The hectic xmas period?

[adamtherover]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

[Draytonian III]

I’ve always thought that, it’s not like they are playing Sat,Mon,Wed,Sat,Tues,Thurs,Sat

[Fal]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

Ever thought some players may want to head home where they can during the holidays if they aren't local and spend time with the families? Theres more than just 4 games in 11 days to think about at this time of year.

[adamtherover]

I’ve always thought that, it’s not like they are playing Sat,Mon,Wed,Sat,Tues,Thurs,Sat

they are according to thr Brentford manger on talkspprt the other day, 10 games in 3 weeks, which literally is satdi,  Tuesday  ,Thursday satdi etc, .repeated lol, what bobbins!!!!

[Janso]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

Ever thought some players may want to head home where they can during the holidays if they aren't local and spend time with the families? Theres more than just 4 games in 11 days to think about at this time of year.

No different to anyone who's moved for work in a normal job at a place with no Christmas shutdown.

[ForsolongaRover]

I’ve always thought that, it’s not like they are playing Sat,Mon,Wed,Sat,Tues,Thurs,Sat

they are according to thr Brentford manger on talkspprt the other day, 10 games in 3 weeks, which literally is satdi,  Tuesday  ,Thursday satdi etc, .repeated lol, what bobbins!!!!

…and they used to play on Christmas Day and Boxing Day which was a real treat for the fans, but now in these more family-friendly times all but two PL club’s players get 25 and 26 December off whilst the lower league clubs only get the 25th off. In the entertainment business you work when your audience gets time off and at the very top level the rewards are very generous and the player-power significant.

Incidentally I should have referred to the first and second two days of “The Festive Period” rather than mentioning “Christmas”.

[Nudga]

Incidentally I should have referred to the first and second two days of “The Festive Period” rather than mentioning “Christmas


No you shouldn't,  I hope that you are joking?

[DearneValleyRover]

I ignore this rubbish, if you don’t like it get another job, it isn’t as if they don’t know and there are far more people out there working far harder over the festive period than a professional footballer

[GazLaz]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

Don’t we play 4 games in 10 days? 26th, 29th, 1st and 4th?

How many times have we played Sat, Tues, Sat, Tues in the league? None. We have with cup games but that gives you more licence to rotate. If we rotate players and get beat in the league Grant will get stick for it.


There is also a huge difference between teams having three days in between games and two games when it comes to recovery and preparation. Especially when you have to include travel into that. We play three games in a row on two days preparation. That’s pretty brutal. We are probably slightly more fortunate that the last two are at home. It’s a tough schedule, I disagree.

[Draytonian III]

Why doesn’t somebody who complains about go and have a word with Chris Waddle, Ian Wright, Jamie Vardy or even Alfie May about it being brutal, these are the players off top my head who worked in factories or in Alfie’s case on building sites and still played football, whilst trying to make it as full time pro. I wonder what answer they would give ?

[adamtherover]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

Don’t we play 4 games in 10 days? 26th, 29th, 1st and 4th?

How many times have we played Sat, Tues, Sat, Tues in the league? None. We have with cup games but that gives you more licence to rotate. If we rotate players and get beat in the league Grant will get stick for it.


There is also a huge difference between teams having three days in between games and two games when it comes to recovery and preparation. Especially when you have to include travel into that. We play three games in a row on two days preparation. That’s pretty brutal. We are probably slightly more fortunate that the last two are at home. It’s a tough schedule, I disagree.

every single word you have just said is meaningless after you have just declared a footballers workload as brutal!!!  Im guessing youve never done a 60 hr shift on nights in a hot and sweaty factory, or countless other real world professions. Jeez..

[drfchound]

A close pal of mine is friends with Declan Howe who has been the star striker for Gainsborough Trinity for the past two or three years and has taken the chance of going as a ful time pro at Scunthorpe this season.
He told me that Dec is loving the full time training and that the matches can’t come along soon enough but he struggles with the amount of free time he gets.
Several matches in a few days certainly isn’t a problem for him.

[adamtherover]

... but he struggles with the amount of free time he gets.

are we suggesting a non league footballer actually  "works" more hours than the average 9 to 5, 5 days a week man in the street?  Thats quite a  stretch.. i remember a sheff weds player coming on the radio after retiring saying he could finally see the family and he never saw his kids growing up..  jeez, he wasnt an international, so has 3 months off in the summer for starters. His training started at 10, so he did the skool run every morning..  but some how convinced himself that he was an absent parent.  My heart bleeds!!

[ForsolongaRover]

Incidentally I should have referred to the first and second two days of “The Festive Period” rather than mentioning “Christmas


No you shouldn't,  I hope that you are joking?

It was indeed an attempt at irony!

[drfchound]

... but he struggles with the amount of free time he gets.

are we suggesting a non league footballer actually  "works" more hours than the average 9 to 5, 5 days a week man in the street?  Thats quite a  stretch.. i remember a sheff weds player coming on the radio after retiring saying he could finally see the family and he never saw his kids growing up..  jeez, he wasnt an international, so has 3 months off in the summer for starters. His training started at 10, so he did the skool run every morning..  but some how convinced himself that he was an absent parent.  My heart bleeds!!

I’m not making any suggestions Adam.
I was making a comment which is relevant to posts made earlier in the thread based on what Dec had said to my friend.
It doesn’t effect my views on it either way.
By the way, even as a non league player he is still a full time pro footballer.

[GazLaz]

Once again we start to hear this well rolled out phrase, I've already heard Grant use it.  But looking at our games, its 4 in 12 days,   a typical satdi tuesday, satdi Tuesday is 11 days, so it actually better then some periods of the season.  Very strange that all managers and media seem to share the same myth?

Don’t we play 4 games in 10 days? 26th, 29th, 1st and 4th?

How many times have we played Sat, Tues, Sat, Tues in the league? None. We have with cup games but that gives you more licence to rotate. If we rotate players and get beat in the league Grant will get stick for it.


There is also a huge difference between teams having three days in between games and two games when it comes to recovery and preparation. Especially when you have to include travel into that. We play three games in a row on two days preparation. That’s pretty brutal. We are probably slightly more fortunate that the last two are at home. It’s a tough schedule, I disagree.

every single word you have just said is meaningless after you have just declared a footballers workload as brutal!!!  Im guessing youve never done a 60 hr shift on nights in a hot and sweaty factory, or countless other real world professions. Jeez..

Its all relative isnt it? I'm sure Ben Parkinson laughs at 60hr weeks in a factory.

Footballers could play 3 games a day but they just wouldn't be able to operate at the same level for each one. When their levels drop due to limited recovery and prep, and they dont get results, fans are pretty quick to jump on their backs.

There is an increased chance of injuries playing multiple games in a condensed period for a reason. Is getting pretty acute injuries and then having to rehab not pretty tough?

IMO the argument of comparing professional sportsmen to people working "in factories" is such a weak one. Its easier working in a factory than being a footballer.

[DearneValleyRover]

It’s the same for both teams so the arguement is irrelevant

[GazLaz]

It’s the same for both teams so the arguement is irrelevant

Not sure it is exactly the same. Some teams have Home-Home-Away-Away some have Away-Away-Home-Home, will that make a difference over the four games? Teams have different amounts of travelling to do during that time. Some teams have larger, stronger squads allowing them to rotate and still be strong. If the games were played over 4 weeks the teams with smaller squads may not have to do this so at less of a disadvantage potentially.

Not sure there is no nuance to the situation.

[Usher wide.]

Before I ended my working days as a ‘white collar worker’ I had for nearly 20 years worked in ‘a factory’ whose physical workload precluded me from the need to seek out a gym. In fact, bringing up a young family & paying what was a massive mortgage for me at the time, often meant anything less than a 50 hour week was a ‘luxury’.

More often than not that 50 hour week became a 70+ hour week once extending to an 83 hour week.

I was sleeping 5 hours & working the rest with every spare hour I could spent with my young family, a son toddling at two & his sister at eight spreading her Dollie’s around me as I fell into a sleep of ‘fatigue’ on the settee.

I was in my early thirties & built like a John Conteh.

Was my work ‘harder’ or more ‘difficult’ than today’s footballers? Work life balance was determined by a phone call asking if I could “Come in at 2 hours notice because so & so had rung in sick” & I knew that to say no to that 12 hour shift despite not having time to ‘prepare’ for it physically & mentally would ‘rob my household’ of £200, this in the early to mid eighties.

I never had a massage, or a warm up/warm down, ‘kit’ laid out for me & a manager to give me motivational talks, all I had was self motivation. Motivation to ‘move my family’ up the next step of the ladder…whatever it took.

“It’s easier working in a factory than being a footballer”.

That’s a very unconsidered statement if you’ve never worked 10 hours a day on a regular basis in one & never had the desired ‘skill set’ to be able to taste life in the other.

[scawsby steve]

A different line of entertainment, but I can remember the singer, Tom Jones in an interview once. When asked when he decided to become a singer, he replied "as soon as I found out how heavy a hod was".

[DearneValleyRover]

It’s the same for both teams so the arguement is irrelevant

Not sure it is exactly the same. Some teams have Home-Home-Away-Away some have Away-Away-Home-Home, will that make a difference over the four games? Teams have different amounts of travelling to do during that time. Some teams have larger, stronger squads allowing them to rotate and still be strong. If the games were played over 4 weeks the teams with smaller squads may not have to do this so at less of a disadvantage potentially.

Not sure there is no nuance to the situation.

I’m aware that travelling can be tiring and not sleeping in your own bed isn’t the best but they aren’t driving or sat in a cramped place or staying in a hovel so it’s not going to be over detrimental plus that’s what a squad of players are for.

[GazLaz]

It’s the same for both teams so the arguement is irrelevant

Not sure it is exactly the same. Some teams have Home-Home-Away-Away some have Away-Away-Home-Home, will that make a difference over the four games? Teams have different amounts of travelling to do during that time. Some teams have larger, stronger squads allowing them to rotate and still be strong. If the games were played over 4 weeks the teams with smaller squads may not have to do this so at less of a disadvantage potentially.

Not sure there is no nuance to the situation.

I’m aware that travelling can be tiring and not sleeping in your own bed isn’t the best but they aren’t driving or sat in a cramped place or staying in a hovel so it’s not going to be over detrimental plus that’s what a squad of players are for.

It affects performance though and they are ultimately judged on that.

[GazLaz]

Before I ended my working days as a ‘white collar worker’ I had for nearly 20 years worked in ‘a factory’ whose physical workload precluded me from the need to seek out a gym. In fact, bringing up a young family & paying what was a massive mortgage for me at the time, often meant anything less than a 50 hour week was a ‘luxury’.

More often than not that 50 hour week became a 70+ hour week once extending to an 83 hour week.

I was sleeping 5 hours & working the rest with every spare hour I could spent with my young family, a son toddling at two & his sister at eight spreading her Dollie’s around me as I fell into a sleep of ‘fatigue’ on the settee.

I was in my early thirties & built like a John Conteh.

Was my work ‘harder’ or more ‘difficult’ than today’s footballers? Work life balance was determined by a phone call asking if I could “Come in at 2 hours notice because so & so had rung in sick” & I knew that to say no to that 12 hour shift despite not having time to ‘prepare’ for it physically & mentally would ‘rob my household’ of £200, this in the early to mid eighties.

I never had a massage, or a warm up/warm down, ‘kit’ laid out for me & a manager to give me motivational talks, all I had was self motivation. Motivation to ‘move my family’ up the next step of the ladder…whatever it took.

“It’s easier working in a factory than being a footballer”.

That’s a very unconsidered statement if you’ve never worked 10 hours a day on a regular basis in one & never had the desired ‘skill set’ to be able to taste life in the other.

Pass me the violin.

I’ve experienced a lot in the way of work over the last 25 years. I’ve certainly learnt there’s no correlation between hours worked on the front line and difficulty of job. Probably quite the opposite in fact.

[Usher wide.]

Before I ended my working days as a ‘white collar worker’ I had for nearly 20 years worked in ‘a factory’ whose physical workload precluded me from the need to seek out a gym. In fact, bringing up a young family & paying what was a massive mortgage for me at the time, often meant anything less than a 50 hour week was a ‘luxury’.

More often than not that 50 hour week became a 70+ hour week once extending to an 83 hour week.

I was sleeping 5 hours & working the rest with every spare hour I could spent with my young family, a son toddling at two & his sister at eight spreading her Dollie’s around me as I fell into a sleep of ‘fatigue’ on the settee.

I was in my early thirties & built like a John Conteh.

Was my work ‘harder’ or more ‘difficult’ than today’s footballers? Work life balance was determined by a phone call asking if I could “Come in at 2 hours notice because so & so had rung in sick” & I knew that to say no to that 12 hour shift despite not having time to ‘prepare’ for it physically & mentally would ‘rob my household’ of £200, this in the early to mid eighties.

I never had a massage, or a warm up/warm down, ‘kit’ laid out for me & a manager to give me motivational talks, all I had was self motivation. Motivation to ‘move my family’ up the next step of the ladder…whatever it took.

“It’s easier working in a factory than being a footballer”.

That’s a very unconsidered statement if you’ve never worked 10 hours a day on a regular basis in one & never had the desired ‘skill set’ to be able to taste life in the other.

Pass me the violin.

I’ve experienced a lot in the way of work over the last 25 years. I’ve certainly learnt there’s no correlation between hours worked on the front line and difficulty of job. Probably quite the opposite in fact.

I don’t have a violin.

I’ve got a trombone that I’d be more than happy to give you.

[Chris Black come back]

That escalated quickly.

[adamtherover]

It’s the same for both teams so the arguement is irrelevant

Not sure it is exactly the same. Some teams have Home-Home-Away-Away some have Away-Away-Home-Home, will that make a difference over the four games? Teams have different amounts of travelling to do during that time. Some teams have larger, stronger squads allowing them to rotate and still be strong. If the games were played over 4 weeks the teams with smaller squads may not have to do this so at less of a disadvantage potentially.

Not sure there is no nuance to the situation.

I’m aware that travelling can be tiring and not sleeping in your own bed isn’t the best but they aren’t driving or sat in a cramped place or staying in a hovel so it’s not going to be over detrimental plus that’s what a squad of players are for.

It affects performance though and they are ultimately judged on that.

no ones arguing about what they are judged on, its specifically about your use of the word Brutal to describe players kicking a ball around more than once a week..