Today’s Football 2020/21 Season

[number4.]

That's the managers choice though. Raising from 3 to 5 wont make any difference.

The 2nd point is fine, but unrelated to player welfare. Which is the essence of the argument really. Managers want to have more influence on the game. That's fair enough, but clubs with greater resources benefit.

As for the 71 leagues stuff, just a couple of points.
1) How many of those leagues have 5-6 teams who have wages bill's hundreds of millions more than the rest of the league?
2) How many have a TV deal the size of the EPLs which would be damaged by continual changes in game?

If you can answer those, you will get your answer as to why the PL has a different view.

I'm not being horrible here mate, but a couple of weeks ago you were stating it would definitely come in. It didnt 4 weeks ago and hasnt now.

You were also talking about 4 or 5 teams winning 10 from 12. So far since then:
Liverpool have slipped up twice, Leicester 3 times, City 3 times, Spurs twice and Chelsea twice. That is just in the last 3 or 4 games. This is clearly a bit of a blindspot for you.

Yes & I have proven time and time again, my predictions mean sod all, but we all speculate & whether it be going back to the null and void being inevitable or not to this you get some right and some wrong.

I can't recall saying it "definitely" will (I might have but not going to bother going through thread), but I would admit I am surprised it didn't, the tide was flowing that way & I thought the vote would grow from 6, which it did, but to more that the 10 it increase to.

On the wider point of teams winning 10 from 12, I believe I said that in the context of when two games per week kicks in, which is really this week. I still think we will have a much clearer table by the end of the winter run. I think the CL squads will benefit massively from the rest of the league going to a cadence to two games per week, but perhaps 10 from 12 was extreme, Man city and chelsea in particular have more problems than it looked like a month ago

 

[number4.]

I am not that arsed, 3, 4, or 5.

But lets not kid on its cos of player welfare. They will used tactically, to kill a game, waste time, whatever. Sometimes a player will be replaced if gassed, but 3 subs attends to that anyrate.

Time wasting a moot point, they can only be made in three interruptions of play in all other leagues, as was the PL post lockdown.

Making subs to kill a game is part of football - at the moment managers dont seem to be using subs to the same degree for tactical reasons which is a loss in my opinion

 

[catcherintherye]

Yes & I have proven time and time again, my predictions mean sod all, but we all speculate & whether it be going back to the null and void being inevitable or not to this you get some right and some wrong.

I can't recall saying it "definitely" will (I might have but not going to bother going through thread), but I would admit I am surprised it didn't, the tide was flowing that way & I thought the vote would grow from 6, which it did, but to more that the 10 it increase to.

On the wider point of teams winning 10 from 12, I believe I said that in the context of when two games per week kicks in, which is really this week. I still think we will have a much clearer table by the end of the winter run. I think the CL squads will benefit massively from the rest of the league going to a cadence to two games per week, but perhaps 10 from 12 was extreme, Man city and chelsea in particular have more problems than it looked like a month ago

Let's see.

I don't see it going that way at all. The league is far too open, as I believe I said. Even the poorer teams can take points off people.

It makes for an exciting league and great season though. I think football fans are very engaged in it, which is more than can be said for the last 2 or 3 years where lots seemed to switch off.

 

[PaddyJames]

This conversation reminds me that David Nugent got an England cap. And scored!

 

[PhilM]

For me - if you are agreeing it will aide players, that should be the end of the discussion. this is a mickey mouse asterix laden season and players should be given all the help the can to get through it.

I think the 5 subs will benefit everyteam & I would propose the stronger the squad the less the benefit; as Liverpool have shown, they can absorb significant injuries and compete, the smaller the squad, the more they will benefit from this kind of protection aid. Someone is going to end up not being able to field a competitive team this season & that wont be Man City, Liverpool or Chelsea. I just hope it's not us

Genuine question here: haven't the players had the more time off over a calendar twelve-months than ever? Are injuries across the PL higher than average?

Also, should it not be about balance? It would aide players if they could only play one in every two games, so should that be imposed?

A glib argument you may say, and you're right, but the point is that aiding players alone should not be the only point unless you're blinded due to dogma*.

*or something else.

 

[number4.]

Genuine question here: haven't the players had the more time off over a calendar twelve-months than ever? Are injuries across the PL higher than average?

Also, should it not be about balance? It would aide players if they could only play one in every two games, so should that be imposed?

A glib argument you may say, and you're right, but the point is that aiding players alone should not be the only point unless you're blinded due to dogma*.

*or something else.

Yes - Soft tissue injuries are up 42% season on season.

Yes - they had 3 months off with Covid, but that's possibly a negative without a proper preseason, to prep the body . Rest is good, but how often to you see a player recover from a significant injury after three months out & as soon as they get back, they pull a muscle or hamstring.

Sure you can't aide players in insolation, it's a temporary helping hand in a wild year, as 71 of 72 leagues have managed to agree is sensible. If you wanted to exclusively prevent players from any injury you would just stop football, which would be stupid, it's about mitigation.

 

[number4.]

Let's see.

I don't see it going that way at all. The league is far too open, as I believe I said. Even the poorer teams can take points off people.

It makes for an exciting league and great season though. I think football fans are very engaged in it, which is more than can be said for the last 2 or 3 years where lots seemed to switch off.

Agreed - I would love nothing more than a 4 horse race for title and top 4 with a months to go

 

[number4.]

Let's see.

I don't see it going that way at all. The league is far too open, as I believe I said. Even the poorer teams can take points off people.

It makes for an exciting league and great season though. I think football fans are very engaged in it, which is more than can be said for the last 2 or 3 years where lots seemed to switch off.

Agreed - I would love nothing more than a 4 horse race for title and top 4 with a months to go

 

[PhilM]

Yes - Soft tissue injuries are up 42% season on season.

Yes - they had 3 months off with Covid, but that's possibly a negative without a proper preseason, to prep the body . Rest is good, but how often to you see a player recover from a significant injury after three months out & as soon as they get back, they pull a muscle or hamstring.

Sure you can't aide players in insolation, it's a temporary helping hand in a wild year, as 71 of 72 leagues have managed to agree is sensible. If you wanted to exclusively prevent players from any injury you would just stop football, which would be stupid, it's about mitigation.

Yet as of the 24th November, only four teams out of twenty (20%) have used the full three subs in their past nine fixtures.

I know it was discussed earlier about leaving subs due to contingency for injuries, but where's the qualitative evidence for this?

If it's about mitigation and concerns for injuries, more clubs would be regularly using their full allocation yet they're not. Why not stipulate that they have to?

 

[number4.]

View attachment 111476
Yet as of the 24th November, only four teams out of twenty (20%) have used the full three subs in their past nine fixtures.

I know it was discussed earlier about leaving subs due to contingency for injuries, but where's the qualitative evidence for this?

If it's about mitigation and concerns for injuries, more clubs would be regularly using their full allocation yet they're not. Why not stipulate that they have to?

Yes - but that same table says that over 60% of games have used all 3 subs, so I guess it's about how you present the data. If you look at the bottom 2 on that list...

Pep has two squads and has made the most starting changes the last 2 years
Sean Dyche plays an 11 and sticks to it


Re - contingency; fair it is speculation to an extent, there will never be qual for it, but Klopp, Potter, OGS & Pep G have all on the record said they needed to hold back a sub (or two) for fear of injury with games in the balance

 

[Old Blue 2]

You say it's really basic. If so, why are soft tissue injuries up 42% spread across the league. It's now simply one club. It's cleary not; these clubs at both ends of the table throw huge money at expertise and equipment to ensure fitness & yet across the 20 clubs injuries are massive.

You tell me! I'm not a physio or Manager at one of those clubs.

But if you push someone too hard at any level, in any sport, something's gonna give. Seen time and again over the years...

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

5 subs would benefit us I think, so I’m in favour of it

 

[number4.]

You tell me! I'm not a physio or Manager at one of those clubs.

But if you push someone too hard at any level, in any sport, something's gonna give. Seen time and again over the years...

i have - a long break, followed by Zero pre season plus a bizarre schedule equals a ton of injuries. The data shows resting people is a red herring, the core prep isn't there; thats why the injuries are up 42% across the board.

 

[zukai12_]

16 year old scores for Dortmund!

 

[deipnosophist]

I'm probably repeating what's already been repeated, but I would love nothing more than a 4 horse race for title and top 4 with a month to go