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Sleaford Shrimper

Grumpy Old Man
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
429
I think it's time we scrapped the 'tradition' of having multiple fixtures over the Christmas New Year period because

1 The cold conditions make players more susceptible to incurring muscle and tissue injuries

2 It leaves players insufficient recovery time between matches

3 Christmas is already an expensive time of year for supporters without having to shell out for multiple match tickets, petrol to get to matches and so on.

A home match on Boxing Day and an away match on New Year's Day (or vice versa) with no matches in between would be better all round. If Boxing Day is on a Monday, I would scrap matches on the previous Saturday, which are often comparatively poorly attended anyway.

What do other people think?
 
yeah - let's not work them poor footballers to hard :nope:
 
Insufficient recovery time? They're supposed to be proffessional athletes, they should be capable of playing 2 games of football in 3 days.
 
I have to go work 5 days a week. Sure they can manage 2 out of 3 days with a day off in between. I really enjoy the Christmas period and I am sure the attendance today backs that up
 
I have to go work 5 days a week. Sure they can manage 2 out of 3 days with a day off in between. I really enjoy the Christmas period and I am sure the attendance today backs that up

Agree with that and also do they not do half days also?
 
Until sometime in the 80's, we used to play every Good Friday, Easter Saturday, and Easter Monday. No-one moaned about it then, and these days players are supposedly fitter than they were then.
 
I think it's time we scrapped the 'tradition' of having multiple fixtures over the Christmas New Year period because

1 The cold conditions make players more susceptible to incurring muscle and tissue injuries

2 It leaves players insufficient recovery time between matches

3 Christmas is already an expensive time of year for supporters without having to shell out for multiple match tickets, petrol to get to matches and so on.

A home match on Boxing Day and an away match on New Year's Day (or vice versa) with no matches in between would be better all round. If Boxing Day is on a Monday, I would scrap matches on the previous Saturday, which are often comparatively poorly attended anyway.

What do other people think?


1. I agree with that IF they haven't warmed up properly - these days they have all sorts of diet/fitness advice etc.
2. It's the same for all teams plus there are three sub's available. What about tennis players? Their sport is far more demanding (in my view) yet they cope.
3. It happens every year and has done since 1900 or so - plenty of time to save up!

To conclude - keep things as they are.
 
I think there should be a winter break of 2 weeks. However that shouldn't fall over Christmas. I've got no issue with teams needing to play 3 times in 6/7 days.
 
Pubey - why do you think there should be a winter break and when?

Mainly, because it will keep things competitive and reduce the power of those clubs with the biggest squads because squads can recover and players can get over the inevitable fatigue that builds over a long season. It's only one weekend off. Teams can use it however they wish - training/abroad/holiday etc.

I'm sure most of use welcome having holidays throughout the year when we get to switch off from work and recharge a bit - that's the same with footballers I'm sure.

I think it'd be good for England too.
 
Mainly, because it will keep things competitive and reduce the power of those clubs with the biggest squads because squads can recover and players can get over the inevitable fatigue that builds over a long season. It's only one weekend off. Teams can use it however they wish - training/abroad/holiday etc.

I'm sure most of use welcome having holidays throughout the year when we get to switch off from work and recharge a bit - that's the same with footballers I'm sure.

I think it'd be good for England too.

The problem with the winter break is that you could never guarantee what the British weather will be like. You could therefore have a 2 week break with mild conditions, then 2 weeks of bad weather and postponed games, meaning even more of a fixture pile up later in the season, plus 2 whole weeks without football.
 
2 games in 3 days ,whats so hard about that,stop being little girls and complaining, i used to play on a Saturday and front up again on a Sunday.So now you answer by saying yeah but these guys are professionals , well if thats the case they should be fitter than a mere amateur who dosent train as much , and as for the travel well we travelled long distances here also .
 
Aren't we a match short this year due to no New Year's Day match? I'm sure it's more normally 4 in about 10 days!
 
I am mainly talking about the Prem now, but with big squads and the fact that we are told that the players are the fittest they have ever been in the game, plus the fact that they do nothing else and it's not like Rugby where the body takes an absolute battering every game, I do get fed up with hearing about how "tired" the players are.

I'd have slightly more sympathy if, when there was a break for a team because, say, they were out of a Cup, they didn't swan off somewhere to play exhibition matches.

Just get on with it and stop moaning!
 
If footballers want decent salaries, then i'm afraid the clubs need to play a few games over the christmas period to generate the income to cover it. All the clubs know what the fixtures are in advance - they just need to utilise their squads more if players are tired..
 
With the tinsel sparkling like a tarts garter and the room filled with a heady mix of beer and brussels, what better way to momentarily escape than to nip out to a game of footy? When the screwdriver is out again, putting batteries into some fangled mechanical device, this time for the children and not 'er indoors, and Christmas pud lays like ballast in your belly, what better way to enjoy yourself than cheering on the Blues?

When Corr reverts to type, the team throw away two points and Bolger sees red again, what better way to recover than to go home and continue the overindulgence?

Football is not just for Christmas but there is no better time for it.
 
I like the festive period personally.

This year we only played 4 games in December, and only played once after less than a 6 day rest. Other than the Daggers game we only played once a week.
 
With the tinsel sparkling like a tarts garter and the room filled with a heady mix of beer and brussels, what better way to momentarily escape than to nip out to a game of footy? When the screwdriver is out again, putting batteries into some fangled mechanical device, this time for the children and not 'er indoors, and Christmas pud lays like ballast in your belly, what better way to enjoy yourself than cheering on the Blues?

When Corr reverts to type, the team throw away two points and Bolger sees red again, what better way to recover than to go home and continue the overindulgence?

Football is not just for Christmas but there is no better time for it.

So eloquently put !!!
 
I really like the run of games over the Christmas period and think it provides a real test for teams. However, I can see the festive football calendar being curtailed - certainly in the top flight - within a decade.

At the moment, we think it is bonkers that teams played each other home and away on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and in years to come, people will look back at the current Christmas schedule in the same way. Not saying I agree, I just think that's the way it'll go.
 
IMHO it tells the men from the boys, both players and managers, the festive period doesn't just pop up by surprise, good managers plan ahead, have plan B or C in place. Those Premiersh*te managers who moan about it can truly jog on.
 
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