Today's Football 2014/15

[Eggs]

Italy have moved ahead of England in the UEFA coefficient rankings.

.....I have to say I have always thought giving the FA Cup winners a Champions League place is worthy of consideration. Imagine if it was only the top 2 and FA Cup winners who got a place, it would give the old competition a real lift and give other clubs an opportunity of qualifying.

 

[PhilM]

Whilst it is only be a small part of the problem, there needs to be a sensible three week gap over December / January for the Premier League. Get rid of the pointless League Cup to make way for those fixtures, perhaps at the same time clubs will also give the FA Cup more respect.

The seemingly key argument which keeps arising is the 'festive break' fixtures, which I admit I do enjoy watching. However it's purely sentiment.

I'm ever more becoming an advocate of the winter break, similar to that of the Bundesliga et al, after I spent a few years in Germany.

They have six weeks without fixtures, which allows a couple of weeks rest and then usually two weeks of squad training (often usually abroad).

This staggered approach gives players the chance to rest, revitalise and overcome injuries, so the second half of the season continues at a pace.

While our players are playing four games in eight days over Christmas or something silly, our European counterparts are on a beach relaxing.

Come April or May Premier League players are often fatigued or even exhausted; in Continental leagues the players still have energy to burn.

It benefits the International competitions (World Cup etc) and the latter stages of the European club competitions where we seem to flounder.

 

[thirdmantackle]

why not have a pre-Christmas break, rather than a break over the festive period.

 

[1966efc]

The seemingly key argument which keeps arising is the 'festive break' fixtures, which I admit I do enjoy watching. However it's purely sentiment.

I'm ever more becoming an advocate of the winter break, similar to that of the Bundesliga et al, after I spent a few years in Germany.

They have six weeks without fixtures, which allows a couple of weeks rest and then usually two weeks of squad training (often usually abroad).

This staggered approach gives players the chance to rest, revitalise and overcome injuries, so the second half of the season continues at a pace.

While our players are playing four games in eight days over Christmas or something silly, our European counterparts are on a beach relaxing.

Come April or May Premier League players are often fatigued or even exhausted; in Continental leagues the players still have energy to burn.

It benefits the International competitions (World Cup etc) and the latter stages of the European club competitions where we seem to flounder.

It was said sometime in the 50's of the English team, "The lions of winter are the lambs in spring."

 

[Ring master]

I would not want a break at xmas,i dont see how having a break would make them fresher a few months later etc,when the xmas games etc you would have to still play,plus what if the time you were due back after the break games were called off for snow and so on,and we probably can guess that teams would go on a pre xmas friendly game some were in the world to keep fitness up,make money meaning it would not be a break etc

as in making Refs full time has not made them any better,finshing a season earlier does not mean england will do better international tournament and so on

 

[toffeejack]

.....I have to say I have always thought giving the FA Cup winners a Champions League place is worthy of consideration. Imagine if it was only the top 2 and FA Cup winners who got a place, it would give the old competition a real lift and give other clubs an opportunity of qualifying.

i disagree tbh. think the comp doesn't need a lift at all - it's all a massive myth. there are a few of the top teams who seem to turn their noses up at a bit. i wouldn't mind seeing the league cup go, but would that make teams like chelsea play their fringe players in the FA Cup instead, or would the lack of fixtures mean they wouldn't need to rest a couple in the FA Cup and always be full strength?

you look at this season, that day when chelsea and city got humbled at home by bradford and boro - one of the greatest non-everton footballing days i've whitnessed - it was memorable to say the least. we very rarely get the same finals. arsenal have been their 2 years now after a decade of absence and they will be playing hull and villa respectively. United still haven't won it in about 10 years or something crazy.

think the comp is perfectly fine, but don't think it warrants a CL place. Imagine if reading beat Arsenal and RS beat villa like they should have.

Do you think beating Reading, Villa, B'Burn, Bolton, Palace and AFC Wimbledon should be worth more than a team like us being consistently great over 38 games to finish 3rd? not for me.

 

[toffeejack]

Much as I dislike Pardew you have to say that Palace were poor before he arrived and Newcastle have been dire since he left - the table of the PL showing Pardew and Non-Pardew Palace/Newcastle confirms it:

8 Pardew 16-6-12-47-47-0-54
20 Newcastle and Palace without Pardew 4-11-19-31-57-23

In other words it's reasonable to argue that Palace would have gone down without him and Newcastle might if he had left earlier - not sure we'd have minded that too much!

quite a few factors for me i believe.

1 being who the hell is john carver? and the other being he doesn't really have a chuffing clue. their team is hardly great though, i mean jack colback will probably run away with player of the year.

 

[Pat's Van]

...amazingly tight at the bottom.

 

[Eggs]

i disagree tbh. think the comp doesn't need a lift at all - it's all a massive myth. there are a few of the top teams who seem to turn their noses up at a bit. i wouldn't mind seeing the league cup go, but would that make teams like chelsea play their fringe players in the FA Cup instead, or would the lack of fixtures mean they wouldn't need to rest a couple in the FA Cup and always be full strength?

you look at this season, that day when chelsea and city got humbled at home by bradford and boro - one of the greatest non-everton footballing days i've whitnessed - it was memorable to say the least. we very rarely get the same finals. arsenal have been their 2 years now after a decade of absence and they will be playing hull and villa respectively. United still haven't won it in about 10 years or something crazy.

think the comp is perfectly fine, but don't think it warrants a CL place. Imagine if reading beat Arsenal and RS beat villa like they should have.

Do you think beating Reading, Villa, B'Burn, Bolton, Palace and AFC Wimbledon should be worth more than a team like us being consistently great over 38 games to finish 3rd? not for me.

....you could be right, as I say it's a consideration. The same sides inevitably qualify year in, year out and it's very difficult to break into that elite because they continue to earn more and attract the better players. Perhaps the FA Cup is at least an opportunity to gate crash the party.

 

[toffeejack]

....you could be right, as I say it's a consideration. The same sides inevitably qualify year in, year out and it's very difficult to break into that elite because they continue to earn more and attract the better players. Perhaps the FA Cup is at least an opportunity to gate crash the party.

yeah possibly. UEFA wouldn't want that. they like it when keeping the same pack it seems. it would be a massive step too far for a team like hull or villa, must be said - but then if the revenue gained from the champions league can see them compete with the top 7 for the following couple of seasons and extended that little competitive group - that would be great for the league imo.

 

[toffeejack]

Arjun Gill: Coutinho - Picked us up with some amazing goals in big games. Without him #Liverpool would be lost. Also Henderson due to development

loving the grand delusion from RS fans on the TOTY - you can tell which one's them because they can't help making it obvious. i wonder if this one is a kopite? No de gea because he plays for united, no costa because of the stamps? it's just so hard to tell.

My team of the year would be. Forster. Ivanovic. Terry. Fonte. Bertrand. Matic. Sterling. Hazard. Sanchez. Kane. Austin. Subs: Coutinho. Downing. Skrtel. Giroud. Lloris. Aguero. Forster won't get it as he isn't England's number one or at a trendy club. Southampton's defence and keeper have been the best in the league all season. Austin getting that many goals has been incredible considering where he was five years ago.

...remember we're the bitter ones.

 

[toffeejack]

TOTY, De Gea, Hazard, Sanchez, Clyne and i would say eriksen should be shoe-ins. i really wouldn't have coutinho in there, people clouded by what he's done in the cup. Costa's been injured on and off and aguero's top scorer. Kane's been brilliant, but he's only really played the second half of the season. he's got 20 in the league, so it's pretty tough to choose between those 3. austin scoring so many in such a rank average team as well is a feat and a half and giroud has gone a bit under the radar, but will rightly miss out.

 

[Dutch Toffee]

Been to Southend v Luton yesterday. Great atmosphere and an almost sold out stadium. Awful match though, with only kick and rush and almost no chances created at either end. 10 men Southend won by an enormous mistake by the Luton keeper and took a giant step towards promotion. Had a great day and explains the reason why I'm totally in love with English football. At all levels!

 

[meagher94]

TOTY, De Gea, Hazard, Sanchez, Clyne and i would say eriksen should be shoe-ins. i really wouldn't have coutinho in there, people clouded by what he's done in the cup. Costa's been injured on and off and aguero's top scorer. Kane's been brilliant, but he's only really played the second half of the season. he's got 20 in the league, so it's pretty tough to choose between those 3. austin scoring so many in such a rank average team as well is a feat and a half and giroud has gone a bit under the radar, but will rightly miss out.

Think you mean Kone mate

Clyne deserves to be in there but the problem is Ivanovic has been as solid as ever too, hard to choose between them unless you have Ivanovic centre back. Maybe this:

De Gea, Clyne, Ivanovic, Terry, Bertrand, Sanchez, Fabregas, Matic, Hazard, Kane, Aguero

Alcaraz just misses out unfortunately.

 

[toffeejack]

hahaha laughable. Ivanovic has been appalling - his goals have overshadowed how average he's been. terry and cahill, utter lol.