Fans above club interests really direct this old debate

Of course there is one big problem of having a winter break, even if you agree with the principle of one – when do you have it? It is currently a barmy 12 degrees (centigrade) outside, and will continue to be mild for the next week at least. In previous years it has been minus nine and I walked to work across a frozen canal. There is no way of knowing how the British weather will pan out over a single week, never mind a whole season. The packed Christmas schedule shows that the FA already struggle to fit in all the games that are played over a season – if we had a winter break it would make things near-impossible. If we had a winter break then hit a bad spell of weather, it would be utter carnage. If we were to have a break, there would have to be fewer games – it’s really that simple.

Martin O’Neill this week advocated a break, but he sees it from a different angle – that the effects of a break can be psychological, not just physical. O’Neill said: “My personal view is that I would love to see it happen, even for a week or two because psychologically, I believe when you start off the season, it’s pretty long and it gives you something to think about during that time. Even if it was only for a fortnight, I think psychologically, it would help everyone – that’s my view. When we were in Scotland, I experienced it twice in the five years I was there and one of those years, Celtic reached the UEFA Cup final. I didn’t think it was a coincidence myself.”

It’s not surprising that many managers want it. Sir Alex Ferguson wants it. So does Fabio Capello. Capello’s logic should be obvious – he wants a fresher squad come the summer, rather than a group of players who have mostly exhausted themselves after a gruelling nine months of non-stop football. Simon Kuper’s Why England Lose also cites the lack of a winter break as why English players are generally more run down and prone to niggling injuries come summer tournaments.And back in 2004, the then FA chief executive Mark Palios told the BBC that a league winter break was the target, but his words were ultimately empty.

The break may well never happen in England. With so many games to play, there is simply no room for manoeuvre. Even if there was a break, in a game where money rules, many teams would probably take advantage by arranging high profile foreign friendly games anyway. Unless Leagues reduce in size or the Carling Cup bites the dust, it seems nothing more than a pipe dream. And if the fans demand entertainment over the holiday season, do they not come first?

The article was written by Howard Hockin for FootballFancast.com. Make sure to check out the latest news, blogs and podcasts at FFC – ed.

Get Football, Rewards and More with a brand new free app Qustodian Sports. Click the banner below to download for free!