Fixtures after Christmas | Vital Football

Fixtures after Christmas

wafcharvey

Vital Youth Team
I have just been having a look at our fixtures after Christmas. If we can get 6/7 points from our next 3 games (which will be a tough ask) then we have a real big chance to pull clear with the January Window to strengthen also.

Boxing day - Crewe (A)
Fleetwood (H)
Accrington (H)
Portsmouth Away (A) - Could be postponed for FA Cup 3rd Round*
Doncaster (A)
Morecambe (A)
Gillingham (H)
Cheltenham (A)
Crewe (H)

You probably couldn't have hand picked a better group of fixtures for the new year. Especially if the Pompey game is rescheduled.

February looks much different after Crewe, be good to get a cushion:
Sheff Weds (A)
Charlton (H)
Rotherham (A)
Wycombe (A)
Sunderland (H)

Doesn't get harder.

Exciting times
 
It’s fixture congestion that’s more of a concern. Some potential postponements:

- Pompey (a) likely postponed given respective clubs R2 fa cup fixtures.
-Morecambe (a) subject to R3 fa cup replays
- Burton (a) international weekend so likely cancelled.
- Bolton (h) - pizza final weekend and they are one of the few playing full strength teams in this.

We’ve still got Oxford to reschedule, Pompey probably, let alone maybe Burton/Bolton. Plus a pizza game to play in January. Let alone any others if we progress taking up potential midweek gaps.

Season ends in April with Easter few weeks before taking out a possible midweek fixture, rotherham(a) is a Friday taking out another one and loss of another with international fortnight. Any bad weather postponements and we’re screwed as we’d be playing Tuesday/Thursday in the last week of the season. Personally I’d rather we exit the cups to prevent player fatigue. What it also shows is there is just too much football crammed into the calendar.
 
It’s fixture congestion that’s more of a concern. Some potential postponements:

- Pompey (a) likely postponed given respective clubs R2 fa cup fixtures.
-Morecambe (a) subject to R3 fa cup replays
- Burton (a) international weekend so likely cancelled.
- Bolton (h) - pizza final weekend and they are one of the few playing full strength teams in this.

We’ve still got Oxford to reschedule, Pompey probably, let alone maybe Burton/Bolton. Plus a pizza game to play in January. Let alone any others if we progress taking up potential midweek gaps.

Season ends in April with Easter few weeks before taking out a possible midweek fixture, rotherham(a) is a Friday taking out another one and loss of another with international fortnight. Any bad weather postponements and we’re screwed as we’d be playing Tuesday/Thursday in the last week of the season. Personally I’d rather we exit the cups to prevent player fatigue. What it also shows is there is just too much football crammed into the calendar.


I agree with the calendar being congested. Personally, I think they should scrap the league cup but it would never happen due to sponsorship/tv money.

I would be in favour of 5 divisions of 20 clubs. Allows 8 more league clubs and when you look at the national league, most if not all are professional clubs with some big teams for that level.

3 up and 3 down all the way trough the pyramid, with less congested fixture lists (8 less games per season) and could even push teams to field stronger teams in cup competitions.
 
I’m not sure it would get voted in but I think the Conference now is mature enough as a competition and contains enough full time and former League Clubs to properly constitute a bona fide ‘5th Division’….and spreading the clubs accordingly (5 x 20 or 5 x 22 ?)…would eliminate a lot of mid week matches….which I like…but there are just too many now.

It would raise the question as to if and how teams left and gained access to any new “L4”?
 
Personally I’d be all for it if it meant eliminating midweek league fixtures. Clubs however may cite loss of revenue from four home league games - though if these were midweek ones I’m not sure how much they’d lose if season ticket prices were kept at the same level - though I’m sure some would be moaning about paying the same for less.

I think it would reinvigorate cup competitions too in terms of interest given a less congested calendar.
 
Fixture congestion will become a concern and its usual to see clubs fall away badly when the reality of two games a week for months on end kicks in - last season's example being Doncaster who had games in hand to go top around New Year, but ended up mid-table.

Despite the squad being depleted, team spirit is keeping the results coming in, getting last minute wins and draws. However I do wonder how far a great dressing room spirit can take a club. Extra quality is needed in January, even if its a couple of loanees, and getting it when you are in the top 2 is much easier than when you are outside the top 6.
 
I’m not sure it would get voted in but I think the Conference now is mature enough as a competition and contains enough full time and former League Clubs to properly constitute a bona fide ‘5th Division’….and spreading the clubs accordingly (5 x 20 or 5 x 22 ?)…would eliminate a lot of mid week matches….which I like…but there are just too many now.

It would raise the question as to if and how teams left and gained access to any new “L4”?

I don't think it is anywhere near being ready to be fully absorbed in to the EFL & I don't think that it ever will be
The top clubs maybe who are full time but the lower & smaller clubs not a chance - the likes of Dover, maidenhead, King's Lynn, Weymouth, Wealdstone, Woking, Eastleigh & others just don't have the infrastructure, cash &/or support (or all 3) to go full time & survive let alone thrive long term
And then do you stop promotion from what is now the national league north & south coz they're even less up to going fully pro if they went up
 
I agree with the calendar being congested. Personally, I think they should scrap the league cup but it would never happen due to sponsorship/tv money.

I would be in favour of 5 divisions of 20 clubs. Allows 8 more league clubs and when you look at the national league, most if not all are professional clubs with some big teams for that level.

3 up and 3 down all the way trough the pyramid, with less congested fixture lists (8 less games per season) and could even push teams to field stronger teams in cup competitions.

I don't like the idea of cutting 4 teams from each division due to the financial impact it will have on clubs and the logistics of having a season where loads of clubs are denied promotion or loads extra clubs relegated because of the reshuffle.

The league is the bread and butter the cups are a distant second priority and mid season international football gets in the way the latter 2 are generally the cause of most fixture congestion. So any change for me shouldnt be to the priority but to the extra stuff that gets in the way. My suggestion would be keep the league's as they are, scrap all mid season internationals as no club likes the idea of their players potentially getting injured or tired while away and reduce the number of cup games.
 
So Pompey now needs to be fitted in midweek along with Oxford.

Fa Cup draw has done us no favours as two of the three outcomes causes a postponement or possibly even two. A replay is not beyond the realm of possibilities, which would cause morecambe away to be cancelled again or progressing and causing Crewe at home to bite the dust.
 
Im thinking these games will define our season

19:45 Tue 8 Feb
Sheffield Wednesday

Hillsborough


15:00 Sat 12 Feb
Charlton Athletic

DW Stadium

19:45 Fri 18 Feb
Rotherham United

AESSEAL New York Stadium

19:45 Tue 22 Feb
Wycombe Wanderers

Adams Park
15:00 Sat 26 Feb

Sunderland
15:00 Sat 26 Feb
DW
 
Im thinking these games will define our season

19:45 Tue 8 Feb
Sheffield Wednesday

Hillsborough


15:00 Sat 12 Feb
Charlton Athletic

DW Stadium

19:45 Fri 18 Feb
Rotherham United

AESSEAL New York Stadium

19:45 Tue 22 Feb
Wycombe Wanderers

Adams Park
15:00 Sat 26 Feb

Sunderland
15:00 Sat 26 Feb
DW

2 games prior to that we have Oxford and 2 games after we have MK too. So it's a brutal run of what will likely be the top 7 in a 9 game spell - but this year no one is going up without winning the 6 pointers - so it will kill or cure us.