A number of Leeds United fans have been reacting on social media after Sky Sports announced which fixtures will be broadcasted live over the festive period, including two Championship encounters involving the Whites.
Sky had already selected eight of Leeds’ games for broadcast this season heading into their latest announcement, with United’s Championship encounters with Bristol City and Nottingham Forest in August the first selected alongside the Whites’ Carabao Cup clash with Salford City.
The Elland Road faithful had to wait until September 21 before their side returned to TV screens across the country, when Marcelo Bielsa’s men welcomed Derby County to West Yorkshire and later West Bromwich Albion on October 1.
Leeds’ trip to Sheffield Wednesday this Saturday is their only other league game selected for broadcast in October, and comes before a sole game in November when the Whites travel to Reading on Tuesday 26 for a 20:00 kick-off.
December was already scheduled to feature one of United’s Championship fixtures in their trip to Huddersfield Town on Saturday 7 for a 12:30 kick-off and has now been joined by their Boxing Day match at home to Preston North End, which has been pushed back to a 17:15 kick-off.
Bielsa’s men and their trip to West Brom on New Year’s Day has also been chosen for live broadcast, as well as kicking off at 17:15, with Millwall v Luton Town chosen for the 12:45 slot and League One’s Wycombe Wanderers facing Ipswich Town for 15:00.
Many Leeds fans have been reacting to the latest schedule changes by stating how unsurprised they were in more of their games being chosen, as Sky Sports picked a total of 24 of the Whites’ fixtures for live broadcast by last season (Leeds Live). Excluding those available on the red button, this pocketed the Play-Off Semi-Finalists £1.49million.
One United fan described their comparatively infrequent billings this term as being ‘weird’, though, as the Elland Road outfit have seen their games chosen far more irregularly than they have in the past.
Here we go again!!! I swear they are obsessed with us, even tho they haven’t shown as much as usual for some weird reason this season!!! MOT ALAW ????????
— Jack Crawford (@wf11white) October 23, 2019
What a surprise
— Alex Sherriff (@SherriffAlex) October 23, 2019
Leeds on sky? Nooooooooo way?
— Martyn Norton (@martynnorton393) October 23, 2019
Sky’s decision to select games for broadcast at 17:15 on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day has been a particular gripe many Leeds fans have shared since the announcement.
One fan noted that the EFL and Sky Sports had been ‘ruining family’s festive plans since 2004’, while another claimed ‘what could possibly go wrong’ in giving people more time to enjoy the festivities before heading to the ground.
The @EFL and @SkySports – ruining family’s festive plans since 2004.
— JonRV (@devoto61) October 23, 2019
Who’s going to tell me mam, that dad and me will miss Boxing Day tea?? ????
— Jilly H ?? (@MrsJillyH) October 23, 2019
Boxing day 5.15pm ko what could possibly go wrong ?????????????????????????????……MOT
— paul clapham (@wildcats4ever) October 23, 2019
That’s a joke 5.15 on New Year’s Day we should not even play on that day sky do one
— jason dennison (@jasondennleeds) October 23, 2019
Yet, while some fans were disgruntled at the later kick-off times, one Leeds supporter has called for a return to their games being broadcasted on Friday nights.
Sky secured a new package for Premier League games to be shown on Friday evenings in 2018 (Telegraph), that also saw the broadcaster acquire a package for Saturday night games at 19:45 for the first time.
When can we play Friday night again. We’re class on Friday nights.
— 92 Leeds (@LeedsUtd1992) October 23, 2019