Early start to season-For or against it?

[R'Albin]

With Butcher and CC moaning about the early start to the season I was wondering what everyone else's take is on it.

I'm a bit undecided because the early start doesn't leave enough time for some teams to finish building their squads, but it's better for teams that are playing in Europe and it should be nicer weather.

So?

[BoltonHibee]

With Butcher and CC moaning about the early start to the season I was wondering what everyone else's take is on it.

I'm a bit undecided because the early start doesn't leave enough time for some teams to finish building their squads, but it's better for teams that are playing in Europe and it should be nicer weather.

So?

How does it help teams playing in Europe?

I'm not sure I understand that point at all.

[R'Albin]

How does it help teams playing in Europe?

I'm not sure I understand that point at all.

Because they either will have played a few SPL games or will be further on in Pre-Season preparations, so they will be sharper.

[IWasThere2016]

We are neither prepared for an early or late start season after season so it has minimal impact for Hibs.

[Baldy Foghorn]

If it saves on midweek fixtures then I am happy to have the earlier start

[KWJ]

I agree with the European factor. It's also nice to get some of the attention on us rather than England. Let's just hope the SPL puts up some decent football as it should get a lot of extra viewers until the English kicks off.

[Frazerbob]

I agree with the European factor. It's also nice to get some of the attention on us rather than England. Let's just hope the SPL puts up some decent football as it should get a lot of extra viewers until the English kicks off.

Agree with this point. Good to hear some SPL coverage on 5 Live etc. I'm all in favour of summer football so the more games in decent weather and the less mid-week games in November to March the better.

[BoltonHibee]

Because they either will have played a few SPL games or will be further on in Pre-Season preparations, so they will be sharper.

How has that helped Dundee Utd this season?

[BoltonHibee]

Agree with this point. Good to hear some SPL coverage on 5 Live etc. I'm all in favour of summer football so the more games in decent weather and the less mid-week games in November to March the better.

It's pissed down with rain for most of July!!

[Frazerbob]

How has that helped Dundee Utd this season?

Maybe they would have lost both games rather than go out on away goals? If the opposition are better than you, it'll take more than an early start to the season to help you win but it won't do any harm.

Silly question IMO.

[Saorsa]

We are neither prepared for an early or late start season after season so it has minimal impact for Hibs.:agree:

If we started 4 weeks from now we probably still wouldnae be ready.

[Frazerbob]

It's pissed down with rain for most of July!!

Another silly point. It can rain in any month in Scotland but the chances of games being postponed for ice/snow/water logged pitch etc are much higher between November and March are they not? Not to mention driving conditions. I know I'd much rather drive to Inverness in a couple of weeks than Boxing Day for example.

[Frazerbob]

:agree:

If we started 4 weeks from now we probably still wouldnae be ready.

With the current manager and board, we will NEVER be ready.

[BoltonHibee]

Another silly point. It can rain in any month in Scotland but the chances of games being postponed for ice/snow/water logged pitch etc are much higher between November and March are they not? Not to mention driving conditions. I know I'd much rather drive to Inverness in a couple of weeks than Boxing Day for example.

So when would your ideal season start and finish? Or is that another silly question?

[Danderhall Hibs]

1 I like midweek games.
2 I'm not fussy about helping Rangers and Celtic's Euro qualification.
3 Last season's disappointment isn't far enough away yet for me to get excited about the new season.

[Frazerbob]

So when would your ideal season start and finish? Or is that another silly question?

No, that's a perfectly reasonable question.

If we aren't to go for a complete change to summer football like Scandanavia or Ireland then a mid-July start is as good as we can expect, hopefully incorporating a short mid-season break.

Austria have played mid July to mid May for a few years now and their co-efficient has risen as a result. A country of similar size to us who were on a downward spiral until recently, like we are now.

[IWasThere2016]

It's pissed down with rain for most of July!!

Valid point IMO. I think the rainfall in the lasy 5 Julys will be greater than any month from April to October.

[Frazerbob]

Valid point IMO. I think the rainfall in the lasy 5 Julys will be greater than any month from April to October.

What about snow, ice, fog and general temperature, how do they compare? Yes, July is generaly quite rainy but the chances of games being postponed are pretty slim compared to deepest, darkest winter. That surely can't be argued. Maybe they should move T in the Park to February?

[Danderhall Hibs]

What about snow, ice, fog and general temperature, how do they compare? Yes, July is generaly quite rainy but the chances of games being postponed are pretty slim compared to deepest, darkest winter. That surely can't be argued. Maybe they should move T in the Park to February?

Now that's a silly suggestion! August would be a better bet.

[Frazerbob]

Average monthly rainfall in Scotland over the last 30 years.. First colum is Glasgow, second is Aberdeen.

Jan 115 80
Feb 75 55
Mar 85 55
Apl 50 52
May 58 56
Jun 60 55
Jul 60 59
Aug 82 78
Sep 118 50
Oct 117 78
Nov 115 75
Dec 113 74

Case for summer football rested my lord! :wink:

[Westie1875]

1 I like midweek games.
2 I'm not fussy about helping Rangers and Celtic's Euro qualification.
3 Last season's disappointment isn't far enough away yet for me to get excited about the new season.

Agree with this, too early IMO.

[Woody1985]

How has that helped Dundee Utd this season? from what I read they were unlucky. Whose to say if they weren't back earlier they wouldn't have got humped? Stupid arguement.

[BoltonHibee]

What about snow, ice, fog and general temperature, how do they compare? Yes, July is generaly quite rainy but the chances of games being postponed are pretty slim compared to deepest, darkest winter. That surely can't be argued. Maybe they should move T in the Park to February?

How many hibs games have been called off in the last 5 or 10 years due to the winter weather?

[BoltonHibee]

Maybe they would have lost both games rather than go out on away goals? If the opposition are better than you, it'll take more than an early start to the season to help you win but it won't do any harm.

Silly question IMO.

So how do we know if the early start does any Sottish club any favours in Europe?

Its a stupid reason to start the SPL in July.

[Frazerbob]

How many hibs games have been called off in the last 5 or 10 years due to the winter weather?

There have been plenty SPL games postponed over the last few years causing fixture back logs, which is the main reason for the early start. However, it's not just about postponements. How many folk were on here moaning about having to travel to Inverness and Kilmarnock on cold wintery midweek nights the last couple of years? At a time when crowds are dwindling, surey we should be looking at ways to make the match day experience better. Shirt sleaves in July is a hell of alot more appealing than 8 layers in the driving wind and snow in January IMO.

[Frazerbob]

So how do we know if the early start does any Sottish club any favours in Europe?

Its a stupid reason to start the SPL in July.

So you don't think a team that's played a few competative games will be better prepared than one who is still a few weeks away from the start of their league? Look at us against Elfsburg a few years ago. They played us off the park both games, in no small part due to the fact that they were mid-way through there season whilst we were just off the sand dunes at Gullane.

[Sir David Gray]

Another silly point. It can rain in any month in Scotland but the chances of games being postponed for ice/snow/water logged pitch etc are much higher between November and March are they not? Not to mention driving conditions. I know I'd much rather drive to Inverness in a couple of weeks than Boxing Day for example.

I'll take your point about driving conditions purely because it's much lighter for longer at this time of year than it is in December or January so travelling to and from Inverness, for example, will be better from that point of view because you'll be driving home in broad daylight next week, as opposed to pitch blackness in December, when it gets dark at about 4pm.

However, driving last Saturday evening was bordering on the impossible due to the monsoon-like conditions. The rainfall was incredible.

To the best of my knowledge, I have only ever been to one football match in my life that has been abandoned because of dangerous weather conditions. Guess which month that happened? I'll give you a clue, it begins with a "J" and it wasn't January.

In fact, I can think on several instances where matches in July have been badly affected by the weather. There was the example I gave above which happened a couple of years ago at Kirkcaldy when a pre-season game was abandoned at half time because of torrential rain and the threat of lightning. There was also the 1-1 draw a few years back against Vetra Vilnius in the Intertoto Cup when the pitch was practically unplayable and there was also the Intertoto Cup match 2 years later against Dinaburg Daugavpils which was played in similar conditions.

And, of course, last week's match was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch after monsoon conditions in Edinburgh last Saturday morning.

Yes it's going to be warmer in July than it will be in December or January but when you think on some of the daytime temperatures we've had recently, we've been struggling to get 15 or 16 degrees and we could easily be looking at that kind of temperature in April or October. Our summers aren't reliable enough, for me, to warrant a switch to playing our season during the summer.

[down-the-slope]

against as it leaves us with real problems trying to compete to sign players when they are waiting for English clubs to get back and hoping to get more lucrative deals from them...

The Europe issue is one for Uefa to try and make more equitable :wink:

[DH1875]

1 I like midweek games.
2 I'm not fussy about helping Rangers and Celtic's Euro qualification.


Totally agree :agree:. I also think I'm in the minority cause I quite enjoy the winter nights under the flood lights.

[BoltonHibee]

So you don't think a team that's played a few competative games will be better prepared than one who is still a few weeks away from the start of their league? Look at us against Elfsburg a few years ago. They played us off the park both games, in no small part due to the fact that they were mid-way through there season whilst we were just off the sand dunes at Gullane.

We played Elfsburg around the 5th or 6th of July iirc, so kicking off our SPL season on the 23rd or 24th of July would not have made the slightest difference!

[Alfred E Newman]

There have been plenty SPL games postponed over the last few years causing fixture back logs, which is the main reason for the early start. However, it's not just about postponements. How many folk were on here moaning about having to travel to Inverness and Kilmarnock on cold wintery midweek nights the last couple of years? At a time when crowds are dwindling, surey we should be looking at ways to make the match day experience better. Shirt sleaves in July is a hell of alot more appealing than 8 layers in the driving wind and snow in January IMO.

If it was all about good weather why wasnt the ground bursting at the seams today instead of rows and rows of empty seats? To be honest sitting in the back garden with the feet up would have been more entertaining than that watching that stuff today. Get the product right on the park and the weather doesn`t matter.

[ballengeich]

I thought that today's game was rather slow due to the temperature. This kind of snore-fest is a strong argument against summer football. Regarding Europe, I don't think Poland's league has started yet, so Dundee United's result can't be blamed on that.

Football shouldn't start until some time in August at the earliest. There are so many other things to do at the weekends in summer - how else would Saturday afternoon be filled in the winter months?

[Removed]

Totally agree :agree:. I also think I'm in the minority cause I quite enjoy the winter nights under the flood lights. :agree: far too hot for me today. Couldn't even see my phone screen in the sun :grr:

[IberianHibernian]

I thought that today's game was rather slow due to the temperature. This kind of snore-fest is a strong argument against summer football. Regarding Europe, I don't think Poland's league has started yet, so Dundee United's result can't be blamed on that.

Football shouldn't start until some time in August at the earliest. There are so many other things to do at the weekends in summer - how else would Saturday afternoon be filled in the winter months?Agree entirely . Close season is too short for players ( mentally and physically they need a rest ) and fans especially with repetitive nature of SPL fixtures . In 70s, Scottish Cup final used to be first Saturday of May and league or League Cup would start in August . Would suggest starting league on second Saturday of August with first Saturday for friendlies and League Cup . Finish league at end of April and any firendlies played in Scotland in May , June or July should have free admission . Might mean reducing number of league games ( if 12 teams , only play each other 3 times ) but players might be fresher and fans would be looking forward to season . In World /European Championship years there is almost no close season now and many fans are bored or simply can`t afford to keep spending money on football . Clubs would have to look for ways to increase summer income but should be doing that anyway - markets , concerts , summer festivals , other sports , .. With East Mains we should have an advantage there .

[The Sea-gull]

Agree with starting the season early to help euro clubs, lessen midweek winter games and allow for time for cancellation.

As has already been stated, how has starting on 23rd July really helped clubs europe though. We'd need to start in mid-late June to help that.

We could achieve that by ending the season earlier. End season late April, Scottish Cup final in early May, close down for 6/7 weeks and start new season in mid June. Have a few midweek games during the June - October period before the weather sets in.

Have a break in January, after the New Year fixtures and then complete the season during February, March and April, maybe leave a week or two free during this period to allow for any cancelled games from earlier in the season to be played.

Problems would arise every other year though when there is Euro Champs or World cups (not that Scotland get there but we might have one or two foreigners whose teams get there) but this must be possible to overcome as other countries in europe (Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, maybe the Baltic countries) have leagues which do not operate the tradional August - May season.

This way it wouldn't be a full blown switch to summer football but it may help our european standings and also allow for a mid season break without too much disruption.

[Hibernian Verse]

re: the point above about not helping Rangers and Celtic with European games.

Why are you against that? We need our coefficient boosted to give more European places and as a result more money in the Scottish game.

[Danderhall Hibs]

re: the point above about not helping Rangers and Celtic with European games.

Why are you against that? We need our coefficient boosted to give more European places and as a result more money in the Scottish game.


Never said I was against it just that I’m not fussy about helping them.

Basically all it means is that we’ve got to start the season a month early and lacking players so they can play to get an extra CL place, meaning they have even more money next season.

[marinello59]

I would rather we went the whole way and took Summer football in so the early start doesn't bother me. Though allowing clubs to play friendly matches on a league fixture day as a sop to the Old firm seems counter productive. Why Hibs felt it was a good idea to take advantage of it as well baffles me completely.

[offshorehibby]

I'm still a bit undecided but i have voted yes. The main reason for the early start was for teams in Europe but i don't see this helping them. The hole league season would have to move for that to happen.
I think it will help later in the season when a lot of midweek games are knocked on the head.

If the low crowd was down to the time of the year then that could be a problem, i've not looked at the other games to see the difference. i suspect it's down to apathy in the Hibs support.

[Danderhall Hibs]

How many of these horrible, dreadful winter midweek games does it actually save us anyway? I don’t recall that many midweek games being scheduled in the 1st place. Obviously there are any re-arranged fixtures but how many were scheduled in at the start of last season?

[Keith_M]

I fail to see anybody that's benefited. What's the point of Celtc, for instance, playing one league game then having four friendlies before they play the next one?

What's the point of Hibs playing two games in July before they've had a chance to finish rebuilding the squad or preparing for the season?