Blackpool’s Steve Bruce echoes Northampton’s Jon Brady in hitting out at the hectic schedule their players are going through.
They both felt that it was too demanding, suggesting that it places too much strain on players.
Bruce’s comments came as Blackpool prepares to face Northampton with a key player, Ollie Norburn, potentially returning from a hamstring injury, but still have other players unavailable, with Dom Ballard also playing for England under 20s.
Bruce’s frustration with the fixture congestion is shared by many in football management, highlighting a broader debate about player welfare and the intensity of modern football schedules.
Blackpool were as high as 4th in League One after 8 games, however, they’ve since dropped to 18th with 16 points from 14 games and 4points above the drop zone, and haven’t won any of their last 6 league matches.
The Seasiders are currently on a six-game winless run in League One, with their last victory in England’s third tier coming back in September.
“Thankfully we look as if we’ve come through Harrogate (in the EFL Trophy) unscathed, there’s one or two bumps and bruises but that’s normal,” Bruce told the Blackpool Gazette. “The good news is (Ollie) Norburn has been on the grass all week, so he’ll come into contention on Saturday.
“We’re slowly but surely getting one or two back, but then you get people injured like Elkan (Baggott). We’ve had our fair share of it. Carrying six to eight injuries has become the norm, since I’ve walked into the building we always seem to have people missing.
“The simple facts are, we play far too many games. We’re asking a human being to do 12.5km every three days, with a competitive nature to the sprints. It’s incredible that everything has improved apart from injuries.”
Northampton Town head to Blackpool this weekend, with the Blackpool boss hopeful his side can turn things around.
“We have to get the show back on the road,” Bruce said.
“We’ve got an important five or six games coming up before Christmas, and then we’ve got a really tough run. They’re coming thick and fast again.
“We’ve proven that on our day we can be a match for anybody, but you need a level of consistency to stay there, and that’s what we’ve got to thrive to do.
“It’s a waste of time winning four or five then losing four or five, so we have to put a run together to see if we can get back on track.
“When you don’t get wins, confidence can drain away, that’s for sure. If you could have a bottle of it then it’d be great. You have to dig deep and do the basics well, and that’s all part of being a professional footballer.
“It’s a difficult profession, and when you’re not confident it’s very difficult. That’s when your own mental toughness comes in to get through it and get on with it.
“We’ve had a few key injuries to players who were playing very well. If you take big players away from any team then it becomes a bit of a struggle, and we’ve had that.
“We’re getting close to the team I picked when I walked through the door, and there’s been others who have knocked on the door to grab a chance.”
BLACKPOOL’S FIXTURES AND RESULTS:
Sat 10 Aug (A) Crawley Town – League One – 1-2
Tue 13 Aug (A) Burton Albion – Carabao Cup 1 – 4-0
Sat 17 Aug (H) Stockport County – League One – 0-3
Sat 24 Aug (A) Cambridge United – League One – 4-4
Tue 27 Aug (A) Blackburn Rovers – Carabao Cup 2 – 2-1
Sat 31 Aug (H) Wycombe Wanderers – League One – 2-2
Tue 3 Sep (H) Crewe Alexandra – EFL Trophy – 4-1
Sat 14 Sep (H) Exeter City – League One – 2-1
Tue 17 Sep (H) Sheffield Wednesday – Carabao Cup 3 – 0-1
Sat 21 Sep (A) Charlton Athletic – League One – 2-1
Tue 24 Sep (A) Huddersfield Town – League One – 2-0
Sat 28 Sep (H) Burton Albion – League One –3-0
Tue 1 Oct (H) Lincoln City – League One – 1-1
Sat 5 Oct (A) Mansfield Town – League One – 0-2
Sat 19 Oct (H) Barnsley – League One – 1-2
Tue 22 Oct (A) Peterborough United – League One – 1-5
Mon 28 Oct (H) Wigan Athletic – League One – 2-2
Sat 2 Nov (A) Gillingham – FA Cup 1 – 2-0
Sat 9 Nov (A) Leyton Orient – League One – 0-3
Tue 12 Nov (A) Harrogate Town – EFL Trophy – 2-2 (5-4p)
UPCOMING:
Sat 16 Nov (H) Northampton Town – League One – 3pm
Sat 23 Nov (A) Bolton Wanderers – League One – 12.30pm
Tue 26 Nov (A) Bristol Rovers – League One – 7.45pm
Sun 1 Dec (H) Birmingham City – FA Cup 2 – 1pm
Tue 3 Dec (A) Shrewsbury Town – League One – 7.45pm
Wed 4 Dec (A) Shrewsbury Town – League One – 7.45pm
Sat 7 Dec (H) Rotherham United – League One – 3pm
Sat 14 Dec (A) Reading – League One – 3pm
Sat 21 Dec (H) Stevenage – League One – 3pm
Thu 26 Dec (A) Wrexham – League One – 3pm
Sun 29 Dec (A) Birmingham City – League One – 3pm
Wed 1 Jan (H) Shrewsbury Town – League One – 3pm
Sat 4 Jan (A) Wycombe Wanderers – League One – 3pm
Back in September, Jon Brady had questioned the nature of the schedule this season.
“I’ve had a look and the schedule is totally different to the last few seasons,” said Brady. “Normally, you start the season with a busy run and you have Saturday-Tuesday games and then when you get to the end of October, you’re able to breathe.
“But this season, the EFL seem to have changed to the schedule and whether that’s to do with the Sky Sports coverage, I’m not 100 per cent sure. It’s almost reversed because we’ve had single gameweeks for the first couple of months and now we’re going into a period where we’re playing Saturday-Tuesday games pretty much for the next 12 to 14 weeks.
“I’m unsure as to why that’s happened but it makes the schedule pretty tough and I just hope we can get through it without too many problems and we’re able to get results along the way. Everyone in our squad will be needed.”
