Poll: should we have a Winter Break?
- Thread starter fatletiss
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I voted no, for purely selfish reasons, three weeks without domestic footie during the season would kill me. International breaks are bad enough!
Should we do away with international friendlies - God yes!
No. The big clubs moan about the amount of games yet they are the ones that wanted to create the Champions League. They are the ones that then wanted to expand the CL later. They are the ones that arrange grand tours in the summer when they could be resting.
It is a constant complaint about the amount of games played by people who are the ones that demanded more games. FIFA/UEFA and the big clubs are the ones that made sure there were more games in the first place.
Turn the CL back to the European Cup with just the Champions in it and knockout home and away. Turn the UEFA into 2nd place, FA Cup and League Cup winners home and away. Reduce the World Cup back to 24. Turn the Euros back to 8 teams. Stop touring the world in the preseason and get back to playing a few friendlies.
And then everybody plays less games.
So no winter break. It is one of the special parts of the year as a fan (at least it is for lower league, maybe you lot are different) and it is about time the fans were listened to for a change. Xmas game attendances tend to be a bit higher than normal for lower league. Part of the festive fun and tradition. They should make the Boxing day game a local derby whenever possible like they used to.
Getting a bit bored of what the Premier League want. They should foobar off out of the Chekatrade cup as well. Hope Lincoln smash Chelsea reserves tonight............sorry I mean U21s.........wonder if BBC reality check will be counting how many "homegrown" youngsters play tonight rather than international youngsters and reserves. At least Batshuayi has gone out on loan so he won't be playing this time.
It is a constant complaint about the amount of games played by people who are the ones that demanded more games. FIFA/UEFA and the big clubs are the ones that made sure there were more games in the first place.
Turn the CL back to the European Cup with just the Champions in it and knockout home and away. Turn the UEFA into 2nd place, FA Cup and League Cup winners home and away. Reduce the World Cup back to 24. Turn the Euros back to 8 teams. Stop touring the world in the preseason and get back to playing a few friendlies.
And then everybody plays less games.
So no winter break. It is one of the special parts of the year as a fan (at least it is for lower league, maybe you lot are different) and it is about time the fans were listened to for a change. Xmas game attendances tend to be a bit higher than normal for lower league. Part of the festive fun and tradition. They should make the Boxing day game a local derby whenever possible like they used to.
Getting a bit bored of what the Premier League want. They should foobar off out of the Chekatrade cup as well. Hope Lincoln smash Chelsea reserves tonight............sorry I mean U21s.........wonder if BBC reality check will be counting how many "homegrown" youngsters play tonight rather than international youngsters and reserves. At least Batshuayi has gone out on loan so he won't be playing this time.
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No. Perhaps take one game out and place it as a mid week later on in season? But no, it's always the top clubs with the best squads who complain. Tough ****.
3 weeks of no football at at time that is traditionally the most exciting period in English football?
3 weeks of no football at at time that is traditionally the most exciting period in English football?
I voted no mostly because I don't know what the proposal is but in isolation you're just moving fixtures from winter to other parts of the year congesting them instead.
Players spending a couple of weeks on break getting unfit before being pushed into another congested schedule isn't going to reduce injuries...
Players spending a couple of weeks on break getting unfit before being pushed into another congested schedule isn't going to reduce injuries...
WE THE UNDER-SIGNED CLUBS THAT HAVE UNDERSOIL HEATING DEMAND A BREAK DURING THE WINTER BECAUSE ENERGY PRICES ARE HIGH AND OUR SNOOD/GLOVE BUDGET HAS OVERRUN.
Signed The Big Teams
Signed The Big Teams
Definitely not if it's over Christmas, because the festive schedule is one of the best parts of the season.
They could take out a couple of mid-week fixtures by starting the season a week earlier and ending it a week or two later.
They could take out a couple of mid-week fixtures by starting the season a week earlier and ending it a week or two later.
No for me. Will it be a break or will they go on tour? Players might get unfit. Momentum may be lost. The Premier League teams all have big squads and academies so if a player isn't fit they can be replaced. Don't we have enough breaks for internationals? How many times have the international breaks come just at the wrong time for us?
Also January is depressing enough and would be worse with no Saints football (even though we have been rubbish).
Also January is depressing enough and would be worse with no Saints football (even though we have been rubbish).
No...make the bastards work.
The Champions and Europa Leagues have expanded and taken up time....if clubs want to be in those competitions, they have to accept a more crowded diary. Do I care that English clubs have a disadvantage in the Champions' League...nope. The top clubs (who usually feature in that competition) can afford a squad full of talent. And when do you make the break....Christmas is rarely the cold spell in England.
The Champions and Europa Leagues have expanded and taken up time....if clubs want to be in those competitions, they have to accept a more crowded diary. Do I care that English clubs have a disadvantage in the Champions' League...nope. The top clubs (who usually feature in that competition) can afford a squad full of talent. And when do you make the break....Christmas is rarely the cold spell in England.
Apparently playing the FA Cup midweek is being discussed as well....no to that as well. Can't degrade that great competition even more.
I think they need to get rid of FA Cup replays though. And not have semi finals at Wembley.
I'd be fully up for sacking off the Semi finals at wembley. But that's not really a fixture congestion thing.
Would be interesting to get rid of the replays. Feel would benefit smaller clubs, much harder to beat a top club over 2 legs.
This is an excellent point I hadn't thought about!!! The cold snap is normally February time. A few years ago we had November and February. That year Lincoln didn't have a game for a whole month through that November period due to postponements.
This is purely about breaking up the Xmas program which from what I see on here and other forums (can't speak for the big 6) fans at all levels LOVE the festive footy tradition.
Can;t wait for the big6 to F*** off to their European dream league.
I am firmly of the opinion that footballers need to play football to stay fit, and that an unfit player is more likely to get injured. A winter break would be a terrible idea.
Who says a winter break needs to happen over Christmas? Get that bit out of that way then take a couple of weeks in January. I think most PL managers would agree and I for one would not mind seeing if it improves the national team's chances at major tournaments. Maybe just do it in years that coincide with a WC or Euro.
If you care about international football then I can see the argument for it as I do think it helps with the tournaments in the summer. I voted yes, as whilst I don't give a **** about international football, you only had to look at the standard of some of the games over the Xmas period when it was the 3rd game in a week or whatever to see why it is a good idea. Even if they don't go on and have a full blown break they should get rid of scheduling like that and start the season a week earlier or finish a week later.
They could always revert to a Saturday format over Xmas with the boxing day game moved to 27th/28th if it is too close...............like the rest of the (lower) league does.
It never used to be as busy years ago (to my memory) 4 games in 10 days, but then I remember back then you could end up with a lot of catch up in March/April/May due to the pitches. I seem to remember (being told about) Lincoln having to play a game on the Friday and then the normal match on the Saturday. Indeed from research it was the season we won the league and won 2-0 on the Friday (evening kick off) and 5-0 on the Saturday (3pm kick off.) "Get home to bed lads, we go again in 15 hours." That season saw 11 games from 26th March to 26th April!!! Good practice playing so regularly. unbeaten in those 11. 8 wins and 3 draws
In fact looking at the fixture list we played Friday and then Saturday twice that season winning all 4 games. 2 of them were 26th and 27th December, needed to burn off the Xmas roast and booze he, he, hic, hic. Shove that one in yer pipe Pep. Same season also plenty of 1 day break between games. 54 games total, no doubt back then probably about 15 players played all those games (plus the Lincolnshire cup games not included.)
In 1974/75 (the season before we won the league under Graeme Taylor) we played 11 games from 31st March to 28th April. All league games and lost 2 of them.
Jumpers for goalposts, when men were men, Pep.
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