Pic: Charlie Waugh
TOO much too soon, or a shrewd tactic to avoid wild winter frustration? The compact start to the new season has divided opinion.
Last Tuesday night saw yet another full midweek programme. In fact, it was the fifth time in just over six weeks that we've had one in a lot of the leagues.
For some, the early-season squeeze is seen as an unwanted reaction to further congestion further down the line. Your view will probably be sculpted by the start to the new season your side has enjoyed.
Full-on!
If your team's squad is small, injuries have hit and results have suffered, 11 games in 39 days will tell you why such a demand is put on players.
Those who enjoy the December ding dongs on mud-baths or soggy surfaces will question why some sides have already played a quarter of their season when we've just enjoyed one of the hottest days of the year.
I'm a fan of football in the sun, but with the National League North and South clubs having already played four Tuesdays on top of a Bank Holiday, it's overkill.
The early start is to be applauded – nobody should be playing pre-season games on the first Saturday in August – but to make the fixture list this top heavy gives nobody a breather.
It's difficult to keep pace with everything and the fans need time between matches, financially and mentally, especially if it's been a poor start!
Such has been the exacting opening that one player told me this week his body feels like it's the end of April, not the middle of September. A manager mentioned that rotation is already in place, and the number of games is too much of a challenge for players who finish work after 5pm.
There's a flip side of course to this late summer squeeze; while it has taken its toll on players' legs there's no doubt it will help clubs' – and supporters' – coffers.
The chance of a wasted trip due to a late postponement is massively reduced – although a quick reminder that this is England. Only in Manchester on the hottest September day in 105 years could we lose a Champions League game on the pitch of one of the wealthiest clubs in the world!
Congestion
Non-League games fell too, but aside from that crowds are more likely to come out on a warm Tuesday night than they are in the cold months close to Christmas.
There's nothing worse than opening the curtains in the small hours as the rain starts to fall ahead of your five-hour drive to follow your favourites. This at least wrenches a few less guts.
The leagues are damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to the volume of early season fixtures. But this is Non-League football, remember. There will still be a team somewhere with two months to go with half a season to fit into their calendar!
