Winter Break

[The Pink Panther]

Dump all the pointless international friendlies at the beginning of the season and let us play league matches instead. After the agony of NOTHING TO DO all bloody summer, the season finally gets going, only to stop dead for some poxy international that no-one gives a flying f* about.

this

how many pointless freindlys have we had so we can chuck cash into the wembley pot again going back 20-30 years city would play on the sat and england on the wed with another league game on the sat

Problem is, that's UEFA and FIFA that want those friendlies to be played
There are extra fixtures due to the way that European club football is now played (Champs league/Europa League)

 

[LoveCity]

OK, when would you suggest the break takes place?
Bear in mind that Christmas and New Year fixtures generally attract the largest crowds

It doesn't need to be a very long break like Germany, 2 weeks is enough. End the season 2 weeks later. Do it in the freeze of January if clubs are worried about losing the apparent big gates during the holidays.

Start of Jan, mid or end?
Remember the FA Cup 3rd round is scheduled to take place in Jan and also the CC Semi

Since the season will still be the same length, everything can be rearranged. Fixture congestion would remain but players would have a couple of weeks to rest. Mancini said it himself, how can people expect England to do well when English players are run into the ground? No other league in Europe has such crazy fixture congestion without a break.

 

[The Pink Panther]

It doesn't need to be a very long break like Germany, 2 weeks is enough. End the season 2 weeks later. Do it in the freeze of January if clubs are worried about losing the apparent big gates during the holidays.

Start of Jan, mid or end?
Remember the FA Cup 3rd round is scheduled to take place in Jan and also the CC Semi

Since the season will still be the same length, everything can be rearranged. Fixture congestion would remain but players would have a couple of weeks to rest. Mancini said it himself, how can people expect England to do well when English players are run into the ground? No other league in Europe has such crazy fixture congestion without a break.

But at some point those fixtures need to be played, which will lead to the same congestion issues
City's pre season fixtures started on 16th July and the season is scheduled to end 13th May. Add two weeks to that and a World Cup or the Euro's and the players will only get a week off before reporting back for pre season and this is when they are thrashed fitness wise to get them up to speed for the oncoming season

 

[Marvin]

No need for a winter break.

You can't predict when our bad weather will arrive

It's OK if everyone is in the same boat i.e everyone has the same rest time

 

[Unknown_Genius]

A winter break, isn't about stopping because of potential bad weather (Spain has a winter break). Its to give the players a mid season rest, and to ensure they get some respite before representing their country in a summer tournament. A winter break would not work though in our League, as we play the most games, compared to the rest of the major European Leagues. We have a 20 team top division, 2 domestic cups, and the European tournaments on top of that. The season would end up spilling over to mid June. Spain, France, and Italy only have 1 domestic cup (and its not as long as the FA Cup), while Germany and Holland have the best of both worlds (18 teams in the League, and 1 domestic cup). For the Premier League to have a winter break you would either have to scrap the League Cup, or reduce the League to 18 teams, or both, and I really can't see that happening. It is a bit crazy when you think all the major European Leagues have one, and we don't.

 

[another generation]

Can't we just start the season a bit earlier?

 

[marco]

Can't we just start the season a bit earlier?

then some braindead top dog would realise we would have a few weeks with no mid week games and slot in yet more internationals

 

[Calcio]

Just get rid of the league, or make it non premier league competition.

People say these guys get so much money, that they should play even more. I just don’t think its right for these guys to play 2 games within 48 hours. The risk for injuries increases a lot more when you don’t have any rest, and so does the quality of football.

 

[Wheelsy]

Two games a week for a few weeks over Christmas, or two games a week from end of January to May?

What's the point?

 

[stimo]

no way
it has a massive effect on the wallet, but i love this period for football. fucking loads of it. nipped out last night to the boozer and they were showing highlights of yesterdays games, didnt even know any fucker played yesterday. love it.

 

[dansyb]

Get rid of pointless international friendlies and spread the fixtures more evenly over the season.Never happen involves someone in a position of power using common sense<br /><br />-- Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:15 am --<br /><br />

Get rid of pointless international friendlies and spread the fixtures more evenly over the season.Never happen involves someone in a position of power using common sense

sorry mods delete some said same thing didn't read full thread i'll go back to bed

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

The issue with the winter break is that it's supposed to coincide with the worst of the winter weather. Being as that's quite unpredictable, it's unworkable

Now if you're saying there are too many fixtures crammed into the Christmas/New Year period, well if the games are not played then and we have a winter break, there are going to be at least two other periods in the season where there's huge fixture congestion, unless you intend that football's played througout the summer

Yes If UK was to have a Winter break it would have to last from October through to April and even then we couldn't be sure

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

The issue with the winter break is that it's supposed to coincide with the worst of the winter weather. Being as that's quite unpredictable, it's unworkable

Now if you're saying there are too many fixtures crammed into the Christmas/New Year period, well if the games are not played then and we have a winter break, there are going to be at least two other periods in the season where there's huge fixture congestion, unless you intend that football's played througout the summer

Yes If UK was to have a Winter break it would have to last from October through to April and even then we couldn't be sure

True.... and we d have nothing else for doing!!!!!

 

[johnmc]

There have been some crazy results but isnt that what we want?? And the fixture congestion isnt to blame for that as such as all teams play the same amount of games over the period.

Surely United cannot blame the festive fixtures on their defeat to Blackburn because Blackburn have played as well - and their squad isnt as well equipped as the rags. So that argument is a none starter - same with us v Sunderland.

Fair enough if we don't win tonight you could point to us only having 2 days rest and them having 4 but thats not what this thread is about.

So a few top teams have dropped points so now the format should be changed. Not for me

 

[Calcio]

There have been some crazy results but isnt that what we want?? And the fixture congestion isnt to blame for that as such as all teams play the same amount of games over the period.

Surely United cannot blame the festive fixtures on their defeat to Blackburn because Blackburn have played as well - and their squad isnt as well equipped as the rags. So that argument is a none starter - same with us v Sunderland.

Fair enough if we don't win tonight you could point to us only having 2 days rest and them having 4 but thats not what this thread is about.

So a few top teams have dropped points so now the format should be changed. Not for me

we want fairness. You cant have one team play a game within 48 hours and the other one have 4 days rest. It makes huge difference

 

[johnmc]

There have been some crazy results but isnt that what we want?? And the fixture congestion isnt to blame for that as such as all teams play the same amount of games over the period.

Surely United cannot blame the festive fixtures on their defeat to Blackburn because Blackburn have played as well - and their squad isnt as well equipped as the rags. So that argument is a none starter - same with us v Sunderland.

Fair enough if we don't win tonight you could point to us only having 2 days rest and them having 4 but thats not what this thread is about.

So a few top teams have dropped points so now the format should be changed. Not for me

we want fairness. You cant have one team play a game within 48 hours and the other one have 4 days rest. It makes huge difference

Yes I agree with that - thats TV though not necessirily the festive period.

However, the festive results that are being referred to are nothing to do with this subject. On the whole teams have had similar periods between times - this tonight is the first time someone (and it had to be us didnt it) has been clearly disadvantaged that I'm aware of.

 

[law74]

So if we are to have this "winter break" when should we have it?
Last two weekends in January, and then face a two week period of frozen grounds at the start of february?
Have a break over the festive period? and watch the levels of domestic violence multiply as the menfolk dont have the excuse of the footy to get out of shopping with the wife?
If this did come in (a horrible thought), then watch the "big" clubs take millions of dosh for a "mid season tour" to asia or the USA.
Then when do we reschedule the fixtures? scrap the League cup and do away the chance of lower league clubs to gain much needed revenue? extend the season to coincide with peoples summer holidays (Less people at games and lower ST sales aint going to go down well).

Leave things as they are, the season is already encrouching on my cricket too much as it is.

 

[Sir peace frog]

i think it is essential for some birds to have winter beaks,so that can break through the ice to catch the,ooooh.

 

[another generation]

You cant have one team play a game within 48 hours and the other one have 4 days rest. It makes huge difference

That's nothing to do with a winter break or not, but all to do with Sky rescheduling the fixtures to make more money. If matches were contained to Saturdays plus the occasional alternative fixture for teams and fans not having to travel far, then there wouldn't be all this mess.