I hope the football bubble bursts.

Hear me out here. It might not be good for you stateside fans since games might not be shown as regularly for you... but here goes.

Before Sky, matches were played at 3pm on a Saturday, or 7.45pm on a Wednesday night, now that was nice and simple. Easy to sort out work shifts to go the games, plus there was an element of suspense in waiting for a result at the end of a game - ie, seeing if your relegation rivals won or lost. It was easier to get to away games too. Back in town for most Saturday nights to celebrate or moan about the result.

But now its all gone Pete Tong.

Sometimes matches are played on a Sunday or Monday night which is a nightmare for me, seeing as I have to re-arrange work shifts, or go in earlier in order to make the game. Man United this weekend is on Sunday and due to the inept ability of my Manager to be in more than three times a week I still dont know if my holiday request has been granted, so I will have to go into work on my day off on Friday to confirm whether the request has been granted. This sort of thing is very annoying. I couldn't go to Newcastle away either because I dont have enough holiday entitlement left.

This is all down to Sky TV, and thier advertisement of the game as being glamarous and family friendly. All they've done is make ticket prices over 30 quid (Only Middlesbrough and Aston Villa have kept prices lowish) for most teams, including 40 notes at Birmingham away - Which was the first time in quite a while that Man City took less than 2000 fans to an away league game. We usually sell out, give or take a hundred, considering we took 3000 to Crystal Palace which is a nightmare to get to, via Croydon it shows that the football bubble is beginning to burst regarding ticket pricing.

And this is bad for the game we all know and love.

Football, to me, just wouldn't be the same without a good loud home crowd and away support. Part of the fun of going to football is the crowd dynamics, winding up the away supporters, or if you're an away fan its like you're in enemy territory and you have to 'help' your team win. I know this might seem bullshyte that players can be helped by the crowd, but I honestly believe that when you've got vocal backing screaming you on it gives you a lift.

This, as we know it, is starting to die I fear, due to pricing and the availabilty of TV. Clubs are in debt and have no money for players. Sooner or later I hope Sky pull the plug on the EPL and let the game go back to the way it was. Cheap to get in, where fans felt like supporters, not customers, get the lads in grouped together. I want to go to games with my friends, but cant always at home due to season tickets, but at away games I can usually squeeze in with my mates if we're standing. Then football is fun.

So less TV, more empathis on the match going fan. A sort of reward for the loyalty we show would do me. When people think about football teams, say for example, Newcastle or Millwall, they dont tend to think about the team first... more the fans, like 'Oh Newcastle fans are great away', or 'Millwall fans are vicious thugs'. Fans have helped shape the identity of clubs.

Example.

If you're an away supporter, and Millwall are in your division, you will automatically check when the away visit to the New Den is. Stuff like that is second nature and if it goes, then football as we know it could become like an American football game with cheerleaders and that stuff. And that would suck hardcore.