Other Games 2025-26

[Somniloquism]

Who was in the League Cup last Christmas and also in the Conference?

[Dave]

I don't disagree. But it was the same last year, the authorities have had two seasons to plan for this very likely eventuality.

I still don't really see who you think is at fault and what they should have done to fix it?

I don't think moving the cup game to Christmas Eve would have been very popular. Postponing Saturday's game until the New Year, when they could have even greater congestion?

[cdbearsfan]

Reduce the semi-final to one leg if there is no room to play the quarter-final without forcing a team to play two games in three days. Play the league game later in the season. December games get postponed all the time, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Start the league earlier to free up the midweek when we played Brighton for League Cup games. Swap the league and and League Cup midweeks around and arrange that they play a team not in Europe on the league midweek so can be played in the Champions League/Europa League week. Start the League Cup earlier. There are loads of solutions.

[paul_e]

Reduce the semi-final to one leg if there is no room to play the quarter-final without forcing a team to play two games in three days. Play the league game later in the season. December games get postponed all the time, it wouldn't be the end of the world. Start the league earlier to free up the midweek when we played Brighton for League Cup games. Swap the league and and League Cup midweeks around and arrange that they play a team not in Europe on the league midweek so can be played in the Champions League/Europa League week. Start the League Cup earlier. There are loads of solutions.

I'd be happy with most of those but it's a no to starting the season earlier, the season is already too long with it running from Early August to mid-June for international players (even in non-tournament years). This summer there were 9 weeks between the end of 24/25 and the start of 25/26, Next summer it'll be down to 5 weeks. Player welfare is crucial, and that includes a significant rest period every summer, which has been chipped away at steadily for the last 20-30 years.

[Somniloquism]

Loads of solutions and changes to different competitions for a very rare case of the Conference League team also being in the Quarter finals of the league cup.

[cdbearsfan]

They have to win two games. It's hardly going to be very rare. The majority of changes would result in basically zero hardship for anybody else. Failing that, just postpone the league game, as they always do for teams that make a final.