"Boxing Day lands on a Friday and that has left the Premier League with a scheduling conundrum because of an expanded Champions League and a commitment to preserving a platform for the FA Cup. The league must deliver 33 weekends of fixtures as part of its commitment to broadcasters and is struggling to locate another weekend to play games should at least half of the matches, as is tradition, be moved to Boxing Day."
"First up, we must mention the sad news about Forest and Scotland legend John Robertson, who died on Christmas morning. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the football world, but none more sincere than from his family, former teammates and those than played under him as a highly-successful coach. Feel free to get in touch with your own memories or thoughts of Robbo (or anything else you fancy): michael.butler@theguardian.com."
Boxing Day this year features only one Premier League fixture, reducing the usual festive full schedule. The relative lack of Premier League football gives the Football League and non-league clubs greater visibility over the holiday period. Most Premier League players had a rare Christmas Day off. The scheduling conundrum stems from an expanded Champions League and a commitment to preserving a platform for the FA Cup. The league must deliver 33 weekends of fixtures for broadcasters and is struggling to find another suitable weekend should many matches be moved from Boxing Day. Forest and Scotland legend John Robertson died on Christmas morning, prompting widespread tributes. Readers are invited to share memories via michael.butler@theguardian.com.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]