Of course. You'll have even more free time after crashing out the FA Cup by then.Zomp said:Come January we'll be able to chat quite a bit.
I thought he played well. In fact I thought the whole team played well .. just lacked finishing. Probably deserved the win.bosox4283 said:How has Manquillo been so far?
Rodgers says it's because Balotelli has played a lot and Lambert has looked good in practice. With all of the competitions, you don't want to wear Balo out. And he's about to come on.JayMags71 said:I'm watching on DVR delay after Yom Kippur services. Balotelli isn't in the team. Has he already worn out his welcome?. That's got to be some kind of world record, right?
WayBackVazquez said:By the way, is the vagueness and secrecy about Sturridge's "thigh injury" standard? Is it a quad, a hamstring pull, a stab wound?
Bosoxen said:I'm not well-versed in the intricacies of the governing of the EPL, so I have no idea if this is even remotely true, but would it have anything to do with the start of the transfer window? If not, it's a pretty massive coincidence that they'd cram so many fixtures before it opens up.
Not really sure what the point of that would be (maybe to lessen the impact of players moving within the league?), but I've always felt that to be the case.
Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I'm pretty sure its all about the TV deal and $$$$$$. The fixture congestion comes from taking the regular weekend schedule and then adding specially scheduled matches on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, which both are holidays and get big ratings.
coremiller said:
Football (and sport generally) on Boxing Day in England is a tradition that long predates the Premier League and the importance of TV money.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/sports/soccer/in-england-day-after-christmas-boxing-day-means-soccer-games.html?_r=0
Nick Kaufman said:Other leagues like Bundesliga get a winter break because of adverse weather.
WayBackVazquez said:
They basically take January off. The January weather in most of Germany is comparable to December and February, so that reasoning doesn't really hold up. Until 2009, they did have a true "winter" break of 2+ months, but it has shortened, and will probably eventually disappear.
SoxFanInCali said:Yeah, I've been waiting for updates on both Lovren and Sakho. The thought of a Skrtel/Toure pairing with someone off the reserves as backup is frightening.
He's got to get us into the Champions League another dozen times in a row before we start doing that.soxfan121 said:
Sounds a bit like Arsenal's predicament. When do you guys start bagging on the coach?
SoxFanInCali said:He's got to get us into the Champions League another dozen times in a row before we start doing that.
More bad news, I'm afraid. Reports emerging that Sturridge injured a calf in training today and is out for another month.JayMags71 said:They may just hold Sturridge back to use him against Real. Notwithstanding the fact that Real is unlikely to let them see any of the ball.