Tomorrow, when we kick off at three o'clock, we will once again be playing catch-up. The fact that we have had no cup matches has not altered the inflexibility of a seemingly rusty and antiquated fixture process, which has left us twiddling our thumbs all but once between the victory at Chelsea on 27 Feb. and tomorrow's match, on 21 March.
Exactly how are our players meant to remain sharp and match-fit when we've been doing virtually nothing but training in all that time? If it were an across-the-board break for all clubs, then fine. Maybe we should consider a winter break. But personally, I would fancy a slightly tired but match-fit team like Fulham (on a high, too) to play better than one that has had nothing but a trip to Sunderland in the best part of a month.