What can be done about international breaks

[Tomo 21,685]

The last one felt like yesterday and now club football is being halted again by these tedious international breaks, i think something has to be done.

It's lose lose for clubs, playing well your momentum is halted, playing shite and your mulling over it for a whole 2 weeks.

Something has to be done, there are just a nuisance to the club calendar, but the key question is, what can be done?

Why not do half the qualifayers in August and the other half the next August?

It will give the national coaches a month with his team, he will learn a lot more about the players at his disposal then when it's 2 games here, 2 games there then we can forget about international's for a year and get stuck into club action.

Yes it might not be nice waiting an extra month for the new season, but if it meant nine months of uninterrupted club action, it will be well worth it.

[TorontoChelsea 4,064]

If you did it that way, players would never get a proper break. Season ends, a few weeks off and then to National team training camps and then games and then right into the season.I have no problem with the way it's done now. If you're going to have international football tournaments, you're going to disrupt domestic leagues. No way around that. The break we had right after the Euros was pointless mind you.

[Kieran. 6,317]

1 week int'l break every 2-3 months.

[Tomo 21,685]

If you did it that way, players would never get a proper break.

It won't clash with their summer breaks that would still be as normal, although i didn't think of the pre season angle, having a full club pre season then going straight off to Internationals for just under a months might be an issue.

[Shogun 721]

International teams are seen as more important than club teams. Not by the public of course (especially those who are England fans) but in he footballing grand scheme of things it is.I'm sure there is many players who see playing for their country more important too so it'll never be any different.

[Blue Armour 4,176]

Well they could probably do away with the "friendlies" and just have the qualifiers during mid-week. However, there's little chance of that happening as coaches use these friendlies to test team chemistry, formations, etc..plus you can have clashes you don't see often like Spain vs Brazil, etc...

[diskoviolente 425]

read a book.

[Kezza 1,965]

If you did it that way, players would never get a proper break. Season ends, a few weeks off and then to National team training camps and then games and then right into the season.I have no problem with the way it's done now. If you're going to have international football tournaments, you're going to disrupt domestic leagues. No way around that. The break we had right after the Euros was pointless mind you.

Boo Hoo, they don't get precious breaks. C'mon, does every other working person get a break when they work 40-70hrs a week? They are pro athletes, I'm sure they can handle it.

I agree with the August thing. With no international breaks, the season will finish earlier too. So I don't think breaks will get affected too much.

[Muzchap 8,966]

Boo Hoo, they don't get precious breaks. C'mon, does every other working person get a break when they work 40-70hrs a week? They are pro athletes, I'm sure they can handle it.

I agree with the August thing. With no international breaks, the season will finish earlier too. So I don't think breaks will get affected too much.

I moan about footballers, but it's not an easy life, lots of training and mental/physical pressure.

Mata needed a break and now looks his former self, breaks are important - also they are humans not machines, they have families and need to spend time with them, especially if foreign players.

Think this thread is a bit pointless - its like asking why is the moon round....

Little can be done any nobody is going o change it soon - I hope they introduce goal line tech and replays like cricket/rugby to help refs out would push for that more than International fixtures being sorted...

[Laylabelle 9,305]

Relax!Dont have to worry so much really...unless you mega care about your countires results....then the league starts and up goes the eeeeeeeeek levels

The breaks dont bother me its when you get random friendlies thrown in the middle at key points in the season where a player will bno doubt come back from them with a major injury

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I don't see why International Breaks are an issue, they're not for me. Listen the fact is, there's this massive international cup every 2 years. It's not like domestic cups/european ones where the manager gets to prepare his team week in-week out for these things.

The international manager gets about 4 weeks (give or take) just before said tournament to prepare their squads. So I think it's only right they're allowed a few games in the middle of the season to test things out etc. England are particularly at a disadvantage.

It's not like Spain where most the squad already play together (in either Real or Barca) or Italy where they play together anyway. In England only about 30% of the league is made up of English players playing for different squads. So they need time in their respective international teams to develop their play together.

We're selfish as club fans to reject international breaks. But then we complain when our internationals don't perform (esp England fans). It only happens ever so often and to be honest I believe there should be more.. But that's just me.

[Kezza 1,965]

Thing that annoys me with the international shit is that the A-league continues during the break.

Because we have fuck all players as it is in the Phoenix, 9 had to go to training camp and we had to sign a keeper on a 1 game contract from Auckland FC (going to the CWC) and kids out of school who are studying for final exams just to fill the bench.

[Reddish-Blue 2,237]

Thing that annoys me with the international shit is that the A-league continues during the break.

Because we have fuck all players as it is in the Phoenix, 9 had to go to training camp and we had to sign a keeper on a 1 game contract from Auckland FC (going to the CWC) and kids out of school who are studying for final exams just to fill the bench.

The A-League?

Didn't the former Australian national coach say that the 2nd/3rd division in Germany was better than the A-League.

Also, couldn't you have just told one of the kids that they'd be playing in goal for 1 game, rather than signing a keeper on a 1 game contract?

[Kezza 1,965]

The A-League?

Didn't the former Australian national coach say that the 2nd/3rd division in Germany was better than the A-League.

Also, couldn't you have just told one of the kids that they'd be playing in goal for 1 game, rather than signing a keeper on a 1 game contract?

Um probably..The league is only 7 years old where the main sport is rugby/rugby league, so wouldn't be suprised.

Don't see Heskey or Del Piero playing in 2nd div Germany though! =]

Why do that? Still need to actually try and win the game.

[Tomo 21,685]

@LDN Blue,

Qualifayer's for both tournament's are how many games? 8-10, there be more than enough space to fill them in both August periods then it will give Roy 9 months to go up and down the grounds to access any player available to him.