Winter Break - LOL

[paultheroyal]

Someone help me out here! Continental clubs laughing at our hectic Xmas schedule and blame England's downfall on tired Players and under performing etc. France, Italy etc success is built on having a winter break!

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

[AthleticoSpizz]

"Tired" lol

[SpaceCruiser]

Someone help me out here! Continental clubs laughing at our hectic Xmas schedule and blame England's downfall on tired Players and under performing etc. France, Italy etc success is built on having a winter break!

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

French players play in other countries.....and that includes England. I think Italian players play in other countries too.

[TBM]

Someone help me out here! Continental clubs laughing at our hectic Xmas schedule and blame England's downfall on tired Players and under performing etc. France, Italy etc success is built on having a winter break!

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

French players play in other countries.....and that includes England. I think Italian players play in other countries too.

Take Euro 2012 final - Spain v Italy

Of the starting XI - only Silva for Spain and Balotelli for Italy play outside of their home country

[Terminal Boardom]

Perhaps clubs should rethink the need for tours to the far east and USA pre season. The football season in Oz is during the summer. I don't hear any complaints from players etc that it is too hot to play. Sure the season is a lot shorter as there is something like a 12 club league but the traveling is a hell of a lot more than in an English season.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Someone help me out here! Continental clubs laughing at our hectic Xmas schedule and blame England's downfall on tired Players and under performing etc. France, Italy etc success is built on having a winter break!

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

French players play in other countries.....and that includes England. I think Italian players play in other countries too.

Take Euro 2012 final - Spain v Italy

Of the starting XI - only Silva for Spain and Balotelli for Italy play outside of their home country

But of course the Premier League is the best league in the world

[southbank1871]

A winter break would be nonsensical in this country, as when would you have it? We often have freezing weather in Jan/Feb, so having missed out on games over Xmas and new year because of a break, it’s then quite likely that a load of games would be postponed because of the weather. You’d then have to cram all these games into just a few months which would completely defeat the object of a break.

[Silver Fox]

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

To maintain fitness? Or do you think a winter break means they all just bugger off down the pub for a month? Obviously I am aware that the clubs also make money and "expand their brand" from these games but they aren't the high tempo competitive matches our clubs are playing throughout a freezing cold January

[southbank1871]

Which continental clubs are laughing anyway?

[BR2]

So why is it that these clubs are playing friendlies around the world during the winter break period - just don't get it!!

To maintain fitness? Or do you think a winter break means they all just bugger off down the pub for a month? Obviously I am aware that the clubs also make money and "expand their brand" from these games but they aren't the high tempo competitive matches our clubs are playing throughout a freezing cold January

12 degrees today and same expected tomorrow.
I don't think it is so much about whether or not it is freezing in Jan or Feb I think that ideally it should be now,straight after a hectic Christmas when we all get our fix from football.
First two weeks in January off then FA Cup.
Start the season a week earlier and reduce the different divisions by 2 teams.
Once that is suggested suddenly players are no longer tired as the moneymen don't want the divisions reduced.

One other suggestion-with the Premier League having 38 games and with large squads for every team why not have a limit say of any player not being allowed to play more than 34 games?

[reading_fan]

The "hectic Xmas schedule" is a myth anyway. It certainly used to be when they played Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and Boxing Day back in the 30s or whenever, but look at the fixtures over the Xmas period now:

Saturday - City
Wednesday - Swansea
Saturday - West Ham
Wednesday - Spurs
Saturday - Crawley

5 games in two weeks, evenly spread - that is no different really to any other point in the season, and if you're a European side you're doing that for the majority of the season anyway. A "hectic Xmas schedule" is a oft repeated myth which in modern football is no longer true

[LWJ]

The "hectic Xmas schedule" is a myth anyway. It certainly used to be when they played Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and Boxing Day back in the 30s or whenever, but look at the fixtures over the Xmas period now:

Saturday - City
Wednesday - Swansea
Saturday - West Ham
Wednesday - Spurs
Saturday - Crawley

5 games in two weeks, evenly spread - that is no different really to any other point in the season.

Really? I can't see 4 games in 2 weeks at all, let alone 5;
Sat 5 Jan Crawley Town A FA Cup Rd 3
Sat 12 Jan West Brom H Premier League
Sat 19 Jan Newcastle A Premier League
Tue 29 Jan Chelsea H Premier League
Sat 2 Feb Sunderland H Premier League
Sat 9 Feb Stoke A Premier League
Sat 23 Feb Wigan H Premier League
Sat 2 Mar Everton A Premier League

[reading_fan]

Perhaps not quite so applicable to us, but in more general terms it still holds true. As I also wrote in the bit you didn't quote the bigger sides eg Man Utd will be doing this for large parts of the season anyway with a Saturday league matchs sandwiching a trip to the continent and a league cup tie or FA cup replay.

My point is that it's just another easy excuse for managers to trot out when they're going through a rough patch.

[SpaceCruiser]

Allowing for cup games, replays, postponements, etc, I imagine it's fairly common - especially for the more successful clubs. Champions league clubs play twice a week for much of the season.

Exactly. I keep saying reduce the european competitions and the international friendlies, not the domestic leagues.

[creative_username_1]

get rid of the LOLeague cup, streamline the FA CUP

Depends on what you want from Football shirley. Fair system for the 92 or International success

[Hoop Blah]

There are some interesting stats on the number of late season injuries in the Premier League and (I think) other leagues that don't have a winter break which are significantly higher than those leagues with a break.

The odd thing for me is that the breaks are quite small. In most countries I think it's only something like 10 days without a game and so I can't see that the benefit is all that great. In addition aren't the majority of other major leagues 18 teams as opposed to the Premier Leagues 20? We'd need to trim a couple of teams out to make it managable.

I'm against a break, but I do think it looks like it has an impact on players sharpness and fitness come a major tournament in the summer.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

The PL is in continual conflict with FIFA & UEFA about having 20 teams rather than 18, and you may remember that one of the justifications for setting up the PL was that 18 teams would mean fewer matches which would be better for "the England team."

They just somehow conveniently forgot to make the final reduction once they reduced from 22 to 20 in '95. And now it;s never going to happen because it'd mean less revenue for all teh clubs, and 2 of them getting relegated out of the land of milk and honey - there's no way 14 PL teams would ever vote in favour of reducing the number now.

It's just another of thosee outrageous liberties the PL has taken - one that proves they're all about money ahead of anything else.

[72 bus]

get rid of the LOLeague cup, streamline the FA CUP

Depends on what you want from Football shirley. Fair system for the 92 or International success

English football consists of more than 92 clubs HTH

[creative_username_1]

get rid of the LOLeague cup, streamline the FA CUP

Depends on what you want from Football shirley. Fair system for the 92 or International success

English football consists of more than 92 clubs HTH

Exactly that. Depends what you want from football.

[Wimb]

The PL is in continual conflict with FIFA & UEFA about having 20 teams rather than 18, and you may remember that one of the justifications for setting up the PL was that 18 teams would mean fewer matches which would be better for "the England team."

They just somehow conveniently forgot to make the final reduction once they reduced from 22 to 20 in '95. And now it;s never going to happen because it'd mean less revenue for all teh clubs, and 2 of them getting relegated out of the land of milk and honey - there's no way 14 PL teams would ever vote in favour of reducing the number now.

It's just another of thosee outrageous liberties the PL has taken - one that proves they're all about money ahead of anything else.

But La Liga & Serie A are also 20 team leagues.