The Boxing Day Myth

[dougdeep]

It's a myth that fixtures are produced at random by a computer.

It's done by one bloke on his laptop. There was a TV prog about it.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

One of them was undoubtedly [MENTION=205]Tom Hark, Preston Park[/MENTION]

Not me.

Which do you think more likely though? The club declare upfront that they can't fulfil the Boxing Day fixture and suffer six months ear-bashing from the League, or they declare that the Boxing Day fixture will go ahead while pinning get-out hopes on adverse weather conditions, TV rearrangement or other circumstances outside their control such as no viable transport solution. Trump card would be the safety officer saying the game can't go ahead due to, say, insufficient number of stewards due to lack of transport. Suppose at a pinch they could play the game behind closed doors. But I remain convinced the game won't go ahead, whatever the club are publicly stating. Would love to be proved wrong tho, used to love the Boxing Day double treat of morning session at the dogs (hare with its xmas hat on!) then down to the Goldstone for Boxing Day game. Weather was always crisp and bright and there was nothing finer to blow the Xmas day cobwebs away.

 

[Ernest]

i thought the main issue is that the entire east bound line is shut, no trains to or through Falmer. so not so much a matter of opening a few stations on the Brighton mainline (which could remain shut, think thats beyond clubs responsibility), its a matter of lighting up the track from Brighton to Lewes.

on the other hand, it may not be to difficult (cost aside) to arrange a two or three train shuttle Brighton to Lewes given there is nothing else.

The problem is that if you run for example the usual main line service it calls at only Haywards Heath and then fast to Brighton and if you run a Brighton to Lewes service only most people do not live within those 2 stations catchment area and use another service to connect at Brighton or Lewes.

To run a train service beyond the usual main line Boxing Day timetable would cost the Albion a fortune and if they were willing to pay they may not be able to get enough staff willing to volunteer to work that day.

It would be nice if Paul Barber came out and said exactly what the transport situation will be on Boxing Day to give people enough time to make plans.

 

[Joe Gatting's Dad]

First Great Western never run trains anywhere on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. This means I cannot get to London, let alone Brighton and all the Reading fans planning to come to Brighton may well be messed up as well, unless South West can get them to Clapham Junction.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

After the saga of 2012, I would like to think a plan of action has been worked out. There's been 18 months to plan for it.

Of course, another option that would have the club jumping in delight is if the game were to be moved to the next day for TV. That is a serious long shot though.

Serious long shot or agreement with Sky for lower fee?

 

[Ernest]

Serious long shot or agreement with Sky for lower fee?

I doubt it will be moved for SKY to another day as they show at least 2 league matches on Boxing Day

 

[Hotchilidog]

Teams have got round this before. West Ham had to put up with district line being shut for a whole load of games, and they still managed to fill the ground.

In my case I may well just walk to the Amex for those coming further afield I'd imagine that driving would be the only option, for Albion fans there will always be the Seagulls travel coaches which seem to set off from everywhere in Sussex.

Getting to the game at the moment looks like a real pain, but it does not look impossible.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

If it's commercially viable; i.e. about 8-12,000 passengers then surely they'd run trains?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Not me.

Which do you think more likely though? The club declare upfront that they can't fulfil the Boxing Day fixture and suffer six months ear-bashing from the League, or they declare that the Boxing Day fixture will go ahead while pinning get-out hopes on adverse weather conditions, TV rearrangement or other circumstances outside their control such as no viable transport solution. Trump card would be the safety officer saying the game can't go ahead due to, say, insufficient number of stewards due to lack of transport. Suppose at a pinch they could play the game behind closed doors. But I remain convinced the game won't go ahead, whatever the club are publicly stating. Would love to be proved wrong tho, used to love the Boxing Day double treat of morning session at the dogs (hare with its xmas hat on!) then down to the Goldstone for Boxing Day game. Weather was always crisp and bright and there was nothing finer to blow the Xmas day cobwebs away.

Get a pushbike.

 

[8ace]

After the saga of 2012, I would like to think a plan of action has been worked out. There's been 18 months to plan for it.

Of course, another option that would have the club jumping in delight is if the game were to be moved to the next day for TV. That is a serious long shot though.

Reading are playing Norwich on the 28th, so that game would have to be rearranged as well unless they are prepared to play two games in two days.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

I thought this was about Palace turning us over on a boxing day fixture
regards
DR

 

[Ernest]

If it's commercially viable; i.e. about 8-12,000 passengers then surely they'd run trains?

It's not commercially viable 12k passengers paying £2 a time is not going to pay for a service which is worked out 2 years in advance so I doubt one is being knocked up for a football match

 

[Bill Cassidy's tie up]

[used to love the Boxing Day double treat of morning session at the dogs (hare with its xmas hat on!) then down to the Goldstone for Boxing Day game. Weather was always crisp and bright and there was nothing finer to blow the Xmas day cobwebs away. [/QUOTE]

What days they were, what Boxing Day was about

 

[Dandyman]

Why can't the park and ride be adapted for Brighton/Lewes/Haywards Heath? The cost of paying triple money to drivers is likely to be far less than the revenue at Falmer.

Alternatively do a deal with the Universities to allow one off parking - there are unlikely to be any staff or students around.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

If something happens once, it must be identical every single season after! Surely you know that

 

[joker]

It will go ahead on Boxing Day you'll see

 

[sparkie]

Whatever transport plan the club have, it is surely unlikely to involve the railway.

Cunning parking options, rickshaws, tuk tuks...

...but not the railway.

 

[robinsonsgrin]

why cant we just swap the fixtures over... go away.... more people would use coach travel or car and saves a lot of hassle?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

There wont be trains at all.

Would have thought that at least 1 extra P&R would be opened (the Barracks on Lewes Road being one of those sites) and an extra car park available at the Uni. Normal buses will be heavily reduced too. Seagull Travel should run an enhanced service as well which will pick up on a lot of extra passengers. Attendance would be down by at least 6,000 anyway.

The game, however, will 100% be on Boxing Day.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There wont be trains at all.

The game, however, will 100% be on Boxing Day.

100% it won't.