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Roy Hodgson: England coach foresees Premier League winter break

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments155

England coach Roy Hodgson
England coach Roy Hodgson has previously called for a winter break

England manager Roy Hodgson believes the scrapping of FA Cup quarter-final replays could be the first step to a Premier League winter break.

The Football Association approved the move to ease English football's congested fixture list.

Hodgson suggested the FA and Premier League had been in discussions about the best way to achieve the objective.

"I think it's all designed eventually to maybe providing that elusive winter break," Hodgson said on Thursday.

"There's been no doubt that one of the stumbling blocks has often been 'hold on, you have all of these replays and you're asking us to cut our season down'.

"I think it's only positive that this sort of move has been made."

He added that a break would be aimed at "freshening minds up".

The top divisions in France, Italy, Spain and Germany have winter breaks.

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155 comments

  • Comment posted by U16543306, at 23:54 26 May 2016

    It'll be a sad day if or when a winter break is enforced. The christmas period is my favourite time for watching football. Travelling up and down the country on boxing day has provided some of the best days for me as a football fan.

  • Comment posted by Ellie , at 05:37 27 May 2016

    1. PL produces no fixture list on FAC 5th and 6th rd day.
    2. International qualifying now involves 12 or 14 games instead of 6 or 8.
    3. UEFA insist that Benfica playing Zenit in the CL means WBA cannot play Burnley on the same night in the PL.
    4.Easter Monday fixtures have been abolished by the PL.

    These are the reasons we have fixture congestion. It has nothing to do with the FAC.

  • Comment posted by U14620908, at 06:35 27 May 2016

    Is anyone stupid enough to think the break would be for players to rest? They are just going to fly off to Asia to play even more matches and make more money.

  • Comment posted by OxfordUnitedFan, at 00:42 27 May 2016

    It's about time the FA started listening to all the fans campaigning and protesting for a winter break in the Premier League.

    ... Oh wait, no fan wants a winter break. Alongside Xmas, the football congestion is the best thing about midwinter.

  • Comment posted by tony, at 23:52 26 May 2016

    I am confused why this obsession with a winter break. The season starts earlier, finishes later and has fewer league games. There were unending replays, even at the cup semi final stage. Players and managers make too much of this, teams used to play the same 11 (12 with a sub) week after week, and all for a lot less pay than todays prima donas.

  • Comment posted by Dobby, at 07:10 27 May 2016

    The football authorities seem determined to kill off the FA Cup as a major competition.
    In England we usually have a month or so of really hard inclement weather, which could be used as a winter break, the trouble is we don't know when it's going to occur, so we could arrange a winter break in ,say, Jan and then find the place iced over in Feb or Dec, brilliant.

  • Comment posted by modharry, at 07:02 27 May 2016

    Have to agree with post 28 we have reduced EPL from its traditional 42 to 38 games, stopped multiple FA Cup replays, got rid of League cup replays yet the European fixture list has expanded get rid of European mini leagues go back to knockout & why have 2 international friendlies in March when it was traditionally 1. The problem has been Euro club & international expansion.

  • Comment posted by SpanishDave, at 07:12 27 May 2016

    If there was a "winter break", then all the big corporations would only use it for lucrative friendlies to generate money and their global brand.

    The FA and PL do nothing that doesn't increase their revenues and I'm sure it will eventually allow room for the extra game abroad, stop dressing it up please.

  • Comment posted by Killingholme_Clay , at 06:47 27 May 2016

    Get rid of the ridiculous European competition mini leagues.
    Scrap meaningless England friendlies.

    Keep the Christmas fixture list in tact.
    These footballers are merely entertainers on King's ransoms every week.
    So I couldn't care less if they feel a bit tired on their £100,000 per week salaries.

    They are paid to entertain us over the football season.
    Stop moaning and get on with it.

  • Comment posted by blues legend, at 23:30 26 May 2016

    Bizarre obsession with that winter break don't they.

  • Comment posted by hunkydory, at 08:38 27 May 2016

    Maybe if teams stopped going on Far East preseason tours they might just start the season a bit fresher

  • Comment posted by MJP, at 23:35 26 May 2016

    Further devaluation of the FA cup. Let's go back to how it used to be - replays the immediate Tuesday/Wednesday after the game and no limit to the replays.

  • Comment posted by dribbler, at 07:36 27 May 2016

    Very good to read that most football fans are against this sly move. The most striking thing to me is how they want to stop FA Cup replays, which benefit smaller clubs most, but would never dream of cutting the European Champions League and Europa League fixtures. Murdoch's epitaph should read "The man who ruined football by turning it into a soulless big business" stand up if you hate Sky!

  • Comment posted by TheBear, at 07:22 27 May 2016

    Good FA man Roy, solid, dependable. He has the job because of it. He does not have the job because his record is wonderful but then thats the FA for you. Cloughie never go it, Graham Taylor did. We end up giving more caps to Carlton Palmer than Laurie Cunningham because we never give the risk takers a chance and that is why we will not win in France,it has nothing to do with winter breaks.

  • Comment posted by U15717699, at 09:12 27 May 2016

    Winter break in mid January - good weather. Sitting idle.

    Bad weather in mid February. Postonements. Fixture congestion.

    Do intelligent people really think a world cup would be won in July by having two weeks' rest in January? Maybe Spain and Germany just had better players when they won?

  • Comment posted by SeeDubya, at 09:40 27 May 2016

    Football supporters in this country do not want a winter break. I'd go further and say that I for one don't EVER want club football disrupted by pointless international matches. There is nothing worse than not having a Premier League game on a weekend because England are playing Azerbaijan in a meaningless friendly just so the FA can make a few quid.

  • Comment posted by More Like It, at 08:57 27 May 2016

    That elusive winter break where clubs send their players off to play money-spinning friendlies in far flung parts of the world, and come back even more knackered. This is the EPL we are talking about.

  • Comment posted by John LS, at 07:54 27 May 2016

    How would scrapping 1 game that only a maximum of 8 teams can play in and only then if they have drawn first time around, suddenly clear the whole winter schedule so that teams can have a break?

  • Comment posted by TheBear, at 06:35 27 May 2016

    UEFA competitions are too long winded, that is the problem here. And if Roy thinks the Premier Leagues two major paymasters, TV and fans, are ever going to go for a winter break he is deluded.You cannot have everything, there are only so many weeks in the year but I say protect the FA Cup and fight for reform at UEFA. We could start by having a 'Champions League' which only involves champions.

  • Comment posted by BaggiosPonytail, at 09:23 27 May 2016

    Utter nonsense. Roy is just looking for an excuse for why we do badly in tournaments.

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