Season Fatigue

[sam4731]

Has regular season fatigue set in for anyone else? Every year I find myself contemplating the pointlessness of the bloated regular season and how little, individual games mean.

I know that we can't go back to the league leaders being champions but that's only because we don't play for anything else like in football.

The play off format seems to work in America because they have a gameday experience based attitude towards sport which doesn't translate over here.

P.S. This is definitely partly sour grapes because we got knocked out if the cup by Wigan last week but my point still stands.

[Archie Gordon]

You've gone a little early with fatigue, imo, but I do agree that the regular season is too long. A complete lack of anything else in June/July/August is usually what bores me. Oh, for some representative fixtures or something other than the league.

[dboy]

?? I don't understand? This season is less "bloated" having dumped the loop games.

How are the individual season games pointless?

Without those, you don't know who is in the play-offs.

I do think you are being melancholy, but there's also the risk of coming across as having big-club entitlement. When you're as successful as your club is, you can sometimes take it all for granted; you forget what the meaning of sport is. 

Most teams are losers, trophy-wise...but we still love it.

I too felt deflated as exiting the cup - it's the hope that kills you!

 

[Griff]

We play too many games.

[sam4731]

Just now, dboy said:

?? I don't understand? This season is less "bloated" having dumped the loop games.

How are the individual season games pointless?

Without those, you don't know who is in the play-offs.

I do think you are being melancholy, but there's also the risk of coming across as having big-club entitlement. When you're as successful as your club is, you can sometimes take it all for granted; you forget what the meaning of sport is. 

Most teams are losers, trophy-wise...but we still love it.

I too felt deflated as exiting the cup - it's the hope that kills you!

 

So 27 games defines who gets the chance to win 2/3 to be champions? It just seems wrong to have so much riding on the last few games of the season when the rest of us have watched the slog of the rest of the season. Also winning the league from 6th is just diabolical. How can you be champions with close to  losing record in most years?

[dkw]

Throughout RL history the champion has been decided by a one off game more times than as a winner of a league.

[dboy]

Just now, Griff said:

We play too many games.

If we don't play that many games, the loss of income would be critical, from sponsorship, match-days and TV.

[sam4731]

1 minute ago, dkw said:

Throughout RL history the champion has been decided by a one off game more times than as a winner of a league.

But does that make it the best way to settle it?

[Dunbar]

Well, my answer is no. The only part of the year that seems to drag is when there is no League.

Sure, there is an argument that there are too many games from a player welfare, quality perspective, but as a fan I want games to watch.

Even Monday to Thursday feels too long.

[dboy]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

So 27 games defines who gets the chance to win 2/3 to be champions? It just seems wrong to have so much riding on the last few games of the season when the rest of us have watched the slog of the rest of the season. Also winning the league from 6th is just diabolical. How can you be champions with close to  losing record in most years?

Play-offs/Premierships are not a Superleague "thing" - we had them way back in history...

And they certainly aren't hurting the Scottish soccer comp right now.

[sam4731]

1 minute ago, dboy said:

If we don't play that many games, the loss of income would be critical, from sponsorship, match-days and TV.

And crucially the GF is too much of a big game to sacrifice. I don't like it but it's not going to change.

[dboy]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

But does that make it the best way to settle it?

Yes. Far more entertaining than first-past-the-post.

Plus the money they generate in the game is essential to our growth, if not survival.

[sam4731]

1 minute ago, Dunbar said:

Well, my answer is no. The only part of the year that seems to drag is when there is no League.

Sure, there is an argument that there are too many games from a player welfare, quality perspective, but as a fan I want games to watch.

Even Monday to Thursday feels too long.

Fair play. Can't argue with that for you.

[dkw]

3 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

But does that make it the best way to settle it?

Yes.

[dboy]

We can all see it differently - this is one of those where not everyone will ever agree.

[sam4731]

4 minutes ago, dboy said:

Play-offs/Premierships are not a Superleague "thing" - we had them way back in history...

And they certainly aren't hurting the Scottish soccer comp right now.

The Scottish comp doesn't have a play off system, it just splits part way through the season. If anything,it's more akin to the Super 8s that we had.

[Nearenough]

if i had my way it would be a 13 month season. 

[dboy]

Just now, sam4731 said:

The Scottish comp doesn't have a play off system, it just splits part way through the season. If anything,it's more akin to the Super 8s that we had.

Yes that's right...but it's a Premiership comp.

It's not first past-the-post.

[dboy]

Just now, Nearenough said:

if i had my way it would be a 13 month season. 

With 2 games a week, and 4 at Easter.

YES!

[sam4731]

Just now, dboy said:

Yes that's right...but it's a Premiership comp.

It's not first past-the-post.

It is first past the post. The standings don't reset after the split. It's not all or nothing, the preceding part of the season still counts in deciding the champions.

[dboy]

6 hours ago, sam4731 said:

It is first past the post. The standings don't reset after the split. It's not all or nothing, the preceding part of the season still counts in deciding the champions.

Which is exactly the same situation with our play-off system.

The "season" is a qualifying tournament for the "finals".

The "finals" may be structured differently, but the principle/qualifying is the same.

Edited May 14 by dboy

[sam4731]

1 minute ago, dboy said:

Which is exactly the same situation with our play-off system.

The "season" is a qualifying tournament for the "finals".

The "finals" may be structured differently, but the principle is the same.

It's just not. 6th doesn't have the same chance as first in their comp. They have to overhaul what has come before. Their system is a first past the post with a bunch of loop fixtures at the end.

[Archie Gordon]

To those saying that they want *more* RL, I agree. But I don't think this is a request for less RL, just more variety. 

I'm not a fan of a particular club, perhaps that clouds my view.

[dboy]

3 minutes ago, sam4731 said:

It's just not. 6th doesn't have the same chance as first in their comp. They have to overhaul what has come before. Their system is a first past the post with a bunch of loop fixtures at the end.

6th doesn't have the same chance as 1st in the SL comp!

How do clubs qualify to be in the soccer end-of-season section?

And how is the winner of the overall soccer comp (League) decided???

Edited May 14 by dboy

[sam4731]

6 minutes ago, dboy said:

Which is exactly the same situation with our play-off system.

The "season" is a qualifying tournament for the "finals".

The "finals" may be structured differently, but the principle/qualifying is the same.

For reference Falkirk started this 'finals' competition 46 points behind the leaders giving them a 0% chance of winning the finals. In fact, entering this phase, only Hearts, Celtic and Rangers had a mathematical chance of winning the title, out of the 6 teams in it.