International breaks – A help or a hindrance?
Posted on September 6th, 2010 | 79 Comments |
The reason for Newcastle not playing over the weekend? International breaks. Are they a good or a bad thing though?
From the outset they look like a really good thing, especially for a club in the position that we are in at the moment.
Unfortunately we don’t have that many international players at the moment, and that means that when every international break rolls around the vast majority of our squad can kick back, relax, and most importantly, wrap themselves up in cotton wool at our own training ground away from any nasty injuries, like what happened to Michael Dawson on Friday for example.
There is another advantage to international breaks though, particularly this one. This break came straight after the transfer window closed, which has unfortunately meant that we are yet to see anything of our two newest recruits, Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tiote.
Now in the case of Ben Arfa, this break couldn’t have come at a better time for the lad. It gives him a chance to catch up on training, proper training, and also gives him the opportunity to get acquanted with his new team-mates. Apparently all new signings go out for a meal with the squad as a team-building exercise, kind of like a welcome party, although quite what Ben Arfa wil make of Kevin Nolan’s deep fried Chicken & Chips is unknown! Surely it is better than snails though, right?
Those are only two plus points about international breaks, and I am sure there are more that I haven’t thought of, but it isn’t all sweetness and light with regard to breaking up the season as is happening currently.
We are only three games into the new Premier League season, and by all accounts we aren’t doing badly and had started to settle into a kind of rhythm. My concern is that this break will upset that rhythm. I’m sure Chris Hughton won’t allow that, but it is still another interupption to what is a very important season for us. Mind you, if we had lost all three games then perhaps I would view the interruption differently!
Then there is our other latest signing, Cheick Tiote, who signed for us before promptly hopping on a plane back to Ivory Coast to play for his country. When he returns later this week he wouldn’t have had the chance to train with the rest of our players, or to experience Nolan’s Chicken & Chips, and let’s not forget the risk of possible injury.
So there are just a couple of points for either side of the argument regarding international breaks, where do you stand?
Personally I couldn’t give a stuff about international football at the moment. Perhaps it is my own personal reaction to the way England, my country, let me down during the summer. I can handle them losing, but I can’t handle them playing without any passion and commitment.
Newcastle United is my bread and butter, and I feel more for my club than I do about my country at the moment. Sign of the times? Maybe. Or perhaps I am just as daft as a brush?
My money is on the latter!
NUFCBlog Author: toonsy
toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.
The way the England players are misbehaving, isnt it time to scrap Club England and return to a more traditional set up with national pride at the core.