Premier League: Winter break under discussion before new TV deal

[NotTheMarketLeader]

Total bullshit of an idea concocted by twats at the FA over the years as a smokescreen for the England team being major under achievers.

 

Two weeks off in the winter will mean cramming the games in at another time. So what’s the point? 

 

It will be May when they have to catch them probably because of the Autumn internationals which will not suit the national side (who I personally don’t give shit about).

 

It can’t be done with our football calendar being nothing like other European leagues.

 

Scrap the CL instead; that’s of

no interest to most fans unless your team is involved and 90% of the time offers little in terms of entertainment.

 

[Babylon]

2 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

Scrap the CL instead; that’s of

no interest to most fans unless your team is involved and 90% of the time offers little in terms of entertainment.

 

Or, all the other teams not involved in the champions league have it scheduled so that they can all play each other in champions league weeks. Meaning 15/16 teams aren't having to cram in loads of games into winter just to suit the top teams. Then, the 4 or 5 teams who are involved in the champions league have to play catch up in their own time.

[hackenbacker]

Some thoughts

• get rid of the stupid international breaks where teams only have a friendly
• for the festive games only have a game on boxing day and another on new years day .. no games on the Saturday before
• have more mid week games early in the season when the weather is nice and days longer
• Friday night football?

 

[Leeds Fox]

1 hour ago, lcfc278 said:

I'd be gutted if this happens, I think it's one of the things that makes the Premier League special and it is traditional in this country. Plus you cant beat going to a Boxing Day or New Years Day home game and getting on the beers before hand!

 

Boxing Day isn’t in January and they could still have a January Break and keep the NYD games. I agree it’s a tradition and something the fans enjoy while they’re off work. 

 

They could make NYD the last game before the break. 

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Dan LCFC said:

Imagine thinking that this isn't so that the big clubs can play more friendlies abroad against each other. That's the sole purpose of this. Don't be fooled by the national team nonsense - as much as I do think this years schedule was OTT and needed trimming down.

Yup. The Cups will be the ones to suffer and be degraded further in all this so the big teams can piss off on jollies to China. And of course the governing bodies will let them.

[Dan LCFC]

25 minutes ago, hackenbacker said:

Some thoughts

• get rid of the stupid international breaks where teams only have a friendly
• for the festive games only have a game on boxing day and another on new years day .. no games on the Saturday before
• have more mid week games early in the season when the weather is nice and days longer
• Friday night football?

 

In fairness I think the nations league goes a way to this. Agree with the rest just about.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

2 hours ago, adam said:

Just an excuse for the top clubs to jet off all around the world earning even more cash.

Yep. Another nail in the coffin of the PL. 

[foxy boxing]

The clubs and players would like a winter break and all other major European Leagues have one so it would fit us in with the rest of European football but the 'Festive period' is a busy schedule for football clubs and fans enjoy the festive games as much if not more than the other games. and if you have a winter break you will have to fit the games in a season somewhere so it will be more congested but at a different period in the season.

[Richard]

Do any other countries have 2 domestic cups? I know Copa del Rey is 2 legged but don’t think that’s so competitive as the FA cup for example. I assumed that was why we need to play more games over the festive period. 

[breadandcheese]

If the Christmas schedule is protected, I really don't see why it's such a bad idea.

 

If players are genuinely complaining that they need a break to let their bodies recover, then I'm not sure we can have a go at players when they're tired and jaded or getting muscular injuries.  We can't afford to have huge squads, so a muscle strain here and there, decimates our first team. 

 

Obviously, if the big teams jet round the world for money-spinning friendlies, my point is null and void. 

[Ted Maul]

As long as the Boxing Day and New Year's Day fixtures remain, that's fine by me- a 2 week break before the FA Cup third round wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

It should only happen in World Cup & Euro years though- no point doing it on a regular season.

 

As a side issue, the fixture congestion around Christmas this year was utterly ridiculous- who put those fixtures together?! Why not put one of two of those games in a free midweek slot later/earlier in the season?

[Sambiasso]

The amount of breaks for international games is a joke, 2 breaks at the start of the season and then don't we have one in march?  

If any club qualifies for Europe, then they shouldn't be eligible for the league cup

If they have a winter break, then it should be a break and not swanning off to the usa or dubai for friendlies/money making schemes.

It won't be long until football is referred as Sports Entertainment as the game is gone at the top level.

 

[Kitchandro]

Why don't they just have LESS games over Christmas?

 

Having a total break will just mean we're cramming in matches later in the season. So how is that any different?

 

The idea of actually having a break for a few weeks is terrible and there's no reasonable basis for supporting it. It's bad enough having international breaks.

[The Doctor]

1 hour ago, Harry - LCFC said:

The issue is having 8 games in a three week period.

 

The solution to that is to move 2 of them, not 5 or 6.

Precisely this. Just have an extra couple of midweek rounds spread across the season, or start a week earlier

[Kitchandro]

1 hour ago, hackenbacker said:

Some thoughts

• get rid of the stupid international breaks where teams only have a friendly
• for the festive games only have a game on boxing day and another on new years day .. no games on the Saturday before
• have more mid week games early in the season when the weather is nice and days longer
• Friday night football?

 

Midweek games are terrible, why would you want more of those? People want to be able to have a drink and a day out.

 

 

[The Doctor]

2 minutes ago, Kitchandro said:

Midweek games are terrible, why would you want more of those? People want to be able to have a drink and a day out.

 

 

Because it's impossible to finish work at five, get the bus into town and have a pint pre-match? I've been doing it wrong all these years...

 

Midweek games are good, particularly September or spring. Also far preferable to playing Saturday-Tuesday-Friday-Monday as with the Christmas schedule at the moment 

[Kitchandro]

1 minute ago, The Doctor said:

Because it's impossible to finish work at five, get the bus into town and have a pint pre-match? I've been doing it wrong all these years...

 

Midweek games are good, particularly September or spring. Also far preferable to playing Saturday-Tuesday-Friday-Monday as with the Christmas schedule at the moment 

What about away games? And people who don't live in Leicester? What about people who want more than one pint? Not really ideal for everyone. Even in your scenario it's pretty rushed, and you're assuming everyone works within 15 minutes of their house.

 

And no, they aren't good, the atmosphere at them is consistently awful over the years.

[FOXYTALK]

think it's just an excuse. Teams do have squads of 23+ players. yet they only seem to use 11-13 in a normal week. It's down to how you manage the squad. 

[The Doctor]

2 minutes ago, Kitchandro said:

What about away games? And people who don't live in Leicester? What about people who want more than one pint? Not really ideal for everyone. Even in your scenario it's pretty rushed, and you're assuming everyone works within 15 minutes of their house.

 

And no, they aren't good, the atmosphere at them is consistently awful over the years.

20 days holiday a year... or, you dont have to attend every game if you can't make them.

 

As for more than one pint - stop nursing them. 

 

Have you considered that the atmosphere might seem awful because you're desperate for something to moan about?

[lancyclaret]

3 hours ago, Babylon said:

I don't mind having a couple of games there, but the number of games crammed into a short period does nobody any favours. Fans struggle with cash, clubs struggle with injuries and fatigue. So long as the break doesn't mean congestion at another time of year, then I'm all for it.

 

We can then put to bed the myth England and English teams don't win things because of no break, rather than just being a bit shit.

Agree with this....in the first 14 weeks of the season (August 12-November 18), teams only played 12 league matches.

 

The next 12 matches were crammed into just EIGHT weeks (November 25-January 20) including a brutal holiday schedule of 4 games in 9 days (Dec 23-Jan 1). No wonder a lot of teams now have long injury lists because of wear, tear and lack of recovery time.

 

The fixture planners have not got a clue and quite a few teams could have NO league fixture for three weeks in March because of the FA Cup and an interrnational break for FRIENDLIES. Teams already out of the FA cup would play on Saturday March 10 and then not again until March 31 - a nice 21-day break for pampered players.

 

The Premier League had midweek fixtures the last week of November and the second week in December DESPITE the upcoming holiday schedule of 4 matches in just over a week. Madness !!!!!!

 

Why couldn't clubs have the option of a midweek fixture between March 10 and March 31. The non-European qualifiers could have mutually agreed to reschedule.

Edited 6 February 2018 by lancyclaret

[lancyclaret]

3 hours ago, David Hankey said:

The EPL has already been reduced in size since it's inception, perhaps, a further reduction to 16 Clubs will help these prima-donnas.

 

God knows how the so-called highly trained/motivated professionals of today would have coped with 42 League games played on mudheaps with a proper leather ball would have fared.

 

Between the TV Companies and these "worn out" players who are supposedly constantly tired the game of football is being ruined.

Teams used to play 2 games in 2 days at Christmas and again at Easter on top of the coach, train and even car travel. Now the pampered players fly if it means any journey over 100 miles.

[mozartfox]

May be we judge things after Mahrez has finished his Winter Break?

[Nod.E]

3 hours ago, David Hankey said:

The EPL has already been reduced in size since it's inception, perhaps, a further reduction to 16 Clubs will help these prima-donnas.

 

God knows how the so-called highly trained/motivated professionals of today would have coped with 42 League games played on mudheaps with a proper leather ball would have fared.

 

Between the TV Companies and these "worn out" players who are supposedly constantly tired the game of football is being ruined.

Yeah, they should just be 'proper' men and get on with it. 

[mozartfox]

4 hours ago, David Hankey said:

The EPL has already been reduced in size since it's inception, perhaps, a further reduction to 16 Clubs will help these prima-donnas.

 

God knows how the so-called highly trained/motivated professionals of today would have coped with 42 League games played on mudheaps with a proper leather ball would have fared.

 

Between the TV Companies and these "worn out" players who are supposedly constantly tired the game of football is being ruined.

Spot on. I wonder how many FT members played Saturdays and Sundays (for free) and still held down a tiring job all week??  

 

 

[Corky]

If it was two weeks of rest and recovery then I'd understand it but they'll be off playing friendlies soon enough on a money making scheme which will render it pointless.

 

There are too many games over Christmas and New Year but nobody questions why the Champions League group stage takes three months to complete whilst the second round is played on four separate midweeks which allows little flexibility.

 

Sod getting rid of a cup competition here, cut down the bloated European competitions.