Break with tradition?

God · 02-10-2007, 03:50 PM

An artical i read regarding a winter break for the EPL. If its too long for you to read ive highlighted what i thought was the best arguments.

Quote:

One of the privileges of being a member of the London Football Coaches' Association is attending a monthly seminar to listen to some of football's top-level coaches and experts.

Last Monday was no exception as Arsenal and England physio Gary Lewin took a group of 50 or so coaches back to Germany in a behind-the-scenes photo diary of the World Cup.

It was a fascinating insight into the preparation that goes into an England World Cup campaign revealing all manner of detail from what happens in a so-called "fitness test" to the number of pairs of football boots the squad took along with them (290, in case you were wondering).

Amongst the bootroom full of useful information, Lewin also delivered the most compelling argument I have heard for a winter break and how the lack of one is detrimental, not just to the England team but also the English game in general.

Take the end of this season.

The last game in the domestic calendar is the FA Cup final on 19 May, followed by the Champions League final the following Wednesday, in which there is likely to be a collection of England players on show.

Then three weeks later on 6 June, there is an international qualifier where England play Estonia. England are not alone of course, most of the rest of Europe will be playing qualifers too.

Except most other European leagues will be coming to an end just when the international matches take place.

Whereas the England players in action will have to keep themselves match fit for three weeks to play just one game.

For a summer without a major championship that just seems madness to me.

Lewin also points out that across Europe the rate of injuries before Christmas is quite similar but in the second half of the season, players in the Portuguese and English leagues are four times more likely to be injured.

The reason? These are the only two leagues which don't have a winter break.

And Lewin also argues that the fixture congestion around Christmas causes problems too.

Shock results like Sheffield United beating Arsenal might be great for the league perhaps, but play Thierry Henry four times in 10 days and Lewin says his sprints will drop in their intensity by 40-50%. Players will only cover two-thirds of the distance they would normally.

Factor in Arsenal having only had two Wednesdays free this season and you begin to figure why there have been few outstanding Premiership games this season and at times some games have bordered on testimonial.

Owen Hargreaves conceded in his BBC Sport website column that in the Bundesliga, players can invest all their energy during November knowing they have nearly six weeks to recover.

And how many of the German squad which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup played in the Bundesliga last year? 21 out of 23.

Indeed, who was the most energetic England player last summer?

Although there are only 18 teams in the Bundesliga, is the break the real reason Germany have had such a good record over the last 20 years compared to England?

The major barriers preventing a winter break are largely down to the traditional footballing calendar where the third round of the FA Cup is played during the first weekend in January and no league games can be played after the FA Cup final or surrounding the play-offs.

But surely the importance of the England team and the lack of quality Premiership games this year suggests a major re-think is needed.

Lewin says that senior pros at Arsenal cannot understand why Premiership fixtures are rearranged to accommodate the FA Cup. 'Which is more important?' they ask.

And with falling attendances, is it time the FA and the Premier League just bit the bullet and encouraged a winter break for the good of English game in general?

I'd be interested to know what you think.

Tyler Durden · 02-12-2007, 04:44 AM

No, I don't want a Christmas break. I don't agree with four games in 10 days or anything crazy, but Christmas is a time when families love to get out and see the traditional fixtures (Boxing Day and New Years Day), so I certainly don't want to lose that.

No, I am not for an 18 club Premier league, but I am for a complete scratching of the League Cup. It's irrelevant, even clubs halfway up the Championship field scratch sides half the time since "the league is more important". The League Cup final is coming up, but nobody outside the two clubs concerned cares a jot. It's irrelevant (I even had to think to remind myself who was in it).

Yes, I am for a winter break. Not because of the weather, in England we can't tell if the snow is coming from November to February, so that isn't the factor. I would have the break following the traditional FA Cup Third Round in the first week of January.

I would however absolutely insist on the following for our Winter Break - no teams are then allowed to scooch off to Dubai (or wherever) and use it to play a couple of money spinning "friendlies".

If the clubs want to take their players off for warm weather training anyway, then that's fine. That's the point of the break. But no matches during the break. Maybe the English players in this break (if there are any left in the Prem) could use this time to, you know, learn to kick with their "other" foot, or maybe even learn to take a penalty correctly!!

On another sidepoint, I would change all England international friendlies to "B" status. These games bore the ass off me, and no player should be boosting his international caps by appearing in them. Give them B status, use them as experimental games (which they should be) and as a B game, there is no longer any pressure on management to pick Lampard, Gerrard or any of the other top players....hell it's a B game, they don't play in those!! And maybe we may learn something in them. Then even if we lose, hell it was a B game, it wasn't a full international and doesn't go on the full teams stats.

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Break with tradition?

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