Postponements would be logistical nightmare for Boro
BIG STRAIN ON FIXTURES
IN what is already a congested fixture list thanks to the winter World Cup, Middlesbrough and other Championship clubs face further strain as the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II brought about match postponements.
As a mark of respect to Her Majesty, the longest reigning monarch in United Kingdom history, all professional football was this weekend called off.
And while an understandable and difficult decision, it means for Middlesbrough, a gap in the calendar will have to be found to rearrange the trip to Blackpool that was ultimately lost this weekend.
More postponements could follow too, with doubt over the next two games before September’s international break because of police resourcing issues during the national period of mourning and leading up to the large-scale event that will be the Queen’s funeral.
Boro’s midweek game against Cardiff City at the Riverside is less at risk and the club are preparing for that game as though it is going ahead as things stand.
But as police from around the country are likely to be drafted to the capital to prepare and then ultimately work during the funeral, football games in the next seven days will ultimately be reviewed on a game-bygame basis in terms of whether or not police are able to sufficiently resource them. That will be a concern for the EFL and clubs like Boro though, in what is already a uniquely congested campaign because of the winter World Cup.
The Championship will take a fourweek break in November and early December to cover the group stages of the international tournament being held in Qatar, with the Premier League fixture list on pause until Boxing Day, but second-tier games resuming on
December 10. However, to further complicate matters, if Championship clubs have three or more first-team players at the World Cup then they will have the option to postpone games.
For Middlesbrough, they have Australian’s Riley Mcgree and Massimo Luongo, and American’s Zack Steffen and Matthew Hoppe who will all hope to make their nation’s squads, while uncapped Rodrigo Muniz and Anfernee Dijksteel will be eligible for Brazil and Netherlands, respectively, but less likely to be under consideration.
Even if three or more of their players make it beyond the group stages, Boro could still choose to play games without the players in question, but they will be at the mercy of their opponents too.
With potential FA Cup progression to consider too, further postponements next week really could make for a bit of fixture scheduling nightmare for Boro and other Championship clubs this season as a cumulative effect of the rather unprecedented circumstances.
In terms of rearranging the Blackpool game, there are three potential gaps between now and the World Cup. But in those six weeks between the first game back from the international break and the pause for the World Cup, Boro are already scheduled to play ten games.
The better news is that Blackpool, as well as Cardiff and Rotherham, are all, like Middlesbrough, out of the Carabao Cup, meaning they also have the same three midweeks free in the weeks commencing October 10, October 24 and November 7. All three dates would be available to play Blackpool and potentially any of the next two that have to be postponed, though add to what is already a physically testing six-week period.
In the New Year, more opportunities to play rescheduled games present themselves. There are no midweek games in January, though if either Boro or Watford progress beyond the third round of the FA Cup then their league game at the Riverside, pencilled in for January 28, will become another game needing to be rescheduled as that is the weekend of the fourth round.
Boro had a terrific run in the FA Cup last term, making it to the quarterfinals. Repeating that feat again would see home games against Watford and Preston needing to be rearranged, while a second week in March would feature three games within a week, with the fifth round once again played during the week, as was the case with the Tottenham game last term.
In terms of rescheduled league games in the New Year, January currently has no midweek games, while February has just one as Boro travel to Sheffield United on the 15th. March has one league midweeker as Boro host Stoke City on the 14th, but with an international break after the following weekend, the week commencing March 6 is the only definite as a free week thanks to the FA Cup.
That then leads to the final month of the season with the six weeks from April 1 to May 6 seeing Boro scheduled to play eight games as things stand.