How Sky Sports must love the Premier League fixture computer, as for a random little device, it is remarkably lucky when it comes to setting up the fixtures each season for a brilliant run in over key times in the season – not to mention the ‘Super Sunday’ coincidences.
It is not just English fixtures that come under scrutiny however, the Champions League throws up a remarkable amount of ties that seem to be a case of coincidence? I think not. For example – Mourinho going back to Porto straight after leaving for Chelsea, then Chelsea at Inter etc.
The ‘sentimental’ ties always seem to appear, and a betting man would be wise to place their house, wife and kids on the fact that after the debacle of last season, Real and Barca will not draw each other under any circumstances until the final. Funny how it works like that really. Either God has a massive sense of humour or draws for competitions and fixture lists are not as impartial as governing bodies would like to have us believe.
No matter what the fixture, in reality a team of real quality will manage to win the matches put in front of them no matter what, and for a fixture list to be truly random, even more complaints would be levelled at the FA.
Certain factors such as other European fixtures and teams in close proximity playing away on alternative weekends are things that can’t really be ignored – but when does this list stop? The question of to what extent this should be allowed to affect the ‘computer generated fixtures’ is a valid one, and some people I am sure would prefer a completely random list, whereas others would want all considerations factored in.
Yes teams and managers will always complain that the fixture list is unfair, and whilst the FA would reply with the answer that not everyone can be pleased all the time and it is just luck of the draw, it might be time for the smaller teams to start getting some of this ‘luck!’
Written by Rebecca Knight for FootballFancast.com.
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