Time for New Rules.

[Aspers]

I think its time for the lower leagues to have a mid year break.
All this to-ing and fro-ing for games to be cancelled is just boo.
Finish Boxing day, then restart Feb.
It looks like it could be 2 games a week untill the end of the season.
Starting to become too expensive.

[The Marksman]

If we had a winter break, we'd still have 2 games a week. So why do you want one?

[seasonsinthesun]

I think its time for the lower leagues to have a mid year break.
All this to-ing and fro-ing for games to be cancelled is just boo.
Finish Boxing day, then restart Feb.
It looks like it could be 2 games a week untill the end of the season.
Starting to become too expensive.

Absolute rubbish. If you had had a break last season for instance from Boxing Day to February, the weather was reasonably mild for the time of year and there would have been no games played, then in February 2008 we had the problem of a frozen pitch and match off v. Shrewsbury! The weather is too unpredictable and changes each year. We know there will be a really cold spell but it could come anytime between 1st December and mid February. I say the weather is too unpredictable to be able to have a break.

[P/T Indie]

Im Germany they finish for a month but then there season doesn't end until the end of June and starts back again in July!!! So they get about 4 wweeks off and start pre season again.
The players complain they don't get a long enought break in summer as it is could you imagine world cup year would be madness.

[RedRedWine1]

Agree with seasoninthesun.

My whole stance on this winter break rubbish is that its another motion that goes against the grain of your everyday football supporter. If the Premiership want to do it then fine, I don't care if they want to alienate their true support base even further.

Yes games get called off and I've cried myself to sleep many a night with wasted journeys, but thats part of the deal of following the side. The big reason they shouldn't scrap the festive fixtures is that attendances over the Christmas period are higher. The main reason being that most people are off work and have the opportunity to go to games.

[marky]

If a winter break was ever introduced, it would likely only be for 2 weeks anyway with the most logical period being the 2 weeks after the FA Cup 3rd round. The fixtures could easily be fitted in with midweek games earlier in the season (note we didn't have any league midweek games before October this season if memory serves me correctly).

[Keith]

The fixtures could easily be fitted in with midweek games earlier in the season (note we didn't have any league midweek games before October this season if memory serves me correctly).

Exactly the point I was going to make and I've made before, as it was the same in the Conference. Why don't we get more mid-week matches in, early in the season, when it is light which not only reduces costs (no floodlights) but also makes travel easier and safer but also taps in to the new interest that the floating fans always have at the start of a season. Get ahead of ourselves, then leave mid-week free at the end of the season to avoid a punishing fixture backlog. The midweek break will eather arrive with the bad weather, or not if we can get a clean run through, but to plan it, then have the weather turn grim just as football is starting again, could cause lots of problems.

[bigreddog]

This debate will always crop up when there are a glut of games called off. But there are two key issues for me. firstly we live in a country where the weather is totaly unpredictable and if we set up a break we'd probably have the shrewsbury thing happen anyway. take last month when all the weather bods said the world would have a mini ice age for a couple of days. my boss cancelled any work that we had to travel to (which was great) but the weather didn't materialise for most areas.

secondly the winter break thing is a bit of a myth. in germany they don't just pack up and go home. the league is suspended and they all go in for friendly tournaments in warmer places or have indoor seven a side competitions to keep match fitness going.

i think we need to seriously look at the number of games that need to be played so there's more wiggle room in the system, but a winter break no thanks.