West Bromwich Albion

Tony Pulis frustrated by festive fixtures

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 19 November 2016

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis questions the strategy behind the scheduling of Premier League fixtures over the festive period.

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has questioned the Premier League's scheduling of fixtures over the Christmas and New Year period.

Clubs will play their final pre-Christmas fixtures on the weekend of Saturday, December 17 and will not be in action again until nine days later - Boxing Day - when they face three fixtures in the space of seven days.

"I find it strange, I've looked at it again and you can't believe there's nine days without a game – but then there's three," Pulis told The Sun. "I don't know why they've done that. It's just one of those things I've picked up. whether anyone else has I'm not sure. With having the nine days, why isn't there a game within that period?

"They say it's a black week for supporters leading up to Christmas. Everybody's spending their money and shopping. Whether they don't want to do it I don't know. But I felt there was room in there to put a game in before then.

"I want Boxing Day [games], I'm a great fan of the Christmas period, but there's other games pushed in around the new year period and you think they could have been placed in that earlier week. It'd make a better spread than what it is."

The Baggies' set of festive fixtures includes trips to Arsenal and Southampton, as well as a home encounter with Hull City.