I'll be standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of you and [MENTION=4417]The Complete Badger[/MENTION] when it comes to outrage with the club.

 

[chimneys]

We aren't the only one to have built our stadium out of the town, or without ample street parking. The fact we're the ONLY one that cries like a baby and has to force a postponement makes a major statement that says The Amex will NEVER be a top-class venue.

Ooh the drama!!

I'm struggling to think of another ground built in last 15 years who get crowds of over 25k with probably 75% or more forced to use either public transport or park and ride to get to/from the ground?

 

[8ace]

My assumption and hope is that the issue is not that we were handed a home game on Boxing Day with no public transport running, but that we were handed a home game on Boxing Day with no public transport running against Millwall.

They were f***ing dicks when they last came down, and if I was commercial manager I would be very concerned that their stone age behaviour was going to put off my customers. Lets not forget we've quadrupled our gates inside 2 years, and they're not paying £5 to get in anymore.

However, if it turns out that this shambles happens on future Boxing Days when we play a lower risk team, I'll be standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of you and [MENTION=4417]The Complete Badger[/MENTION] when it comes to outrage with the club.

Hmm, I hope your assumption is correct but then could they not have made it a bubble game for Millwall?

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Excellent news. I always find it just gets in the way. I want to spend the day watching TAT on tv, eating Turkey, stuffing, bacon and leftover xmas PUD.

Not out in the COLD with my post-xmas hangover watching peole be ACTIVE.

 

[The Large One]

It's not because it's Millwall.

 

[gripper stebson]

El Coastico it is then. Newhaven v Seaford 11am. See you there!

 

[Hotchilidog]

I can now go, brilliant!

 

[Silent Bob]

The fact that it's Millwall would have guaranteed problems if they did try and go ahead with the match, but whoever it was against what could the club do? Short of setting up their own train services this match couldn't happen.

 

[APACHE]

Moan, moan, moan, can't wait for it to start when we finally get to the PL and games are switched left, right and centre to pander to Sky and the big 4 playing in Europe. Get used to it, cause this is going to be the norm.

 

[Craig4004]

I'm chuffed, now means I can go!

 

[Monsieur Le Plonk]

Well that's one less argument that I would have lost anyway.

 

[spring hall convert]

Can't we buy the Goldstone retail park back again?

 

[Pinkie Brown]

It could be that there aren't enough drivers to cover for Boxing Day, irrespective of how much the club is prepared to offer...

Very few scheduled services are running on Boxing day, bar a skeleton service on certain routes as far as I understand? This would surely create a surplus of drivers who would be 'stood down' from their rostered duties surely? I don't know the exact figure of how many drivers Brighton Buses employ, but I really struggle to believe, there wouldn't have been enough drivers who would be willing to work on Boxing day, for whatever reason, whether for the overtime or simply as an excuse to escape visiting relatives etc.

Given the hard financial times we live in, there's usually plenty of volunteers in most workplaces who are after every piece of overtime available. When I worked in the airline industry, the employer often had to forcibly stand people down against their will on Christmas & Boxing Day, as the work schedule rarely required anything more than a skeleton cover, especially on Christmas Day. Many from the Asian Community who couldn't give a shit about Christmas were always happy to cover the Christmas period. Likewise, those not from that community always covered the Asians when they wanted time off for Diwali etc.

I wonder if Brighton Buses considered a 'poll' of their drivers to see how many were willing to work Boxing Day overtime? I've no idea how their Contracts of Employment are worded, but its possible they could be required to work ALL Public Holidays anyway, should the need arise?

This is a disappointing decision for many, but the club & transport companies now have breathing space to 'plan' for future Boxing Days. Hopefully, the Transport Companies will enter the 21st Century sometime soon & provide services on Boxing Day like most other westernised countries.