osarusan
02/11/2007, 10:22 AM
From the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7074403.stm)
Players Union chief Gordon Taylor is looking for a 2-week winter break to ease the strain on professional footballers.
Players' union chief Gordon Taylor has led calls for a mid-season window while 13 of the 15 union reps who responded to a BBC Sport survey supported it.
Middlesboro chairman Steve Gibson comes across well, he is against it.
"If the players aren't up to it they aren't up to it. There would be many players upset if they were forced to miss an international because someone perceived them to be tired.
"Any player complaining should come and do a 14-hour day in industrial Teesside. We're not asking them to go to Afghanistan or Iraq, we're asking them to play football."
Seems unnessecary to me. Apart from extreme examples like Gerrard's in the article, it's hardly a tough job, even if every 90 minutes is high pressure.
The players want it- BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7071846.stm)
Everton and England defender Phil Neville told BBC Sport: "It will get the players fresh and revitalised.
"Then England might go into a European Championship or World Cup fresher and with a better chance of winning."
Medical researchers say it would reduce stress-related injuries -
Jan Ekstrand, vice chair of Uefa's medical committee, has carried out detailed research on the subject.
He told BBC Sport: "What we found was that in the first part of the season, up to December, the injuries were about the same for the English teams and teams from other parts of Europe.
"But in the last part of the season there was a higher injury risk in England.
"The amazing thing was that the risk was about double in January, February and March, but in April and May it was four times higher compared to teams that do have a winter break.
"We know from other sports that if you continue and don't have a rest, you have problem with injuries."
What do people think?
Players Union chief Gordon Taylor is looking for a 2-week winter break to ease the strain on professional footballers.
Players' union chief Gordon Taylor has led calls for a mid-season window while 13 of the 15 union reps who responded to a BBC Sport survey supported it.
Middlesboro chairman Steve Gibson comes across well, he is against it.
"If the players aren't up to it they aren't up to it. There would be many players upset if they were forced to miss an international because someone perceived them to be tired.
"Any player complaining should come and do a 14-hour day in industrial Teesside. We're not asking them to go to Afghanistan or Iraq, we're asking them to play football."
Seems unnessecary to me. Apart from extreme examples like Gerrard's in the article, it's hardly a tough job, even if every 90 minutes is high pressure.
The players want it- BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7071846.stm)
Everton and England defender Phil Neville told BBC Sport: "It will get the players fresh and revitalised.
"Then England might go into a European Championship or World Cup fresher and with a better chance of winning."
Medical researchers say it would reduce stress-related injuries -
Jan Ekstrand, vice chair of Uefa's medical committee, has carried out detailed research on the subject.
He told BBC Sport: "What we found was that in the first part of the season, up to December, the injuries were about the same for the English teams and teams from other parts of Europe.
"But in the last part of the season there was a higher injury risk in England.
"The amazing thing was that the risk was about double in January, February and March, but in April and May it was four times higher compared to teams that do have a winter break.
"We know from other sports that if you continue and don't have a rest, you have problem with injuries."
What do people think?