FA Cup replays for Stoke, Wigan, Sunderland, Fulham and QPR... Good to see those around and below us getting an extra work out. Doubt most of those teams will relish extra games after the busy Xmas period.
No offence Hairy but IMO If a top athlete, (that's what PL players are supposed to be), can't run around for 90 minutes twice a week it's pathetic. Tired my arse !
as much as i agree that players have become 'a bit soft' and are too pampered these days, it does make me wince when i hear people say players should be able to 'run around for 90 minutes a couple of times a week'. it really isn't that simple.
Well put it this way, what would they be doing Tuesday / Wednesday if they weren't playing ? I'll tell you what they would be doing, TRAINING. Ask any professional what he would rather do and he will always say PLAY. I really do think it's as simple as that, unless you know different Supers ?
Championship teams play an extra 8 games a season and those at the top of the Premiership have their European commitments so I agree that fitness should not be an issue for teams around us who have replays. However the extra game does increase the risk of additional yellow/red cards leading to subsequent suspensions or also the risk of injury to a key player.
what i'm saying is that the intensity involved in playing a competitive football match to a decent level is far, far more demanding than training is. yes players would rather play games - that's because playing is more fun than training! more adrenalin involved, more intensity, more buzz, more excitement... players are capable of playing twice a week but they couldn't do it every week for 9 months and certainly the xmas period was as demanding as it gets. check out how many football league outfield players feature in all 46 games for their club each year. i bet you could count them on one hand. anyone could see it with their own eyes that many players were dead on their feet on that fourth game over xmas. as i say, some players are 'rested' when they clearly don't need 'resting' but players are still human and they get tired. no amount of money stops that...
our players looked shattered in the Hammers game after the festive games and very little squad rotation. having last saturday of will have been good for them.
The speed the game is played at has changed so much in the last 10-15 years. The pressure on the joints and muscles from stopping, turning and running is far more than it was years ago. Also, because the players are playing to the edge of their bodies capabillity the injuries they sustain can be really bad and keep them out for quite some time.
thank you. as kemp says, the game has changed so much over recent years and bodies are finely tuned, which is why so many hamstrings get pulled these days. that's just the way i see it - ask lawro and he'll say 'in his day players would play with one leg and play 300 games a year' or whatever but its a different era now. some players are pussies - absolutely no question - but most are hard-working and want to play every game. sometimes their bodies don't let them.
in theory it could benefit us, but likely that all the PL teams will use their squad to full effect for these replays - fulham played a full strength team vs blackpool though so maybe an indication for the replay. not sure how many changes sunderland, qpr and wigan made. also Villa, although they are through in the FA cup, have the league cup semi tonight and on the 23rd Jan (there's a midweek PL game the week after as well) - this will put pressure on their squad and they have some injuries too.
How often do you see messi subbed let alone rested, the bloke runs on iron lungs and is made of steel as he never seems to get injured! Same with all the top players over in Spain, hardly ever get rested. Why is it different here?? Winter break...
Exactly - I wouldn't want to be a Newcastle CB if Holty starts on Sat. Also feel Benno and Jackson could be brought on as subs to good effect.
I know it's only a recent thing in the Premier League so it has barely had an impact but does La Liga have the 25 man squad rule?
Pepe, Real Madrid centre back, is out for a month with an ankle injury and has had an operation on it.
The simple fact is that the human body has evolved as such that if it is run into the ground then it takes several days to recover. Some of you have probably done sessions in the gym and been waking the morning after aching - ninety mins of football are even more strenuous! Footballers cover many miles every game remember!
