Winter Break...

[Baddar]

Sam Allardyce is the latest manager to plead with the FA about having a winter break in the Premier League. His rant can be found here;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7174311.stm

I personally think that although it would be better for the players' condition, it'd make for a very boring Christmas period. There's nothing like enjoying the games on Boxing Day/28th December/New Years Day. To have games scrapped at that time would be silly, IMO.

Even if that did happen, I think we'd then get managers complaining that the "lack of games over the last few weeks" cost them points in the game they play once the break was over.

So - What d'you guys think about it? I've added a neat little poll at the top...because I can.

[Liam]

Managers already complain about congestion later on in the season, where would a winter break assist that. You miss playing 4 or 5 games, and have to find somewhere else to fit them.

Its a stupid idea....playing such a rigorous schedule over Christmas is part of what makes the Premiership great. By January, it has really seperated the pretenders from the real deal teams.

[Sean]

Managers already complain about congestion later on in the season, where would a winter break assist that. You miss playing 4 or 5 games, and have to find somewhere else to fit them.

Its a stupid idea....playing such a rigorous schedule over Christmas is part of what makes the Premiership great. By January, it has really seperated the pretenders from the real deal teams.

Bingo. Only way they could bring in a winter break would be to make the summer break shorter. And could they really do that with players being involved in international competitions most summers? I can't see how taking a couple of weeks off in winter can benefit anyone.

And if there was no football on boxing day, what the hell would we do?

[supergrass]

Exactly, everytime they say we should have a winter break, not one attempts to solve the problem of how this would impact the summer. Especially when it comes to a European Championships or World Cup, then players moan that the summer break is not enough.

The Christmas games are great, maybe drop one out and play just two if you have to, but ultimately it doesn't make that much of a difference. How hard it must be to perform for 90 minutes three times in a week.

[Sean]

The Christmas games are great, maybe drop one out and play just two if you have to, but ultimately it doesn't make that much of a difference. How hard it must be to perform for 90 minutes three times in a week.

It's the motivation. How would you feel having to get out of bed on a cold boxing day morning for a crappy 100 grand a week?

[supergrass]

The Christmas games are great, maybe drop one out and play just two if you have to, but ultimately it doesn't make that much of a difference. How hard it must be to perform for 90 minutes three times in a week.

It's the motivation. How would you feel having to get out of bed on a cold boxing day morning for a crappy 100 grand a week?

[Baddar]

The Christmas games are great, maybe drop one out and play just two if you have to, but ultimately it doesn't make that much of a difference. How hard it must be to perform for 90 minutes three times in a week.

It's the motivation. How would you feel having to get out of bed on a cold boxing day morning for a crappy 100 grand a week?

It's tough, for sure. It'd probably take all my Christmas spirit to muster up an appearance.

One thing over Christmas that did bother me though, and might help somewhat over this period: why aren't teams paired up geogrpahically to save on travel over this period? Fans and players alike don't want to travel from one end of the country for a match on Christmas day for Boxing day (or very early Boxing day). While some games were local, it seemed like a bigger effort could have been made.

It might have something to do with the fact that they insist that before games are re-arranged, the fixtures are randomly generated...which is a lie, obviously.

[Sean]

One thing over Christmas that did bother me though, and might help somewhat over this period: why aren't teams paired up geogrpahically to save on travel over this period? Fans and players alike don't want to travel from one end of the country for a match on Christmas day for Boxing day (or very early Boxing day). While some games were local, it seemed like a bigger effort could have been made.

They actually mentioned this on Football Focus or Soccer Saturday, can't remember which. Apparently alot of the lower leagues try to make derbies be played over the Christmas period so fans don't have as far to travel; and said something that the Premier League should look into doing it for their fixtures. Guess it's all about TV and money, but what would be wrong with:

Man Utd Vs Man City

Arsenal Vs Tottenham

Liverpool Vs Everton

Those games would all draw big TV audiences and large crowds at the games themselves.

[IAceI]

They can have a full season off, Newcastle would come back and still wouldn't be any better than the mid table team they are now.

Like Liam said, a winter break would just cause congestion in the end of the season. Plus football at Christmas is what it's all about.

[Scott McFly]

If they get all the teams to agree to it, I can't see why they couldn't have local matches around Christmas time. We'll still get to watch football, the FA will still get the games played and the supporters and teams won't have to make any crazy travel arrangements at a time of year when they'd rather not travel too far from home.

[ONO]

No. Big Sam is complaining because his team is in the complete shitter.

Was he calling for breaks when he was at Bolton?

[Guest TheBlueyComplex]

With the three big league derbies:

12pm kickoff

3pm kickoff

7.30pm kickoff

And make it a new Boxing Day tradition of having three huge matches.

[britneyspearsisgod]

Yes. It's stupid to consider they have to train over Christmas and New Year to play games. If I'm a player, I'd want to have Christmas off. I say cut the Premiership to 18 teams and give them that break. Let the rest of football carry on and maybe we can focus a bit on the clubs in the Championship? It does save our better players for International competition. Maybe even hand them over to Capello to train for a bit? Couldn't hurt.

Still, I don't see an immediate need to do anything. Boxing Day and New Years Day fixtures could stay. It's the one on the 28th I find stupid. Why? Who's going to watch that one? Cut it out and give them some extra time to rest.

[therockbox]

Championship players play in International games as well, it's unfair to suggest they carry on just because the teams they play for aren't as 'exciting' as England/Argentina/Portugal etc.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

No winter break. Think, sport, while nowadays big business, is kinda still about the public - if people stopped watching, the teams and companies would fall apart. Therefore players, especially at the top, are being paid to entertain. I love Christmas footy - four games within a week and a bit...Fantastic!

Some countries take a winter break due to the ground being literally frozen solid for a month or so, some cos they're wimpy Mediterraineans and some cos their leagues are smaller.

I love a 20 team Premiership and we're not from the med and our ground doesn't freeze solid.

We don't need a break, managers just like to moan about such things...

If anything it's the African Nations cup every four years that can screw a team that focusses too much on African foreign players.

[Lineker]

Nah. I like my Boxing Day and New Year's matches.

Actually, as long as they are played, all the others can fuck off to whenever fancied. ¬_¬

[Dan]

Let the overpaid shits in the premiership have a winter break.

As long as the football league still plays, I don't care.

[TheArsenal]

Footballers are such nancy boys.

If they can't cope with playing football and exercising for just a couple of hours a day, getting more than 2 months off in the summer, and earning in a week what the average UK worker struggles to earn in a year (or in 4 - 5 years for the top players) then they should be told to go and get real jobs. Send the moaning bastards off to Iraq or Afghanistan and then see if they think footballers are that hard done by.

[hugobomb]

Footballers are such nancy boys.

If they can't cope with playing football and exercising for just a couple of hours a day, getting more than 2 months off in the summer, and earning in a week what the average UK worker struggles to earn in a year (or in 4 - 5 years for the top players) then they should be told to go and get real jobs. Send the moaning bastards off to Iraq or Afghanistan and then see if they think footballers are that hard done by.

QFE

I find it hard to sympathise (sp?) with footballers here. 'You mean you have to play three times in a week? For just £35,000 a week? You poor boys, here take a month off'. Despite the fact that Championship, League One and Two players play eight extra league games a year without bitching about it.

Whiny bitches the lot of them (prem Players, not Football League)

[IAceI]

Nice to see Sam has his winter break anyways.