I agree with you Tuckster and find the international breaks an unwelcome distraction which break up seasons at what appears the most crucial times.
Either the season has just started or is about to end and the 2 week break appears to cause a hold up in it getting properly under way after 3 months off or delays the usual crucial and exciting finale at a critical time.
If your team has just lost you want to get back on track ( leeds ) and if you have just won you want to kick on and continue a great run ( norwich and sheffield ).
I do not have a solution in terms of time as am aware that a group of individual good players are required to be together for a week or so to bond as a group to play qualification games.
The only answer is to find a way of getting the best teams to the finals of Euros and World Cups quicker than the current long drawn out often tedious method.
I appreciate that the smaller countries are trying to get better but is there really any point in seeing who can score the most goals against San Marino to get the best goal difference as they finish last with zero points again.
As you may know I am a big International Cricket fan and already have tickets for England v Pakistan and am going to Dublin soon to watch England play a
pre season warm up there.
The world cup comprises of 10 teams where the smaller nations had to fight it out against each other to get the final 2 / 3 places as the top teams in the word got there automatically. The final 10 then all play each other once as part of the finals therefore providing more games during the actual tournament.
Maybe something similar could be applied to football ?
There are a lot of absolute tedious moronic programmes on tv so I will be watching the England game tonight in my office whilst working, in preference to the garbage on numerous other channels.
Pink Floyd wrote ' Nobody Home ' before digital channels got so large but were correct in saying ' I 've got 13 channels of shit on the tv to choose from '
To update the line it probably requires 13 being revised to 83 !
It does seem an age since the great win at Rotherham, especially as I am driving up to Boro early on Saturday morning and still have 5 days to wait.
I agree Tuckster ' Lets get on with it '.