In his column from our Loaded vaults, Peter Crouch backs a winter break for the Premiership, but admits he would insist that it doesn’t fall on Christmas.
Pressure mounts more and more each year for the FA to follow the lead of their German counterparts and enact a winter break, but Crouch reckons we have got to be careful where it falls.
He reflects: “We should always maintain the tradition of those festive fixtures. It’s my favourite time of the season.”
The ever so jolly Stoke City striker isn’t too down about the prospect of playing during the Yuletide season, or training on Christmas morning.
He added: “On Christmas Day, we’ll train in the morning. It’ll be a short sharp session and we’ll get back to our families for some dinner.”
Christmas Number 1
“There is too much sitting around the house on Christmas Day anyway. It’s nice to get out and play a bit of football.”
Crouch would however like some sort of break for players over the winter period.
He said: “Christmas should then be followed by a break in mid-January. Look at Germany – they only returned to league action in the final week of January after a month off. A lot of their national teams spent time out in Dubai and Qatar as well for training.”
“And I don’t need to mention that national are world champions, so a winter break could be the key to success.”
But Crouch is a sucker for a good Boxing Day match, with his high flying Stoke City team taking on Manchester United this year in the early kick off.
He added: “We’d have a lovely family day on Christmas Day and then the lads all get out of the house on Boxing Day, go watch the football and head to the pub.”
“It’s one of the season’s great days.”