Premier League Managers/Players…..

We have too many games!!!

Arsenal against Bolton at home: starts Saka??

Now if there was any game to rest your best player, it would probably be this.

I’m just not buying this too many games argument. There is more money at the top level than ever, each squad has two quality players for each position, plus the cream of up and coming talent premier league clubs have picked up (usually) for a knock down price.

If there are so many games…..ROTATE your squad and use the players you are paying tens of thousands of pounds per week. This complaint coming from any of the top 6 is particularly insane and downright offensive to lower league clubs where squad depth, games and injuries are a genuine issue.

 

In rugby there's a lot of player rotation as the human body can't stand up to a rugby match every week, international calendar and all the gym work involved.

The rotation makes the league way more competitive, with a lot more upsets. Teams target certain games and competitions and honours are much more evenly spread. Could be an interesting model.

 

The arguments supposed to be that there's too many games & the best players (who people wanna see) won't be able to play, or when they do play they'll not be at their best. Playing 80-90 games a season is nuts mind, for club & country. Including all the travelling, being away from family, training, etc.

But that's just life. I'd certainly rather be in Rodri's position, than my granddads when he worked his nads off down pits for almost 30 years - certainly when you compare the wages.

I get the point though, but we can't change football for the top 5%. The club world cup & nations league games should be abondoned. There's no need for it, especially now it's expanded. It is mental like but that's why you get paid incredible amounts.

 

I wonder how many of these players have voiced opinions to their own clubs about being shuttled half way around the world for meaningless friendlies once a spare weekend opens up in the calendar? Seems like the clubs are wanting to cut their commitments to FIFA competitions and are using the players voices to get the message across.

 

The sooner the elite fekk off to a super league the better. Too many games. But traipse around the world playing in meaningless but highly lucrative tournaments. The PL Calling the tune over the EFL. Having to abide by their offers of blackmail.
Football at the highest level in english football is not for me any more. Unless the elite fekk off to the promised land.

 

I think they have got a point.

If you look at some players such as Rodri at City, he can’t be dropped unless they’re playing a lower league side or a champions league game after already qualifying because there’s a huge drop in performance level to the back ups.

The problem is players are covering more & more distance each game, they’re running almost twice as much per match as they did when we were in the top flight.

The only answer is to cut the amount of games but no one’s going to want to because it will mean a reduction in revenue.

 

To some extent I'd disagree with that, one of the financial problems that modern rugby is facing is squad size...when I played in the 70's and 80's there were no interchanges...you played 80 mins week in week out, and the best, fittest team won, not the one that could fetch on the most effective array of substitutes.
The rules have made it a reality, but its a reality the game can't afford.

 

If they had the TV/Commercial Revenue that Football generates would they not be able to afford it though?

 

Initially they would, but it would just go the same way as football, the players would start demanding higher wages until eventually it becomes unaffordable again for the majority of clubs.

 

Only if they follow the Football model in wages, they could learn from it instead

 

It would be nice to think that could happen, but it's humans involved, greed takes over, it's inevitable unfortunately.

 

Surely have to be on about rugby union? Rugby league over here is far from competitive when looking at the super league. The last 2 weeks 8 matches have ended with one team being nilled.

 

You mean the richest and most successful (last 5 years) club in the country has been unable to recruit successfully in all positions? That sounds like a "them" problem to me...

 

As Richk has said above, the ambition to spend will always match the amount of money ( or more) available. It's ridiculous that more than half the players can be replaced before the end, and that teams can 'game' the system as South Africa did in the World Cup by feigning concussion injuries allowing them to rest key players and bring them back on after self checking the supposed head injury.
I don't know the answer but something needs to be done.

 

Their recruitments superb but he’s the best in the world in that position by some distance.

They’ve got Kovacic who’s a top player in his own right but he’s not on Rodri’s level. No one is.

It’s a nice thought that every club has two players for each position at the same performance level who can be rotated but it’s just not realistic.

No manager is going to rotate & rest their best players unless they’re playing inferior opposition where they think they can get away with it.

You’ve also got to look at the financial angle. There’s got to be a drop off to your back ups. You can’t pay a full squad first team wages because of the financial rules that will be broken.

 

Yeah, union sorry.

Last season saw Northampton top the table. 12 wins and 6 losses. They were one win and a couple of bonus points ahead of 5th.