b******s to a winter break

[Billy Talbot]

It seems to me this year there seems to be more fixtures than ever over the festive period. I'm not sure if there actually is. But it seems that way. I've lost track days as usual and now find myself genuinely surprised that there's been fixtures. The weather and postponements have meant that less games have played than were scheduled. Still they seem to come too thick and fast.

 

We've come off quite well this season, but if Steve Bruce is right (and I'm not suggesting he actually is) - Sunderland playing 5 games in 8 days is utterly ridiculous.

 

2 games in a week is bad enough with a squad of 20 or so. Which is what most of the premier league has.

[DJS]

5 games in 14 days for Sunderland, by my calculations.

[Rimbeux]

Think it's 4 in 10 or 5 in 14 for them. still a bit intense.

 

Not many fans of it on the playing side. Whilst every major league has at least 10 days off, we play as much as possible. There has to be payback for that somewhere down the line and it usually comes in the summer major comps or in a physical breakdown. Read/heard there is a load of evidence that the PL suffers more workload related injury after Christmas than any other.

[Billy Talbot]

5 games in 14 days for Sunderland, by my calculations.

 

I had an idea he was chatting s**** but couldn't really be bothered looking it up.

 

Still, there's far too much footy... only goes to help the teams with BIG squads.

 

Clubs that don't play in Europe usually only once a week, maybe twice, and usually then it's because of cup fixtures... where they do get the chance to rotate with some logic.

Edited December 29, 2010 by jr_ewing

[Maldini]

Just scrap a load of the meaningless international friendlies and spread the season out a bit. The administration of the Premier League is a complete mess, how is it the only major league that constantly has multiple teams on different games played (this year there's a reason but it's the same every year snow or no snow)

[Stevie H]

Just scrap a load of the meaningless international friendlies and spread the season out a bit. The administration of the Premier League is a complete mess, how is it the only major league that constantly has multiple teams on different games played (this year there's a reason but it's the same every year snow or no snow)

someone being cynical might say that's so that the premier league's benefactor has a bunch of additional re-scheduled matches to screen live as the season progresses into dramatime.

[aka Dus]

I am in favour of the principle of a winter break. But I would have it in January, first two weeks. Come back with the FA Cup 3rd round. Let the league finish a little later in early June, like the Spanish one does.

 

However, you just know that every club would be off to play friendlies in the sunshine. You just know that it would mean little enough in terms of the players getting an actual rest or recuperation time.

[Stevie H]

I am in favour of the principle of a winter break. But I would have it in January, first two weeks. Come back with the FA Cup 3rd round. Let the league finish a little later in early June, like the Spanish one does.

 

However, you just know that every club would be off to play friendlies in the sunshine. You just know that it would mean little enough in terms of the players getting an actual rest or recuperation time.

there would have to be legislation in place as part of it. points deductions for clubs that abused it for the sake of a few quid from a marketing friendly in dubai etc. rest means rest and the FA would have to use the national team stick to enforce it. whether they'd actually stand up to the clubs if it came to it is another matter of course.

[Cobs]

I wouldn't be surprised if once all those lovely new stadia get built in Qatar there's a push to play the '39th game' out there in the winter

[Ombudsam]

Christmas is basically s*** so having loads of football on is ace. I don't have to play so I don't care. Only argument I'll run with is if people can't afford the games at that time of year.

 

You can bet if we had a winter break then all the snow would fall after it or before it thus forcing even more fixture pile up.