This narrative that we have to keep trimming the football calendar for safety/player welfare

I hate it. Listening to a late-night podcast at the moment where they're all happy to scrap all FA Cup replays, make the league cup semi-final one leg, make Champions League games one leg, etc etc. Apparently because it's bad for player welfare to play 40-50 games in a season.

This is supposed to be the fans' game. We like FA Cup replays. We like games.

It's BS to claim these players are being overworked because of an unfair schedule. Firstly, they get paid *millions* of pounds and retire when they're 35. Secondly, there are multiple employed players who could step in when one needs a break. Just because they're not as good doesn't mean they can't play. Play the reserves, play the kids. That's how you improve the standard of the game and raise the next generation anyway.

When did the first 11 become the only footballers who matter?

 

I totally agree. Paul Merson was saying was saying that as a footballer you want to win trophies you don't care if you finish top four, six or whatever.

 

Yet if you listen to almost any player they’ll all say they prefer having more games as it means they have to train less. Managers just love a whinge & an excuse.

 

Alternatively, I played Saturdays and sundays and a midweek 5 aside plus working 5 days a week. Due to the shambles at oakwell I’ll be doing the same again next year. Plus there’s thousands of amateurs doing the same every single week. It’s insulting to hear.

I get it’s not at the top level elite sport, but to us, winning is just as important at our level.

So there’s blokes like me, slightly overweight, have a post match meal of 5 pints, have to work 5 days a week and play 70+ matches a year. I wish they’d just get on with it. And to be fair to the players, it won’t be them, they will want to play football all the time. It’s the management that are making these statements.

 

And as soon as the calendar is freed of these extra games the clubs don’t want to play - they’ll fill them with pre season tournaments or increase champions league fixtures as they’re more lucrative- that’s the real motive IMO.

What they really mean is they don’t want to play Altrincham twice when they could use the time and players to play AC Milan in Miami in a heavily sponsored meaningless exhibition tournament.

 

1992/93.

 

Absolutely agree, but it seems like some players are of this mindset as well, I think Simon Jordan went on a rant about some comments Jordan Henderson made about the Christmas schedule. As long as things are fair they need to stop whining and get on with it, the problem is the TV companies have games at different times so some teams get longer breaks than others.

 

They're happy to take the TV money though, can't have your cake and eat it!

 

In general I tend to agree, but I believe European Football was a million times better when we had two leg knock out competitions rather than the league system we have now. The UEFA Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and The European Cup were exciting completions. What we've got now is lots and lots of games in order to make money. And a product I lost even the remotest bit of interest in over a decade ago.

 

Can’t remember exact figures but Man Utd under Jose hold the record of most games in a season, somewhere around 64 games, believe it was Pogba who made the most starts around 29 games in total.
Successful teams play more games but those same teams have huge squads to cope.

 

I agree with that. It's the expansion of the European cups as essentially a trio of super leagues that is the problem. Firstly they've oversaturated the market and fans have lost interest and secondly they've created a situation where the top teams have to play so many games across Europe that when travel is taken into account it really is too much for them.

Do I have any sympathy for the club's? None at all. They backed the expansion.
Do I have any for the genuinely overworked players at the top clubs? None at all. They willingly signed for them in return for obscene sums of money

 

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