Winter Break

Originally Posted by rafabio

Spain have same number of competitions as us. they have copa del rey and spanish king cup.

Personally I feel the winter break is needed mainly to give the players a rest. Premier league is as it is played at such a high speed and intensity, some players are £#%&!ed midway through the season. Fergie has given ronaldo, rooney, nani, anderson (some of the players i can remember) rest during the christmas.

I think as someone made the point before, pitches are clogged up with rain, 4 matches within 10 days, its £#%&!ing grueling. And for united it's more grueling because of the number of high intensity derbies (or matches with intense rivalry) we play.

Also I don't understand some fans when they say they will miss matches on boxing day. I would have though people would like to spend the festival with their families either at home or on a holiday. (personal opinion only).

you're christmas aint like mine then!

love christmas day tbh but cant wait to get out on the lash on boxing day!

1. 18 clubs Premiership.

2. Break for January.

3. No cash-in tours during the break.

4. No FA Cup replays.

5. Sack the whole of the FA board and start from scratch.

6. Set up a network of nationwide coaching that brings through the talented players and not just the athletic ones (For every Rooney and Joe Cole theres a hundred Micah Richards, that can't be right).

7. Fix Wembley or get rid and build a nation stadium worthy of being one, somewhere in the middle of the country preferably.

8. Scrap the League Cup.

None of this will happen by the way. Instead we'll have a piss and moan for a bit and then carry on as we are.

Originally Posted by Arnold Muhren

1. 18 clubs Premiership.

2. Break for January.

3. No cash-in tours during the break.

4. No FA Cup replays.

5. Sack the whole of the FA board and start from scratch.

6. Set up a network of nationwide coaching that brings through the talented players and not just the athletic ones (For every Rooney and Joe Cole theres a hundred Micah Richards, that can't be right).

7. Fix Wembley or get rid and build a nation stadium worthy of being one, somewhere in the middle of the country preferably.


None of this will happen by the way. Instead we'll have a piss and moan for a bit and then carry on as we are.

So there are less top flight games and so less opportunities for young english players to play agains the worlds very best and learn from it?

Originally Posted by BryanRobson'sLiver

So there are less top flight games and so less opportunities for young english players to play agains the worlds very best and learn from it?

You don't really believe that do you?

I can't imagine many youngsters benefit from an extra 4 matches sat on the bench.

Add to the list above SSG2s idea of making the Carling Cup U23 then I reckon we could be on to a winner.

You should really banish sugar daddies a la Abramovich and the City Arabs so that player prices and wages aren't skewed and tax the £#%&! out of any company or individual that takes money OUT of a football club as well.

Originally Posted by BryanRobson'sLiver

So there are less top flight games and so less opportunities for young english players to play agains the worlds very best and learn from it?

The Bundesliga has 18 teams and the German team doesn't seem to have a problem bringing players through.

I think The Premiership could somehow just survive the loss of Blackpool and Wigan.

Originally Posted by Arnold Muhren

The Bundesliga has 18 teams and the German team doesn't seem to have a problem bringing players through.

I think The Premiership could somehow just survive the loss of Blackpool and Wigan.

Yeah but could Blackpool survive the loss of the premiership eh eh

Didn't think of that did ya

Originally Posted by Harri Jaffa

Yeah but could Blackpool survive the loss of the premiership eh eh

Didn't think of that did ya

If they are good enough they can still get promoted the next season

Originally Posted by red red robbo

You don't really believe that do you?

I can't imagine many youngsters benefit from an extra 4 matches sat on the bench.

Add to the list above SSG2s idea of making the Carling Cup U23 then I reckon we could be on to a winner.

You should really banish sugar daddies a la Abramovich and the City Arabs so that player prices and wages aren't skewed and tax the £#%&! out of any company or individual that takes money OUT of a football club as well.

Do I believe that to solve the problem of not enough young english players getting the experience of first team football in the highest league we need to reduce the number of games that they can play in? No I don't.

Originally Posted by BryanRobson'sLiver

Do I believe that to solve the problem of not enough young english players getting the experience of first team football in the highest league we need to reduce the number of games that they can play in? No I don't.

I know in theory they can play in those games, but in practise do you think they actually do?

Originally Posted by BryanRobson'sLiver

Do I believe that to solve the problem of not enough young english players getting the experience of first team football in the highest league we need to reduce the number of games that they can play in? No I don't.

I would agree with you were it not for the fact that English players are getting let go by the shedload before they even get a pro contract. Clubs prefer to bring in cheaper foreign imports. The lower divisions are full to the brim with the 'next big English stars' of the Premiership.

Take Chelsea, they have a huge youth developement set-up, millions upon millions spent yet how many English players have they brought through to the first team in the last 4 or 5 years? 1? 2? Or closer to home, how many have we brought through in the last 4 years that are first team regulars? Fletcher. And he's Scottish.

Losing 2 Premiership clubs won't make the malaise any worse. The problem is far more ingrained.

Originally Posted by red red robbo

I know in theory they can play in those games, but in practise do you think they actually do?

In reality probably not but at least having those games increases their chances of playing in them.

Originally Posted by silv

you're christmas aint like mine then!

love christmas day tbh but cant wait to get out on the lash on boxing day!

I don't celebrate christmas

Originally Posted by believe

but how does having a break allow us to play less games? if you take 4 weeks out of the winter you have to make them up elsewhere. as for helping our case at the end of the season well that's just %@#$&!s. i'd imagine that over the last 15 years the top 2 team in the country have won either the league or the cup and only bad managment in europe and better teams has meant an english team hasn't won the european cup more often.

the only team a break will benefit is england and if we didn't play team football at all englands best first XI still wouldn't compete at major tournaments.

erm, it doesn't

it gives you a chance to rest

tired players get injured

by the same token you might as well say they should play every game on consecutive days and have the rest of the year off to rest. it doesn't quite work like that

This knackered excuse is wearing a bit thin.

Fact is england just don't have enough decent players atm.

Originally Posted by redmike

This knackered excuse is wearing a bit thin.

Fact is england just don't have enough decent players atm.

This - all else is smokescreen and distraction

Originally Posted by redmike

This knackered excuse is wearing a bit thin.

Fact is england just don't have enough decent players atm.

i'm not talking about england i'm talking about united

we always arrive at the end of the season looking paggered, carrying injuries and with key players missing. Or they get injured in the run because they are tired

keeps them psychologically fresh too, just like for all of us when we go off on holiday for a week

there is clear merit, the other major leagues recognise it and every top manager in this country wants it for those reasons

a winter beak would be good for the lower tiers, as they get games cancelled because of frozen pitches which results in a fixture pile-up at the end of the season

Originally Posted by florentino ariza

i'm not talking about england i'm talking about united

we always arrive at the end of the season looking paggered, carrying injuries and with key players missing. Or they get injured in the run because they are tired

keeps them psychologically fresh too, just like for all of us when we go off on holiday for a week

there is clear merit, the other major leagues recognise it and every top manager in this country wants it for those reasons

in each of the last 4 seasons, we have laboured towards the finishing line. 2008 probably you could argue against, but there also we looked poor against the likes of blackburn, spurs and wigan etc at the end of the season.

They'd just use the break for friendlies or to shoot endless commercials. Big players have too many commercial interests that involve jetting around the world, long hours etc.

The fixture list over christmas is a joke though.

Originally Posted by florentino ariza

i'm not talking about england i'm talking about united

we always arrive at the end of the season looking paggered, carrying injuries and with key players missing. Or they get injured in the run because they are tired

keeps them psychologically fresh too, just like for all of us when we go off on holiday for a week

there is clear merit, the other major leagues recognise it and every top manager in this country wants it for those reasons

I agree with that.

It's not as though they can tell the boss they are feeling £#%&!ed, book a week off and disappear to the Algarve to recharge their batteries, as it stands, is it.

There should definitely be a break. Might do the ref's and linesmen some good too.

£#%&! off a couple of International friendly week's and move the fixtures about a bit and they would easily create a two week break.

Change the Carling Cup to U23's as mentioned and all of a sudden the fixture list is far less congested for the top players.