Winter Break

[The Red Baron]

Thankfully Premier League only, although another nail in the coffin of the FA Cup.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/feb/27/premier-league-winter-break-fa-cup-switch-agreed?CMP=share_btn_tw

[Filo]

The Foreign managers constant whinging has finally won the day. There should be a stipulation that clubs on a Winter break cannot go on Money making tours overseas

[Donnywolf]

There probably will be an embargo but :

a) "they" will say - its  winter Training Camp in (say Portugal) and while we are there we will need to play some Training v crdible oppos

and if that fails :

b) The Foreign Managers will constantly whinge till they win the day AGAIN and are allowed to do what they want when they want !

[selby]

  Seeing as the surrounding areas of the grounds seem to be more of a threat to the big clubs than the pitches themselves in having a game called off.
   What if it is a bad winter, and games could have been played  in the winter break weeks.
   Can't wait, that will be fun with a fixture pile up at the back end.
   Roll on a winter like we had in the early 60s

[GazLaz]

  Seeing as the surrounding areas of the grounds seem to be more of a threat to the big clubs than the pitches themselves in having a game called off.
   What if it is a bad winter, and games could have been played  in the winter break weeks.
   Can't wait, that will be fun with a fixture pile up at the back end.
   Roll on a winter like we had in the early 60s

I don’t think they should make a decision based on one winter 50 years ago! Top flight games very rarely postponed these days.

[Glyn_Wigley]

The Foreign managers constant whinging has finally won the day. There should be a stipulation that clubs on a Winter break cannot go on Money making tours overseas

I said in another thread that Gareth Southgate should have complete freedom to call up any English players he wants to England training/get together during the break.

[selby]

  Gaz, it was not so long ago that Chelsea had a game postponed because of the surrounding areas, and just  a couple of years later the councils are cutting down on snow clearance because of cost cutting.
  If this weather keeps up another couple of days, I bet it is in the tabloids that the world could be heading for a mini ice age.

[RedJ]

The Express report that nigh on weekly anyway to be fair.

[GazLaz]

I'd be in favour of playing fewer games in a season through reducing the amount of teams per league, but a winter break is questionable.

If you have a 2-3 week gap in, say February, what happens when the bad weather comes in another month? You just end up with a backlog of games and more matches needing to be crammed in towards the end of the season when there's more at stake - and if that's at a higher level in a World Cup year then more players will be knackered by the time that arrives.

They are having 13 days without a game in January. It’s hardly going to cause fixture carnage.

[drfchound]

I'd be in favour of playing fewer games in a season through reducing the amount of teams per league, but a winter break is questionable.

If you have a 2-3 week gap in, say February, what happens when the bad weather comes in another month? You just end up with a backlog of games and more matches needing to be crammed in towards the end of the season when there's more at stake - and if that's at a higher level in a World Cup year then more players will be knackered by the time that arrives.

They are having 13 days without a game in January. It’s hardly going to cause fixture carnage.

It says 13 days off in February in the article.
It is neither here nor there really and how that will have any significant effect on Englands chances in the Euros is beyond me.
The teams will have to play more games in fewer days anyway so any two week rest will be negated by that anyway.

[RedJ]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

[drfchound]

Precisely.

[GazLaz]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

[drfchound]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

What about having to play two games a week later in the season though, closer to the Euros?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

It won't though it'll be x days in the far East or whatever.  Just look at the big Scottish clubs...

[GazLaz]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

It won't though it'll be x days in the far East or whatever.  Just look at the big Scottish clubs...

We will see, it has to make a positive difference. It can’t not. The argument about the fact fitting another game in midweek will negate the benefit is b*llocks, they will do it before the break!

[drfchound]

Nice response.

[Herman Hessian]

interesting to see if there is a bump in FL attendances during the break, and as a general rule the F A Cup has gone to shit by R5 anyway, with few interesting teams left in it; to be honest, anything that takes the spotlight off the mind-numbingly tedious over-exposure of the EPL even just for a couple of weeks can only be a good thing - i'm really not going to miss a fortnight of "debate" about whether or not Dele Alli is a diving t**t;

to be honest, anything that removes the PL from the "normal" football calendar is just another step towards the top teams pissing off in to a European Super League and the PL rump having to set up a reconfigured football league of five divisions incorporating the current  national league teams - bring it on...

[GazLaz]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

It won't though it'll be x days in the far East or whatever.  Just look at the big Scottish clubs...

The warm weather training camps are just a holiday aren’t they?! Everyone else on the planet goes to the sun to help them rest and recuperate, footballers want to do it and everyone shoots them down!

[RedJ]

Which makes the break f**king pointless.

Having two weeks rest mid season will make a difference. No doubt about it. It won’t be two weeks the players have off though, be a week to ten days or so then in for 4 or 5 days training.

It won't though it'll be x days in the far East or whatever.  Just look at the big Scottish clubs...

We will see, it has to make a positive difference. It can’t not. The argument about the fact fitting another game in midweek will negate the benefit is b*llocks, they will do it before the break!

Does it matter when the midweek game is crammed in? the point is it still will be. I really don't see the point in it at all as it's the same amount of games in fewer game weeks no matter how you try and dress it up.

[since-1969]

Thankfully Premier League only, although another nail in the coffin of the FA Cup.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/feb/27/premier-league-winter-break-fa-cup-switch-agreed?CMP=share_btn_tw

There is more likely them Keague cup getting the bullet , the F.A Cup is not going to be scuppered . Lower league clubs can’t afford a winter break as it would effect their cash flow .

[Hounslowrover]

They're talking about FA Cup 5th round in midweek with no replays, it's just a matter of time before replays disappear. 

[Campsall rover]

And if anyone thinks a 2 week break is going to help England win a World Cup is living in cuckoo land. 

[selby]

  Two things
  1) I think I am right in remembering a football league team or a top non league team being barred from the F.A. cup because their secretary had not filled the application entry forms in by the stipulated date.
   Am I therefore right in thinking that teams have to apply to enter, and are therefore not obliged to enter, so what is the big thing, if they don't want to enter dont.
 The game will still go on without them.
  2) if as Rochdale tonight were to be denied a replay against a premiership team, and go out on penalties, the premiership side should donate all prize moneyin that round plus £50k to that club as recompense, to make up for the gate money lost and the chance to win the tie on the field.

[The Red Baron]

Thankfully Premier League only, although another nail in the coffin of the FA Cup.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/feb/27/premier-league-winter-break-fa-cup-switch-agreed?CMP=share_btn_tw

There is more likely them Keague cup getting the bullet , the F.A Cup is not going to be scuppered . Lower league clubs can’t afford a winter break as it would effect their cash flow .

I think one of the EFL's key aims has been to preserve the League Cup and it seems they have won the argument over the two-legged semis. The FA has blinked here, but the argument about supposed benefit to the England team can be used against them.

[Campsall rover]

  Two things
  1) I think I am right in remembering a football league team or a top non league team being barred from the F.A. cup because their secretary had not filled the application entry forms in by the stipulated date.
   Am I therefore right in thinking that teams have to apply to enter, and are therefore not obliged to enter, so what is the big thing, if they don't want to enter dont.
 The game will still go on without them.
  2) if as Rochdale tonight were to be denied a replay against a premiership team, and go out on penalties, the premiership side should donate all prize moneyin that round plus £50k to that club as recompense, to make up for the gate money lost and the chance to win the tie on the field.

Nice one Brian. But it won’t happen. The Premier league don’t give a  ????? about the football league clubs though. Just greed greed and more greed.

[drfchound]

And if anyone thinks a 2 week break is going to help England win a World Cup is living in cuckoo land. 

Agreed.

[GazLaz]

And if anyone thinks a 2 week break is going to help England win a World Cup is living in cuckoo land. 

Agreed.

Surely it’s not a case of it meaning we will win a WC but giving the team more of a chance.

[RedJ]

Go on then, how?

[PDS]

Why do we need a winter break at all with premier league squads the size they are.

If a player is knackered send him off on his holibobs and bring in another. Then it truly is up to the managers to responsibly use the assets at his disposal throughout the whole season