I don't have a problem with players being assigned specific numbers in club football or, as I say, in major international tournaments. In those contexts (i.e., where there is a fixed and definitive squad for a not insignificant amount of time) it makes sense.
Think it would be quite cool for all internationals to be 1-11 and 12-19 (or however many subs) - would actually add a little more value to jersey swaps as well, like a Bellingham 9 holds more value than a Bellingham 15.
Yeah, it used to be that way until... dunno, sometime within the last ten years I think.
Fair enough. Nations League is obviously an income filler for the football associations/federations. Maybe they should have expanded world cup qualifying? It seems stupid to have a week off from league action resulting in the dumb schedule that there is from late November to the end of January for this.
Particularly the 3/4 games in 10/12 days or so over Christmas. That is a ridiculous thing to do these days.
It was a ridiculous thing to do. 30 years ago or so I recall teams playing on consecutive days on 26th and 27th as well as the new year game and the pre Xmas game before and then the FA Cup 3rd round a few days after. I recall last year my lot (West Ham) played in 30th November, 2nd, 7th, 10th, 14th, 17th, 20th, 24th, 28th December and 2nd & 6th Jan. 2 European Games, 1 league cup and 1 FA cup 3rd round game. It was no shock that we were out on our feet for the rest of the season after that, especially when we used so few players. That said, several of them I would never have used on a regular basis anyway!
not sure how far down but they certainly have squad numbers at the top end of non-league
Are you aware of the World Club Championship next year? Talk about the massive expansion of something that literally no one wanted.
Haha I'm the opposite. I irrationally hate teams that line up 1-11.
Burnley under Dyche a couple of years ago lined up 1-11.
Pretty sure in the 50s it was the done thing to have, for example, Arsenal v Nottingham Forest on Christmas Day and then play the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
That will only hurt the top 4 or so. They want a bigger slice of the cash they have to play for it.
I have a matchbox holder (which seems odd in itself now) that my grandfather gave me from the Portsmouth Champions season of 1948-49 listing all the fixtures. They played Chelsea on the 25th and 27th. However, the following season was properly ****ed. They played on the 24th (Blackpool away), reverse fixtures on 26th/27th (Charlton) and another on the 31st (I'm guessing in those days there weren't a lot of away fans trying to get back from Middlesbrough on NYE!!).
I think my lot lost one year to Blackburn 7-2 but then beat them 5-3 or something similar on consecutive days from the 50s/early 60s I think.
Britain is crying out for some Christmas Day sport but guess with no public transport it'd be logistically quite difficult and require a bunch load of people to work.
It was ****ing awful mate. Insipid season so far.
