Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2014 13:40:11 GMT
We're having a cracking season, but there is one downside to this - the 'successful clubs competition congestion problem'.
We are (or were) doing well in all the competitions, but we simply can't fit in all the games - so we end up getting knocked out of cups, or losing league momentum, not because we're not good enough, but because our players are just too knackered.
There's no reason why a club going as well as we are this season (especially with such a good second team) shouldn't be able to do well in all the competitions. Obviously we wouldn't expect to go further than the 2nd or 3rd rounds in the FA Cup (although a top IPL club should reasonably expect to be able to get to round 1, or even 2, in most seasons), but there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to win (or at least do very well in) the League, the Trophy and the KSC. If we're good enough to win the league (which we undoubtedly are) then we're good enough to do well in both the Trophy and the KSC as well.
But we're already out of the Trophy, and we could easily get knocked out of the KSC if Tonbridge field a decent side on Thursday. Leaving 'just' the league title to aim at.
So, if we're good enough to do well in all these competitions, why aren't we actually doing well in ALL of them?
The answer is simple - fixture congestion. We are not failing or succeeding because we're a good side, playing good football, but purely because we can't cope with the inhuman demands of cup and league timetables.
So, does it have to be like this? Some will no doubt answer 'yes - get over yourself', but I don't accept the 'that's how it is and always has been' fatalism. Why can't things be arranged so that the in-form clubs CAN have a decent crack at all competitions?
Unlike the PL teams, who only come in half way through the season, we're stuck with the FA Cup timetable, but do the early rounds of the Trophy also have to run at the same time? Why not timetable them so, at least, the senior clubs don't get involved until after the second round FAC (or have a better system of byes (as in the FAC), so that clubs who have done well in previous seasons can skip the earlier rounds)?.
Also, why on earth does a little competition like the KSC have to start so early in the season? This would be much better played in the second half of the season - apart from then not clashing with the Cup and Trophy, it would also give teams and fans who are having a so-so year something to get excited about in the dog days of the season.
And lastly, the league - they already have quite a reasonable attitude to postponements for cup runs, but they could do more. Why, for instance, allow a club to clear fixtures leading up to a big club clash, but insist on them playing what could be (by the end of the season) a crucial league game, just TWO days after that game?
The League could do a lot more for clubs having decent cup runs. But why should they? Well, isn't it also a good advert for the league itself if one or two of its clubs have decent Cup runs? How many people even knew what the Isthmian League was before our Stevenage game?
So, all in all, quite a few things COULD be done to ease the burden on clubs having a good season. And if my arguments so far don't persuade you, there is the small matter of injuries. Medical studies have shown a clear relationship between serious injuries and fixture congestion, and the recommendation is that players should have a break of three or four days between games, to give their bodies the best chance to recover and avoid preventable injuries.
So, on these grounds alone, leagues should ensure that, as far as possible, clubs are not having to play more than two fixtures a week. This may be unavoidable at the end of seasons like the last one, where clubs with old-fashioned pitches had so many postponements (although these is one obvious solution...). But, other than that, the league could easily do far more to ease fixture congestion - at the very least re-timetabling minor competitions, giving consideration to clubs doing well in both the Cup and Trophy, and allowing much flexibility to clubs needing match postponements due to cup runs.
After all, it is their interest, as well as ours and the player's.
We are (or were) doing well in all the competitions, but we simply can't fit in all the games - so we end up getting knocked out of cups, or losing league momentum, not because we're not good enough, but because our players are just too knackered.
There's no reason why a club going as well as we are this season (especially with such a good second team) shouldn't be able to do well in all the competitions. Obviously we wouldn't expect to go further than the 2nd or 3rd rounds in the FA Cup (although a top IPL club should reasonably expect to be able to get to round 1, or even 2, in most seasons), but there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to win (or at least do very well in) the League, the Trophy and the KSC. If we're good enough to win the league (which we undoubtedly are) then we're good enough to do well in both the Trophy and the KSC as well.
But we're already out of the Trophy, and we could easily get knocked out of the KSC if Tonbridge field a decent side on Thursday. Leaving 'just' the league title to aim at.
So, if we're good enough to do well in all these competitions, why aren't we actually doing well in ALL of them?
The answer is simple - fixture congestion. We are not failing or succeeding because we're a good side, playing good football, but purely because we can't cope with the inhuman demands of cup and league timetables.
So, does it have to be like this? Some will no doubt answer 'yes - get over yourself', but I don't accept the 'that's how it is and always has been' fatalism. Why can't things be arranged so that the in-form clubs CAN have a decent crack at all competitions?
Unlike the PL teams, who only come in half way through the season, we're stuck with the FA Cup timetable, but do the early rounds of the Trophy also have to run at the same time? Why not timetable them so, at least, the senior clubs don't get involved until after the second round FAC (or have a better system of byes (as in the FAC), so that clubs who have done well in previous seasons can skip the earlier rounds)?.
Also, why on earth does a little competition like the KSC have to start so early in the season? This would be much better played in the second half of the season - apart from then not clashing with the Cup and Trophy, it would also give teams and fans who are having a so-so year something to get excited about in the dog days of the season.
And lastly, the league - they already have quite a reasonable attitude to postponements for cup runs, but they could do more. Why, for instance, allow a club to clear fixtures leading up to a big club clash, but insist on them playing what could be (by the end of the season) a crucial league game, just TWO days after that game?
The League could do a lot more for clubs having decent cup runs. But why should they? Well, isn't it also a good advert for the league itself if one or two of its clubs have decent Cup runs? How many people even knew what the Isthmian League was before our Stevenage game?
So, all in all, quite a few things COULD be done to ease the burden on clubs having a good season. And if my arguments so far don't persuade you, there is the small matter of injuries. Medical studies have shown a clear relationship between serious injuries and fixture congestion, and the recommendation is that players should have a break of three or four days between games, to give their bodies the best chance to recover and avoid preventable injuries.
So, on these grounds alone, leagues should ensure that, as far as possible, clubs are not having to play more than two fixtures a week. This may be unavoidable at the end of seasons like the last one, where clubs with old-fashioned pitches had so many postponements (although these is one obvious solution...). But, other than that, the league could easily do far more to ease fixture congestion - at the very least re-timetabling minor competitions, giving consideration to clubs doing well in both the Cup and Trophy, and allowing much flexibility to clubs needing match postponements due to cup runs.
After all, it is their interest, as well as ours and the player's.
