The winter break

[Scallywolf]

What do fellow Mixers think of the PL winter break?

I find it pretty confusing tbh, with matches being played on different days, at different times and all the other distractions.

We have the Asian Cup and the ACON, with some top players missing from nearly every PL club and then we have the FA Cup, with replays in between the very few league games.

January has been a right load of **** imo and I just want to get back to playing our normal games.

Should I (at 71 years old) accept that football is not as I once knew it, or realise that change is supposed to be for the better?

 

[Rowzed]

it means two of our best players aren’t missing for 6 weeks of league football which is good, but it interrupted a golden run of form, less good

the real reason is to reduce the overload on players and a short break to reset and refresh is likely beneficial in that respect. So I’m for it even though it makes a grim month a bit grimmer

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

To be fair if we're going to be reminiscing, we'd probably have lost a game to a frozen pitch, so not much difference. I thought it was going to be a pain, but with the Cup replay and progression it's not been too bad. Not so good for the home support admittedly.

 

[JJ59]

3 big games in 7 days not ideal.

 

[Scallywolf]

it means two of our best players aren’t missing for 6 weeks of league football which is good, but it interrupted a golden run of form, less good

the real reason is to reduce the overload on players and a short break to reset and refresh is likely beneficial in that respect. So I’m for it even though it makes a grim month a bit grimmer

It’s not a real break, though is it, for the players involved in the Asian Cup and the ACON going on and games being played every few days.

Some of those players might need a break after the PL winter break!

We had a winter break last season, but it was nothing like this season.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Confusing should of shut down for 2 weeks but the scattering of games is strange. Doesn’t make much sense

Saturday 3rd feb with prem fixtures 5 games

 

[Monketron]

The FA Cup replay pretty much ruined the break for what it was but it still gave the squad a chance for a few days in the sun at least. More of a mental break than a physical one really.

 

[Minimalist]

I’m sure players would be better off if all the games were scheduled so they were spread out evenly rather than constant stopping and starting, 3 games one week, no games the next fortnight…..
International breaks are probably a bigger annoyance than the winter break.

 

[wolvesaywe]

I'm all for it

The alternative would have been missing key players for more matches and a high chance of losing even more to injury following the hectic Christmas period

As it is we head toward February in a very strong position

 

[Ned]

I think it helps with a little recharge and reset. The games could be better spread out in the season but isn’t there a rule that top flight games aren’t allowed on the same nights as Uefa games? I might be completely wrong. But this could take away 1 game from both Xmas and Easter’s silly schedules.

 

[TriumphWolf]

To be honest, it isn’t really much of a break - if you are involved in a 3rd round replay I think there is only 7/8 days off - it is hardly a complete fixture shutdown as occurs in other leagues (doesn’t Germany sometimes have 4 weeks off?)

Personally, I always felt it was simply part of the job of players/coaches/managers to manage the squad through whatever the fixture list throws their way - some handle it better, some worse.

The very last part of Scallywolf’s question - I have come to accept that the game is now completely different to that which I used to enjoy - I don’t like it as much as I used to, but nothing ever stays the same

 

[Wolves Bard]

What do fellow Mixers think of the PL winter break?

I find it pretty confusing tbh, with matches being played on different days, at different times and all the other distractions.

We have the Asian Cup and the ACON, with some top players missing from nearly every PL club and then we have the FA Cup, with replays in between the very few league games.

January has been a right load of **** imo and I just want to get back to playing our normal games.

Should I (at 71 years old) accept that football is not as I once knew it, or realise that change is supposed to be for the better?

Correct squire. What winter break ?

 

[Frank Lincoln]

If there has to be a winter break, then at least it should be done properly. Scattering the odd game here and there seems a bit strange. All clubs should have the same amount of time off,

 

[WolvesAndCows]

How come the football league doesn't have one?
I imagine it's just to please the clubs that are in Europe?

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

For me the idea of giving everyone a 2 week break and then staggering the fixtures so it becomes 3 weeks where everyone has the first fortnight or last fortnight is quite clever thinking. Having it at the same time as 3rd round replays and LC semi-finals is a bit daft though, that must have covered half the league at least.

 

[giantwolf]

Confusing should of shut down for 2 weeks but the scattering of games is strange. Doesn’t make much sense

Saturday 3rd feb with prem fixtures 5 games

The "straddle" is seen as a best of both worlds approach - the players get a rest and the PL get the maintain brand presence by ensuring Premier League football remains available for live broadcast throughout the period.

I'm ok with it to be honest

 

[Bankswolf The Third]

I like the way they did it this year if I am honest just unfortunate the FA Cup replay happened but lets be honest we do well in that once every 12 years or so.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

How come the football league doesn't have one?
I imagine it's just to please the clubs that are in Europe?

A good point. Teams in the EFL play more league games than those in the Premier league. They also have three cup competitions, so most teams in the EFL play over 50 games in a season, some will play 60.

I can only presume that players in the lower leagues don’t get tired. Either that of the football authorities only care about the Premier League.

 

[Big Saft Kid]

I think the winter break (at least for the EPL, as currently organised) is a bad idea. (1) For one thing, the period when we get bad weather and the disruption it potentially causes doesn't necessarily coincide with a January break -- remember the 'Beast from the East' a few years ago? That was in March. Our weather is very unpredictable nowadays, not like in decades gone by when you could bank on January being snowy and frosty (2) the knock on effects of a break mean too many games in too short a space of time either before it or after it (or both), especially for teams still involved in several competitions; I don't like games on, say, a Thursday night or a Friday or a Sunday afternoon. The only solution I can see if Afcon and the Asian Cup are going to continue to be held in our winter and we are to have a January break is to extend the season. and/or scrap the ridiculous international breaks for meaningless friendlies.

 

[GV Wolf]

Yep I thought the game was on sky tonight until I just checked what time it was starting. It looks like sky have the tv rights to MNF apart from the mid season break games.

 

[Ironfistedmonk]

Yep I thought the game was on sky tonight until I just checked what time it was starting. It looks like sky have the tv rights to MNF apart from the mid season break games.

It's on TNT Sports, formerly BT

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I think the winter break (at least for the EPL, as currently organised) is a bad idea. (1) For one thing, the period when we get bad weather and the disruption it potentially causes doesn't necessarily coincide with a January break -- remember the 'Beast from the East' a few years ago? That was in March. Our weather is very unpredictable nowadays, not like in decades gone by when you could bank on January being snowy and frosty (2) the knock on effects of a break mean too many games in too short a space of time either before it or after it (or both), especially for teams still involved in several competitions; I don't like games on, say, a Thursday night or a Friday or a Sunday afternoon. The only solution I can see if Afcon and the Asian Cup are going to continue to be held in our winter and we are to have a January break is to extend the season. and/or scrap the ridiculous international breaks for meaningless friendlies.

Wholeheartedly agree (who’d have thought that!!) re the last sentence, international friendlies are absolutely absurd. Players hate them, fans hate them. Don’t think I’ve watched one in 5 years. Though apart from the actual tournaments I can’t be bothered with England at all, the qualifying for tournaments now along with that nonsense nations league is an absolute snooze fest

 

[Pagey]

the qualifying for tournaments now along with that nonsense nations league is an absolute snooze fest

Should play the tournament in whole over a couple of weeks, at the end of season during seasons that euro/World Cup aren't on, in one country. I'd be tempted to travel somewhere different and attend a few games. Each league in a different country.