Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

Nick

wrote in message
ups.com...
Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

The football season *seems* to start earlier every year but
sometimes I think it's just one of those things people say.....
However 25-odd years ago I'm sure it started later, around
my birthday (Aug 24th) seemed to be the time.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co.uk
http://www.reddwarfer.btinternet.co....rPictures.html

In message
"Col" wrote:


wrote in message
ups.com...
Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

The football season *seems* to start earlier every year but
sometimes I think it's just one of those things people say.....
However 25-odd years ago I'm sure it started later, around
my birthday (Aug 24th) seemed to be the time.

Col

It is certainly the first time I can remember a football season
starting before the second (cricket) test match was over!

But perhaps the cricket season should be extended too. This could be
one of the benefits of global warming!


Martin

--
Created on the Iyonix PC - the world's fastest RISC OS computer.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.dixon4/

In uk.sci.weather on Sat, 6 Aug 2005 at 22:47:25, wrote :

The football season *seems* to start earlier every year but
sometimes I think it's just one of those things people say.....
However 25-odd years ago I'm sure it started later, around
my birthday (Aug 24th) seemed to be the time.

It is certainly the first time I can remember a football season
starting before the second (cricket) test match was over!

Technically, this is the 4th Test of the summer - two being against
Bangladesh.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

wrote in message
ups.com...
Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

Nick

My son complained about the heat when he went to the local club's first
league match of the season, a televised one, a couple of years ago. It was
slightly later than this year, on 10th August.

Regards, Roger

On 6 Aug 2005 08:41:58 -0700, wrote:

Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

I was about to chime in to say that in 'the old days' the season
started at the end of August. I then looked up a 1973 handbook and saw
they started on 12 August.

I would guess the early start this season is so that there will be an
early finish before the 2006 World Cup.

10 years ago it seemed to be generally the middle of August, as
recently as 1990 the league started on August 25th. Also it's finishing
later.

Looking back through the years, however, it did vary between the middle
and end- started Aug 12th in 1972-3, presumably the Charity Shield
would have been on Aug 5th. Yet in 1983-4, despite a 24-team (old) Div
1, they got away with starting on Aug 27 and finishing on May 12. Which
confirms my suspicions that it's the "Champions" League that is
responsible- with that around you can't fit in as many midweek matches
as was once possible, especially around Easter if there are English
teams still in the competition.

The general rule seemed to be: Up to 1914 (20 teams in Div 1), 1st Sat
in Sept. 1919-1939 plus 1946: (now increased to 24 teams) last Sat in
Aug. 1947-67: penultimate Sat in Aug.

Then for a while it started really early- 1968 Aug 10, 1969 Aug 9 (CS
Aug 2nd?!), 1970 Aug 15, 1971 Aug 14, 1972 Aug12.
1973-91: Varied between last and penultimate Sat in Aug.

Edmund

In message
Paul C wrote:

On 6 Aug 2005 08:41:58 -0700, wrote:

Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

I was about to chime in to say that in 'the old days' the season
started at the end of August. I then looked up a 1973 handbook and saw
they started on 12 August.

I would guess the early start this season is so that there will be an
early finish before the 2006 World Cup.

No, there will be a late finish becuase of the 2006 world cup. And if
the next season starts as early, some footballers will get no holiday
at all next year!


--
Created on the Iyonix PC - the world's fastest RISC OS computer.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.dixon4/

"Paul C" wrote in message
news
On 6 Aug 2005 08:41:58 -0700, wrote:

Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

I was about to chime in to say that in 'the old days' the season
started at the end of August. I then looked up a 1973 handbook and saw
they started on 12 August.

I would guess the early start this season is so that there will be an
early finish before the 2006 World Cup.

World Cup ? Can't be, only seems like five minutes since the last one!

In article . com,
writes:
Not only are we getting some cold nights but an even surer sign autumn
is here... the familiar stream of football fans marching down the
street has returned. Did football always start so early? Surprising
given how hot it *can* be at this time of year....

Traditionally the English league season used to begin on the last
Saturday of August. It almost always seemed to be a hot day.
--
John Hall
"Honest criticism is hard to take,
particularly from a relative, a friend,
an acquaintance, or a stranger." Franklin P Jones