Cristiano Ronaldo will walk out at Old Trafford this coming Saturday for his second Manchester United debut, resulting as the pinnacle moment in one of football’s most famous club returns.
The iconic number 7 is highly likely to be in the starting lineup against Newcastle when the Premier League returns at the weekend following an international break.
What may have just been a run-of-the-mill home game against The Magpies has now become a spectacle that the entire footballing world will be watching, or trying to watch, due to the match not being shown on live television in the UK.
Paul Pogba takes on Newcastle Players // Sky Sports
Unfortunately for millions of Manchester United fans, not even a Cristiano Ronaldo return is enough for the bigwigs in league football to fall on their ‘3pm blackout’ swords.
For those who don’t know, or do know but just haven’t cared to research it, the 3pm blackout prevents matches taking place during 2.45pm and 5.15pm from being broadcast on live TV (or at least the major UK broadcasters).
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The argument is that TV cameras cause low attendance in stadiums, or it did back in the 1950s and 1960s when people would prefer to watch the game on the box than spend more money making a day of it at a ground.
Saturday 3pm Priceless banner hangs at a lower league stadium
There is argument for and against the blackout. On one hand, fans need incentive to visit stadiums and enjoy a proper day out at the footy, however, in 2021 it’s not a hard task to sell out a match – even lower league football is experiencing a post-pandemic attendance boom – and therefore many pundits think the 3pm blackout has run its course.
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Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan told TalkSport: “I do believe there is no need for a 3pm watershed because originally when it was brought in, I think Bob Lord at Burnley was the architect of it, and believed that attendances would diminish with live football being put on and taking away from 3pm kick-offs.
“That doesn’t exist anymore because you can fill stadiums ten times over. Perhaps you should change that.”
Below is a brilliant thread by the ESPN’s Dale Johnson on why the 3pm blackout isn’t used elsewhere in the world but why it is so important to English football.
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No one seriously expects a season ticket holder at Rochdale or Torquay to stop going because you can watch Man United or Arsenal at 3pm on a Saturday.
It's thousands of walk-up, casual fans who keep the turnstiles ticking with new cash.
However, on the argument of Ronaldo’s influence, Simon believes one player shouldn’t be the catalyst in changing such a historic rule. He said: “We can’t sit here and say, on one hand, player power has got out of hand and then change a protocol that exits because one Herbert is rocking back to England to play games.”
Many believe the 3pm blackout still works in the UK and is something that keeps the balance in English football just right – especially for lower league clubs.
Sky Sports
On a Saturday at 3pm you are right in the middle of your weekend and many, many local businesses such as pubs, bars and cafes benefit from the crowds brought in by a live game of football.
In the TalkSport comment section, one user put it perfectly. “I lived in England for 10 years, North/South/Midlands, and so many folk I knew would drop in to a local 3pm game, some bringing their kids along for a day out. The local cafes, pubs, shops, etc see the benefit too.
“Start televising Premier league 3pm games and all this takes a hit. No doubt about it. It would only take 10 fans to change their Saturday 3pm habits to see an approx £10k hit to a lower league club and surrounding businesses.. all to the benefit of the clubs that need it least.
“Would be crazy to change it.”
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Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
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Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri set for another loan spell
Danny Jones
Manchester City youngster Claudio Echeverri is set for another loan deal this January following a disappointing time in Germany.
The South American youth product has spent the first half of this season out on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, but has struggled not only to make an impact but even to enjoy any real steady playing time.
Following reports earlier this month by The Athletic‘s Seb Stafford-Bloor that announced Echeverri’s loan would return to his Man City, it appears as though all parties concerned haven’t exactly gotten what they want out of the deal.
With that in mind, not only has his short-term agreement been cut short, but Echeverri is now set to join another City Football Group (CFG) club on a temporary contract, where he can crucially be assured more regular minutes.
As confirmed by the ever ubiquitous transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, Claudio Echeverri is now set to join Girona temporarily from the Premier League side.
Romano writes that “the Argentinian talent leaves Bayer Leverkusen after loan deal interrupted — as Echeverri was not playing.”
Stating that the 19-year-old will officially become a Girona FC player from 1 January onwards, he will no doubt provide some much-needed offensive firepower for the struggling Spanish side, with the Catalan club currently lingering in the La Liga relegation zone.
Following a somewhat reverse pattern of fellow forward, Savinho (who was signed by the French CFG franchise arm, Troyes, before being loaned to Girona and eventually bought by Man City), the attack-minded player remains a highly-rated youth prospect but has yet to fully announce himself.
He scored the first goal for his parent club back in June; it’s fair to say it was a bit of a corker…
Fast forward to now, though, and Echeverri will spend at least until next June representing Girona – no doubt dropping straight into the starting lineup as soon as possible.
At the moment, there is no suggestion of any permanent clause included in the agreement, but either way, ‘El Diablito’ is still a CFG asset, at the end of the day.
With that in mind, we’re sure they’ll move him around the sporting network however they see fit in search of a breakout spell.
Do you think it’s a good move for the young starlet, or would you like to see him back in Manchester, fighting his way into matchday squads?
The Manc -
8th September 2021 
