pete 2,499 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The thing with the 2 week break in January is that in Scotland you can never tell what the weather will be like. It could be +10 degrees and sun or -20and snow and ice. The games before or after could be cancelled leaving a huge catch-up. I think they should just keep playing but if there is weather like Saturday forecast then cancel the whole competition for that weekend on time to give the players a break. Going by the weather forecast, last weekend's games could have been cancelled at least on the Thursday. Leaving it to 11.30 on the Saturday gave absolute no thought of the travelling support or even the players. If storm conditions are forecast the whole competition should be postponed on time. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,195 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The thing with the 2 week break in January is that in Scotland you can never tell what the weather will be like. It could be +10 degrees and sun or -20and snow and ice. The games before or after could be cancelled leaving a huge catch-up. I think they should just keep playing but if there is weather like Saturday forecast then cancel the whole competition for that weekend on time to give the players a break. Going by the weather forecast, last weekend's games could have been cancelled at least on the Thursday. Leaving it to 11.30 on the Saturday gave absolute no thought of the travelling support or even the players. If storm conditions are forecast the whole competition should be postponed on time. If it is the games before that are cancelled then they can play catch up during the shutdown though/ If it is the games after then they are screwed 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinstein 294 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Real summer football is what we need 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,246 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Play the league fixtures during the summer, and to keep the teams playing in Europe competitive (should they go that far), play the cups in autumn and winter, tournaments where postponed games do not disrupt the schedules that much. It might be more attractive for the TV stations to have that on offer during the summer than the odd mud-battle from Scotttish grounds in December or February, when everyone wants t see the clean and neatly filled EPL grounds anyway. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,329 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The previous knock-out format, with the final being played by the end of Oct was fine. The old league sections format was dreadful, and I've never met anyone who said it was good. I can't see why this new format would be seen as being any better. Why have this new format continue to have the final played in March? Crazy! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The thing with the 2 week break in January is that in Scotland you can never tell what the weather will be like. It could be +10 degrees and sun or -20and snow and ice. The games before or after could be cancelled leaving a huge catch-up. I think they should just keep playing but if there is weather like Saturday forecast then cancel the whole competition for that weekend on time to give the players a break. Going by the weather forecast, last weekend's games could have been cancelled at least on the Thursday. Leaving it to 11.30 on the Saturday gave absolute no thought of the travelling support or even the players. If storm conditions are forecast the whole competition should be postponed on time. I think the trick is to leave the break a bit late, like early Feb, and then if the weather is ok, you could always play a postponed game or two to ease the congestion instead of a break. But even if that doesn't happen and the whole winter is mild - it's still going to be nicer to go to a game in July than December to February - especially an evening game, and the chances of postponement/injuries etc are much lower. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Real summer football is what we need I agree, I'd prefer if we aligned with Scandanavia/Baltic states - it certainly seems to help them in Europe. But it's far better to go to a game in a Scottish summer than the middle of winter, and as said lesser injuries, easier to keep the surface good, no need for under soil heating expenses, and we could get a better telly deal. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Why have this new format continue to have the final played in March? Crazy! Always preferred it when the final was done by November. It distinguished the competition from the Cup by rewarding early season form (and pre-transfer window squad form) and gave something to cheer about just as the mid season tedium is starting to make an entrance. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,195 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 Always preferred it when the final was done by November. It distinguished the competition from the Cup by rewarding early season form (and pre-transfer window squad form) and gave something to cheer about just as the mid season tedium is starting to make an entrance. Good point.... and the Cup last season was a reminder how teams can attempt to purchase the Cup by weakening their main rivals for that competition when Celtic bought Dundee Utd's best players. If the final was held before the turn of the year you cant use the January window to strengthen yourself and/or simultaneously weaken your strongest opponents. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rousseau 9,370 Posted December 8, 2015 Share Posted December 8, 2015 The Swedish Allsvenskan seems to be the best model, where "seasons run from late March or early April to beginning of November, with the 16 clubs all meeting each other twice, resulting in a 30-match season". It also says, "Allsvenkan is ranked 20th in the UEFA coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years. As it stands now, Allsvenskan is ranked highest of the leagues in Scandinavia". Not sure how it helps the sides in Europe because it shows that a few reach the Europa League group stages, but don't go any further. Malmo have obviously been quite conspicuous in there 'success' because they've beaten them, and have done OK in Europe; nothing spectacular though, or maybe it is quite good in regards to their level? Summer football sounds good, giving us more chance of uninterrupted football, fewer cancellations and a head start in Europe -- at least initially. (Even the 30-match season whereby 16 teams play each other twice sounds a lot better than what we currently have. I doubt we'll see those kind of changes though!) 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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