The Premier League have today released the official schedule for matches between the dates of April 20 and April 28 inclusive, and it is safe to say that Chelsea fans are less than happy with the arrangements of their clash against Aston Villa on Saturday, April 27.
The match is set to kick off at 8pm, which has left travelling Blues supporters outraged with travel back to London appearing to be virtually impossible by train.
Aston Villa vs Chelsea given 8pm kick-off time
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Why the backlash from Chelsea fans?
Backlash from fans following confirmation of fixture schedules from the Premier League has almost become inevitable this season, not because we supporters like to moan, but rather because those in charge appear to be displaying a complete disregard for match-going fans
Early kick-offs, late kick-offs and last-minute changes to the schedule have become the norm, but that doesn't make it acceptable. An 8pm kick-off for the Aston Villa vs Chelsea game is arguably one of the worst decisions of the season so far, with the last train back to London set to depart the local railway station at 10:06pm.
Taking added time into account, that makes it virtually impossible for supporters to stay for the entirety of the match and still make that last train. No fan should be forced to leave a game early, and it appears as though that may be the only option most fans have at their disposal.
Reaction from Chelsea fans
As is to be expected, Blues supporters are far from happy with the news and are asking serious questions of those in charge of making such decisions.
One fan took to X, formerly Twitter to say: “Someone higher up has got to say something because this is an alternative way of laughing at matchgoing supporters.”
While another voiced their sympathy for clubs who are forced to deal with the consequences of such kick-off times, saying: “Unless the Premier League has the power to lay on trains for fans it’s unacceptable. Forces clubs to try and explain to fans and end up picking up the pieces.”
It is an interesting point to raise, as very rarely do we as fans ever consider how these bizarre schedules affect clubs from the perspective of picking up the pieces when inevitably want answers.
A third supporter took to social media to suggest that the best solution is for supporters to hit the Premier League where it hurts, calling for away fans to start boycotting games with unreasonable kick-off times.