Tis the season of goodwill to all men and football seems to be taking this to heart.
Goals and points are being gift wrapped and handed over with a generosity befitting an elderly, rotund chap with a flowing white beard (and I don't mean Ken Bates who started his New Year Revolution early, by sacking Gary McAllister on Sunday.)
Santas: ever-present
Nobody is going to feel sorry for highly paid professional athletes who miss out on the traditional Christmas Day with turkey and all the trimmings, nor should they. Having said that I think the reason most players don't enjoy Christmas isn't because of the enforced abstinence but purely on the grounds of the amount of games they have to play over a short period of time.
Tradition wise it is brilliant for us fans with hangovers to wear off on Boxing Day to get out in the fresh air and before you know it it's New Year and you can do it all over again!
This festive fixture list has always been the main stumbling block of any proposed winter break and as soon as we hit January the third round of The FA Cup kicks in.
It seems football is too busy for a rest! Who would want to go cold turkey with no footy fix?
The majority of other countries do it and there is definitely a benefit for the players with a positive knock on effect for the national team when they go into a summer tournament.
With its high profile and huge rewards football is often the subject of a broad range of sniping and insults, one of which is that it just doesn't care. Nothing could be further from the truth.
At half-time yesterday Cesc Fabregas was limping badly after a heavy tackle and he was physically helped down the tunnel by the opposition goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Straight on the final whistle Liverpool's Xabi Alonso when straight to the Arsenal dressing room to see how his fellow countryman was doing. This all happened on a day when the entire Arsenal staff donated 24 hours wages to The Teenage Cancer Trust and allowed some of the unwell youngsters into their dressing room area before kick off.
Last week at Old Trafford a key member of Sky Sports staff was taken ill. You would probably recognise him, John Smart, as he has ghostly white hair and cues the ref for kick off. Sadly John nearly became a ghost but thankfully he is now fine and recovering at home.
At least half The Premier League clubs and individual managers took the time out to send fruit, flowers, cards and best wishes to John. Football may have its faults but uncaring isn't one of them. Merry Christmas to one and all.
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Comments (2)
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Brilliant Solution says...
As it stands there is no christmas break due to its impossibiltiy to fit in. 4 trophies make it impossible. So what about if in January there is a rota on a weekly basis. Where 10 teams lay one weekend and are rested the next and the other 10 teams play and are rested the next from 1 December to January 31st. Then we don't necessarily blow over games and the players get rest while the rest of us get to see our teams playing. However the F.A Cup & League Cup games must be replayed and any games missed under the schedule should as well. Also i dont belive the winter break is the solution becuase you have to replay those games anyway unless they are heavily piled into the opening weeks of the season. Geoff you know your contacts send them in to the F.A i want to be thanked when this is used so there's my email get in touch ill reveal my true identity.
Posted 13:15 23rd December 2008
Craig Sharpe says...
Great post as usual Geoff. Nice to hear that there is so much kindness and good will when the players are not in the limelight. Just shows that the papers try and make footballers look bad people. Get well soon John Smart, and fair play to Reina and Alonso for checking on Cesc Fabregas, I hope others do this as well.
Posted 18:57 22nd December 2008
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