Ranking every Premier League kick-off slot from worst to best: Saturday 12:30 third bottom…
We’ve become increasingly accustomed to managers, players and fans moaning about the intricacies of their fixture list. But how much of a difference do the kick-off slots really make?
That’s got us thinking of when we actually want to sit down and watch some Premier League action.
We’ve decided to compile an entirely vibes-based ranking of the best and worst Premier League times on a weekend to actually watch a match, and which actually feel the most conducive to producing entertaining football.
Here’s our ranking of all the regular (and semi-regular) Premier League kick-off slots.
10. Sunday 20:00
There is a place for football on a Sunday evening, to be fair. But this slot will always be synonymous with La Liga.
We still enjoy watching the likes of Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe as we desperately stave off the Monday dread.
Nothing will beat the days when Sky Sports had the rights and Kevin Keatings and Gerry Armstrong narrated out-of-this-world football produced by Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola’s prime Barcelona.
But Premier League football? Absolutely not. Just wrong.
9. Saturday 20:00
Like the lesser-spotted Sunday evening slot, the Saturday night match gives us an uneasy feeling as it insidiously starts creeping into the calendar.
Saturday nights should be mercifully kept football-free. Going out, watching a film, actually engaging with your friends and family. Whatever else.
If there’s already been 12:30, 15:00 and 17:30 matches, an extra one at 20:00 is just overkill. Especially with Match of the Day still to come.
8. Saturday 12:30
Bottom of the pile for the traditional weekend slots. We’re with Jurgen Klopp on this one.
It’s rubbish for travelling fans. It’s rubbish for local fans who’d give the occasion a bit more of an edge with a few more hours in the pub.
Managers hate it, and so do the players.
“Just have to say 12 o’clock kick off is no good for players. Trying to force pasta down at 9 in the morning is not nice,” read one of Wayne Rooney’s many great tweets.
Sorry, TNT Sports, nothing personal (okay, a bit personal, your asinine coverage doesn’t help if we’re being brutally honest). Bin it off.
7. Friday 20:00
Not one for the traditionalists, we’re willing to give Friday night a little bit of slack by virtue of its scarcity. A few a season is a novelty we’ll abide.
The new tradition of kicking off a Premier League season with a Friday night game is a welcome one.
Brentford beating Arsenal was enhanced by kicking off the 2021-22 campaign, under the lights of the brand new Gtech Community Stadium. And a special mention to Leicester City spanking Southampton 9-0.
But we have to dock a couple of points for scuppering our fantasy football plans more often than we’d care to admit.
6. Sunday 14:00
Hungover? Up early for Sunday league? Had an early roast dinner? Or a combination of all three.
The perfect slot for lazily dozing through on the sofa, whatever form your weekend has taken.
The fixtures usually match up nicely enough with that sleepy kind of mood. Rarely a must-watch box office match. Rarely a totally inconsequential midtable snoozefest.
Liverpool’s attritional 1-0 victory over Burnley last time out was a classic of the genre.
The early Sunday matches tend to involve one of the bigger clubs with European commitments in a game they ought to be winning, but might have to work for. So they invariably take the shape of an attack-versus-defence training exercise.
At least they’re all on Sky now. Having untelevised games that weren’t behind the blackout was always infuriating nonsense.
5. Monday 20:00
We’re glad this one exists. What else are you gonna do on a Monday evening?
Still, if you support one of the clubs involved it’s never the slot you want.
Therein lies the paradox of Sky Sports’ (usually excellent) Monday Night Football coverage.
If you’ve been waiting all weekend for your team to finally play, you’ll no doubt be left infuriated by Jamie Carragher and whichever guest (often enough an out-of-work manager conveniently putting themselves in the shop window) bleating on about anything and everything but the game you’ve tuned in for.
If you’re not actually fussed about the teams involved, you might switch on for Carra’s astute analysis and post-match waffle while switching over during the match itself.
Ample time to catch up on The White Lotus or whatever else (as an aside – pull your finger out, HBO, it’s been a while since a good one).
Something for everybody. Kind of.
READ: Ranking every song used for Sky Sports’ Premier League intros – Celeste, Kasabian, Moloko…
4. Midweek Evenings
The Germans call midweek football an “Englische Woche” (English week) in reference to our considerably more stacked calendar.
We’d rather be watching the Champions League on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but Premier League action is a more than adequate second-best a few times a season.
A few years back, OPTA crunched the numbers and worked out that midweek matches actually produce fewer goals per game.
That’s news to us. In our head every midweek Premier League clash is a classic in the vein of Arsenal and Liverpool’s madcap 4-4 draw.
3. Saturday 17:30
The perfect slot for watching down the pub.
No further questions.
2. Saturday 15:00
Three cheers for Edwardian factory workers.
*Gary Neville Voice*: This was the no-brainer. This was the banker, this was the one that couldn’t fail, this was the one that’s never failed.
Having dozens of games going on at the same time, from the top tier to non-league, is one of the truly great things about English football. Forget the hype of whatever’s going on at the very top, the whole pyramid is what it’s all about. The centrepiece of every footballing weekend.
If we’re talking a purely Premier League perspective, though, it occupies a strange place. By design, rarely the most interesting or consequential games. A broadcasting liminal space.
You’ll likely follow through Flashscores or the Soccer Saturday videprinter. Maybe on your Firestick or HesGoal (RIP) back in the day if your team is playing and you’re not actually there.
We’re not saying that’s a bad thing. At least half of any Premier League weekend’s action should be games happening simultaneously where you’ll catch the highlights later. Less is more.
1. Sunday 16:30
For matchgoing fans, be it season ticket holders or away day veterans, Saturday 3pm will always be the king.
But for everybody else, and relative neutrals, we’ve become nicely accustomed to the headline match from any round of fixtures closing out the weekend.
Manchester City vs Arsenal, Liverpool vs Manchester United, Tottenham vs Chelsea. Whatever it is, there’s no questioning the right slot for any Premier League heavyweight bout.
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