Fixturing

[shinAUFC]

With squad sizes so small, and every team forced to a period in their season where they may play up to 5 games in 20 days, is this irresponsible on the FFA's behalf?

I would be curious to know how many plays have had strains during their clubs "busy period"

I understand these guys are professionals and playing an odd midweek fixture is not an issue, but having a short period of time with alot of games is irresponsible on the FFA's behalf.

It should not be the FFA goal to have clubs sending out fatigued and battle weary starting 11's, it only lowers the standard of the game and puts the players at risk.

Is it a coincidence we at AU now have 3 soft tissue injuries from our "busy period" as im sure most other clubs have experienced the same.

Every year the coaches and players raise the bar, and show us a new level of the game in australia, yet it seems every year match officials and the FFA get worse and worse.

Im all for midweek games, i hope the FFA sticks with them to a certain extent, but why do they need to be in all the same month.

Even when clubs play ACL the FFA re-schedule's match's to allow them suitable recovery time, so why the following season so they make fixtures far worse then any ACL team have encountered b4?

[shinAUFC]

ok make that 5 injuries,

cassio and flores with a hamstring, dodd's ankle earlier in the busy period, hughes with a back strain, boogard with an ankle.

It would be interesting how many injuries we have accrued can be attributed to being over played and fatigued,

[spaceCowboy]

been saying this for a while, how hard could it be to, at the very least, increase youth squad sizes so that way, when the first team has a few injuries we can take some younger players, therefore the youth team wont be short on players. This will give them a chance at a higher level, also strengthening our squad.

[David Votoupal]

Why complain when teams elsewhere have been doing it for ages?

[shinAUFC]

please explain DV?

i raised this as an A-league issue, in no way have i said the fixturing is against us as a club, infact im saying its more likely to see injuries and poor standard games across the league.

Nor have i ever had an issue with a heavy workload due an A-league/ACL combo. When you play in multiple competitions as a result of your success you cannot complain.

Please dont say "oh but they do it in europe". They have double our squad sizes, travelling away can be as simple as sitting on a club bus for half hour, here in the A-league its possible to be to spend 10 hours in the air for a return trip.

I cant remember when AU complained on its way to the ACL final, A-league grand final and world club cup, even when you could argue that had we not have been in ACL and CWC we wouild not have dropped points as we did and go on to be pipped for the premiership by melbourne.

The fact is due to our small squad sizes and vast travelling distances you cannot overload clubs with games, sure the odd wednesday night game is great but dont pack 5 games in a short space of time.

[shinAUFC]

i think rini said it best in this article
http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/192543,c ... hange.aspx

[Agostinho]

Exactly. Squad sizes are the key. Bored of obsessions with Europe.