Welcome everybody to Soccer 101.

My name is Taylor Rockwell, and this week, unlike the best footballers in the world,

we're taking a break from the domestic campaigns, Cup competitions, Champions League, International Comm week, unlike the best footballers in the world, we're taking a break

from the domestic campaigns, Cup competitions, Champions League, International Commitments,

the Club World Cup, and the looming World Cup to discuss fixture congestion. It's an issue

that's only becoming more common as the number of potential obligations for professional

footballers only continues to mount. But how big of a problem is it? What are clubs doing to ease the load to

the extent that they can? What is the impact on players? Are we reaching a breaking point? So many

questions to be answered. To do so as a man who always has plenty of time for everything and is

never congested. It's Graham Rutman. Hello, Graham. Hello, Taylor Rockwell. On that note,

are there any load management programs for podcasters who have to watch about 30 to 40 matches a week?

There should be.

One would be handy at this point, yeah.

Yeah, it's finding a way to be able to complain about having to watch soccer while recognizing that you are complaining about having to watch soccer.

That's kind of the cycle that I find myself. I mean, the way I see it, it's sort of like, you know, is his name Bruce, the kid in Matilda, who loves chocolate cake and gets brought up to the stage by Miss Trunchbill, and then gets made to eat the chocolate cake until, or Homer, when he gets made to eat the donuts in hell.

Except that Homer just rolls with it the whole time.

Well, that's me.

There you go, exactly.

You handle it well, yeah.

And you would look as good in a moo-moo as Homer does.

So there you go.

Graham.

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