The Premier League is back this weekend following a two-week hiatus due to the international break. About bloody time too, I've been going mad without my footy fix. These international breaks are a load of bollocks if you ask me.
Fans will be returning to the stands across the country, with a full compliment of Football League action also scheduled. Thank fuck for that, the stadiums have been too quiet. It's about time we get back to the proper football.
London's commuters have been impacted by an RMT Tube strike this week
However, supporters have been forced to contend with an ongoing strike on the London Underground this week. Bloody inconvenient if you ask me. typical that this would happen just as the footy is coming back.
The disruption has threatened to impact on their travel to matches across the weekend. It's a disgrace, messing with footy fans like this. They should be ashamed of themselves.
It comes as nine matches are set to take place in the capital on Saturday alone. That's a lot of miffed off fans who might struggle to get to the games. I wouldn't want to be the one who has to deal with them.
Those fixtures are spread across each of the top three divisions, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all in action. The big boys are playing, so there's going to be even more people trying to get to the games. This strike better be over by then or there'll be hell to pay.
When does the Tube strike end?
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union began their walkout on Sunday, September 7. Selfish bastards, they clearly don't care about us footy fans.
The planned six-day strike is expected to end on Friday, September 12 ahead of the weekend. It better end then or there's going to be a lot of angry fans looking for someone to blame.
As part of the strike, services across London on both the Tube system and DLR have been disrupted. Between Monday and Thursday, little to no services are scheduled to run as a result. Meanwhile, there will be no services on the DLR on Thursday prior to the final day of the strike. It's a bloody nightmare, it is.
Fortunately for football supporters, the strike will end on Friday, with no professional men's matches scheduled in London before Saturday. They got lucky this time, but they better not pull this shit again.
Will the Tube strike affect fans on Saturday?
Supporters can expect to be unaffected by the RMT strike when travelling to matches in London on Saturday. The strike is set to end on Friday, with all transport services in the city planned to run as normal the following day. At present, fans can expect to be able to travel to watch their team play without disruption. They better hope that's the case or they'll have us lot to answer to.
Which clubs are playing in London on Saturday?
There are a total of nine Premier League and Football League matches taking place in London on Saturday. Arsenal host Nottingham Forest in the top flight's early kick-off at the Emirates Stadium. Meanwhile, Spurs visit West Ham in a London derby at 5.30pm before Brentford meet Chelsea at 8pm. Further down the pyramid, Charlton face Millwall and Blackburn visit Watford in the Championship. League One fixtures will also take place at AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient with 3pm kick-offs scheduled for both. It's going to be a big day of footy in the capital, and I can't bloody wait.
