Arsenal have confirmed that due to strike action being taken by London Undergound staff the Boxing Day fixture with West Ham United will be postponed until late January.
A statement on the club website reads:
“This decision has been made now, due to the preparation period needed to safely operate Emirates Stadium by all the relevant agencies.
“The Club liaised closely with all the relevant agencies, including the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, London Underground, The Premier League, West Ham United FC and Islington Council, in order to reach this decision.
“The paramount concern was always the duty of care towards the Arsenal supporters, West Ham United supporters, matchday employees and workers and indeed everyone who was planning to attend the game on Boxing Day.
“In addition to the proposed industrial action on London Underground on Boxing Day, there are extremely limited services operating on National Rail train services into London on this day. Also, normal parking restrictions close to the stadium still apply. This would have caused severe disruption, or at worst, inability for supporters or matchday employees and workers to get to Emirates Stadium.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused supporters but we feel that the right decision has been made. Tickets already purchased for this match are still valid for the rearranged date, which is yet to be confirmed.”
The re-arranged fixture which is to be played on either Wednesday, January 23 (kick off 7.45pm) or Saturday, January 26 (kick off 3pm) will be dictated by results in the FA Cup 3rd round to be played on the first weekend in the New Year.
Despite moving to the Emirates in 2006 we’ve never played a Boxing Day fixture at our (relatively) new home. Last year’s match against Wolves, scheduled for December 26th 2011, was pushed back a day due to similar London Underground industrial action.
Dammit! Have Santi and Walcott in my fantasy team!
Got Santi & Poldi, not many transfers left doh!
Santi and Gibbs
It’s sad we don’t have football action for the boxing day but the players will be able to rest in this busy period and hopefully we will have a bigger squad for this game in January
Well, shit.
Fuck it love a boxing day football booze up combo!
what’s wrong with all these london underground workers?! don’t they realise football is more important than their salaries or their pensions, or whatever it is they’re striking over?!
I believe they are striking over holiday pay. Considering they make more in a month than a Bangladeshi factory worker makes in a year or a decade; it’s a little selfish. Plus working for the Underground means there is a slightly smaller chance of being burned alive by a fire, than working in a Factory making Nike Shirts in Dhaka.
Can’t disagree with that. They signed up for the job, they should have known what they get and live with it. If they don’t like it find another job. There’s plenty of people that would jump at a job like that. Pussies.
You fascist fucks hiding behind your keyboards should concentrate on football. There are still a few social rights in this country.
Couldn’t agree more. I often have to work bank holidays, I get nothing extra! Now on my once visit home from US to see the Arsenal the fucking game has been cancelled. Twats.
^^^ Someone doesn’t understand sarcasm
my comment was directed at richpryor FYI
Unless they weren’t being sarcastic and then I’m the idiot…ah i give up.
I’m not sure if I agree with the Tube Strike but come on mate, just because workers in Third World countries are forced to work in abhorrent conditions does not justify the exploitation, however small in scope, of workers in developed countries.
Spurs Fans. They never strike when Spurs are at home.
I was hoping for a good confidence boost for the team when they would well, hammer the hammers, oh well, lets hope we have a good striker by then
You use too many apostrophes for a grammar Nazi.
Actually there’s one too few apostrophes and a comma where there should be a full stop and another missing comma
forgot to change the name after the previous comment,my bad.
yeh, that’s what I meant. heh. What a dumb arse I am!
At least the wife will be pleased!
It’s high time the majority of the underground system was automated.
Like pretty much most occupations these days. One day when all jobs are done by some sort of robot or automation and we are all unemployed as a result . . .
. . . sorry, wrong forum !
Then when the only profession left is football players we’ll be having a blast having everything in life done by something else and can concentrate on our football.
Most of it is.
Not sad by the news i was gonna miss the match due to travel reasons.If we do add quality additions to the squad in january then it wouldnt matter for us to play an extra match in late jan.
Time for this again huh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymKurTBdhw
That song is brilliant!
The basic salary has gone up since the song was was made. They currently get £40,111.00 for working a 4 day week.
They made a deal last year for the basic salary to increase to £52,300 a year by 2015.
On top of this they get very good pensions and other benefits totalling about £13,000 per year.
The trains are incredibly easy to operate. Most of the lines are now automated and the drivers are just there to act if something goes wrong. They basically sit around on their asses all day doing nothing.
Sorry, I got the basic salary wrong. The figure of £40,111 is for a trainee.
The actual basic salary is £46,000.
46000!!! i work in catering ,make many more hours than them ,earn lot less and i would have love to got the match in boxing days.
bunch of lazy fat ass, they should get sack, i would love getting even half of their earning and seat all day doing barely nothing
The trouble is that a lot of people are jealous that they have a strong union, the strike may seem unjustified and maybe it is, but they can do it. You may not agree with what people say or do but you should defend their right to say or do it.
The private sector has made any dissent nigh on impossible . . .
. . . damn, wrong forum again.
My sincerest apologies, it won’t happen again. I promise.
@Comedian, my thoughts exactly. I’m happy. Just knowing Gervinho won’t be around for team selection due to playing at ANC makes the re-arrangement more welcome.
We might need someone as back up for Poldi though, once Gervinho’s gone.
Maybe Arsene listens to Alan Davies’ podcast and will take his advice buy a sofa to replace Gervinho. Probably score more goals that way.
Talk shite is already going into meltdown about our advantage on being able to have a longer rest because of this. Don’t ya just love em.
Don’t know what to think of it. Would be nice to get maximum points in a row and some football with the christmas spirit. But I can live with it if January is going to be our month. Several big games plus FA Cup match. Me thinks January should be RED! And with the draw coming up tomorrow, hopefully we start the knock-out phase with swag.
Got my Christmas wishes straight. COYG
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
The second half of January could be incredibly busy then. And they will all be tough games:
20 Jan – Chelsea away
23 Jan – West Ham home (assuming we beat Swansea in the FA Cup)
26 Jan – FA Cup Round 4
30 Jan – Liverpool home
02 Feb – Stoke home
I can see us going out in the cup or dropping points to Liverpool and/or Stoke.
A little bit of henry would be nice for this tight schedule.
Funny how it’s Boxing Day they seem to choose for the past few years!! Great way to get the day off, hey lets all vote for a strike. Ok might be good to get a rest but games will com thick and fast later.
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Uggh.
Might actually leave the house on Boxing Day now.
No excuses then for the Newcastle game!!
Fuck this shit….again?.
Talk about the game going down the tube.
Its okay guys, the players get an extra couple days of rest. I love my boxing day football too but its not THAT big of a deal.
Comes back later to bite us in the arse though.
20 Jan – Chelsea away
23 Jan – West Ham home (assuming we beat Swansea in the FA Cup)
26 Jan – FA Cup Round 4
30 Jan – Liverpool home
02 Feb – Stoke home
They should come work for the Nigerian Railway Corporation. They’ll pay better. There wouldn’t be need for any strike because there will never be recalled if it happened.
Was coming all the way from Australia to watch the mighty gunners for the first time, and now I can’t?! Fucking underground twats.
That was to be my first time attending an Arsenal match. Fuck! Glad I still have tickets to the match v. Newcastle. Still, it’s fucked up!