[Football] The season is too long

[Eeyore]

I preferred the old way and then the long summer break from it all, bar World Cups and later Euros.

The top flight in 1976 ended 4th May and that I think was a postponed catch up fixture. The EC final was on 12th May and the second leg of the prestigious UEFA cup final on 19th May.

No need to reiterate the reasons behind the change since, it just felt about right. The players got a long, true back.

The Charity Shield was on the middle Saturday of August, league games started a week later.

Interestingly, the final match of the 1985 was on the 28th May, the day before Heysel. But, yeah, it generally ended a lot earlier.

 

[LamieRobertson]

That is an absolutely magnificent take down write up! Elite tier, chapeau.

Or, to put it another way - FINISH HIM.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

It's international breaks yes.

But it's also extra elongated european competitions that stop you getting midweek rounds of fixtures.

There should definitely be less football. But whilst football administrators use adding games as methods of increasing their power base and wealth, the opposite will happen.

Footballers will grumble, maybe talk about striking. But when someone taps them on the shoulder and tells them that their fabulous pay cheques won't be coming in for the strike duration, that line of resistance will soon crumble.

More and more games will be added, more and more authorities will try to get an increasing slice of the pie and ESL style competitions (including the cream of football, like Spurs) are also likely to pop up.

It's all going to be shit

 

[Brovion]

It's mid May and two more games to go. That is too much. Used to be final game first weekend in May followed by the Cup Final to wrap things up. That was perfect and quite enough football for the season. No doubt we can blame the money men, the TV channels and the Premier League. Well, I for one don't like it.

I don't often agree with you, but yes, I agree, I think it is too long. And if anything it could get worse.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

We played 52 matches in 1982/83 as opposed to 45 this season. Yes I am familiar with what occurred that season however we did exit the League Cup at the first hurdle in a two legged affair.

 

[Papak]

I preferred the old way and then the long summer break from it all, bar World Cups and later Euros.

The top flight in 1976 ended 4th May and that I think was a postponed catch up fixture. The EC final was on 12th May and the second leg of the prestigious UEFA cup final on 19th May.

No need to reiterate the reasons behind the change since, it just felt about right. The players got a long, true back.

The Charity Shield was on the middle Saturday of August, league games started a week later.

Jumpers for goalposts too

Happy days, Cup final coverage all day on Grandstand, watching the players having a card school on the coach to the old Wembley stadium where piss would run out from the trough urinals....Marvellous.

I do agree by the way just adding some anecdotes of my own.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

NSC in May: “the season’s too long”

NSC also in May “when are the fixtures out?”

 

[Kosh]

I do tend to agree that the season, or football in general, simply never ends... the FA cup final should be the final word on the domestic season and the fact that's it's not has devalued it massively imho... Ultimately, it's like putting the headline act second on the bill... akin to Deep Purple supporting the Sweet (lol, can you imagine - sacrilege) especially in a season where the PL title has been wrapped up weeks ago... the highly cynical move to shift the PL season forward to ensure maximum viewership from FL following neutrals over the remaining fixtures also wreaks of all that's wrong with the modern game... Then we get shitty no mark competitions like the WCC and pointless rafts of international 'friendlies' all so we can continue to get our fix... the result knackered players performing below their natural best in the PL, making it less explosive and exciting as levels fall away and it all feels a bit pedestrian... or flat... Intensity my arse, the players are dead on their feet and the 'product' is suffering for it... I'm amazed intelligent people like TB & PB can't see this?!? Maybe they can, but I'd like to see someone sucking on the sagging money tit just to stop for a second and think... hang on, maybe too much extra thick double cream is clogging the game and threatening its beating heart.

But then again, WTF do I know ?

The game is eating itself though, of that I'm pretty sure.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

I was about to make a pithy comment about the fact that if we were in the Championship, our season would potentially still be going on until 24th May.

And then I realised that the final PL game against Spuds is the day AFTER that

#TeamGoldstone #WhatIsTheWorldComingTo #DownWithThisSortOfThing

 

[goldstone]

You don't like a lot of things though, really, do you?

IIRC you're not a fan of dry weather, Thursday night European football, modern fuel tanks, the modern numbering system for midfielders, players breaking their Ramadan fast, Last One Laughing, mental health problems, playing out from the back, home games on Boxing Day, Khan, "pro-gay campaigns", boxing, dog ice cream and immigrants.

Don't worry, Reform will be in charge soon as we can all head gloriously back to 1958. The First Division will be in full flow, the dug up remains of Adrian Thorne will be upfront for the Albion in the regionalised Third Division and the season will stop just in time for tea.

Look I'm really really sorry that I have opinions that don't agree with yours. I had mistakenly assumed that on NSC we were allowed to post our thoughts about football related and other matters. Clearly I have been mistaken. My sincerest apologies.

 

[Gwylan]

I miss footballers who played county cricket, which was possible when there was a gap between the seasons. There used to be quite a few scattered around the country but there haven't been for a few decades. I think that the last league footballer who played county cricket was Joe Gatting, but he'd left football behind (or at least, the FL) when he played for Sussex. I don't know the last person to play both in the same year was - possibly Phil Neale or Ian Botham.

 

[Flounce]

NSC in May: “the season’s too long”

NSC also in May “when are the fixtures out?”

If you are not a cricket fan (I’m not) anyone else start missing football as soon as the season finishes

 

[Dick Swiveller]

You don't like a lot of things though, really, do you?

IIRC you're not a fan of dry weather, Thursday night European football, modern fuel tanks, the modern numbering system for midfielders, players breaking their Ramadan fast, Last One Laughing, mental health problems, playing out from the back, home games on Boxing Day, Khan, "pro-gay campaigns", boxing, dog ice cream and immigrants.

Don't worry, Reform will be in charge soon as we can all head gloriously back to 1958. The First Division will be in full flow, the dug up remains of Adrian Thorne will be upfront for the Albion in the regionalised Third Division and the season will stop just in time for tea.

You missed disabled weather presenters and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

 

[GT49er]

Teams full of English men, bananas on the pitch and monkey chants in the stands, Reform will Make Football Great Again

You really think those things are in Reform's manifesto? It's amazing what reading The Guardian makes people believe!

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

 

[Berty23]

If they won’t reduce European matches or internationals then just scrap the rumbelows cup. That will free up enough space for a couple of midweek rounds. Sorted.

Cricket County championship half complete before end of football season. That is stupid.

 

[Sussexscots]

Jumpers for goalposts too

Happy days, Cup final coverage all day on Grandstand, watching the players having a card school on the coach to the old Wembley stadium where piss would run out from the trough urinals....Marvellous.

I do agree by the way just adding some anecdotes of my own.

Oh for the olfactory delights of 'Old Football'. The tangy smell of urine, the whiff of fried onions and the pervasive odour of cigarette smoke.

Simpler times.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

If they won’t reduce European matches or internationals then just scrap the rumbelows cup.

No don’t do that. Law of average an all that, we’ve got to be due the rub o the green in this comp in the next few years.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

You really think those things are in Reform's manifesto? It's amazing what reading The Guardian makes people believe!

You really think @Gazwag was being serious?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

goldstone is a serial whinger but he's right with this one. Football is in danger of killing the goose that lays the golden egg. They've already ruined the world cup by sending it to oil rich states with no human rights and then gone after a massive money grab with a 48 team edition hosted in North America. In fact international football is probably more to blame than anything else, but adding 2 more fixtures per club to the UCL/EL calendars doesn't help either.

The WC is so expensive to host these days, only oil rich states or multiple countries a la Canada, USA and Mexico can host it. What a ludicrous situation to arrive at.