Why Motherwell and Aberdeen deserve a break - and so does Liverpool's Steven Gerrard

Why is it that Britain is the only major footballing nation in Europe which does not close down for a winter break? The Spanish, German, Italian and Portuguese leagues all benefit from a winter break so why is it not the same here?

Games throughout Scotland and England are called off due to adverse weather conditions, making a mockery of the fixture list. Motherwell – whose season was of course disrupted by the tragic death of skipper Phil O'Donnell in December – had FIVE matches called off due to the state of their pitch. They have now played 32 games compared to the rest of the SPL's 34 and the fixture list is a mess. They aren’t the only ones, though.

Most pitches in Britain resemble tatty fields because they are so dug up with playing through winter. This promotes the long ball game and direct football because it's impossible to play a good, controlled passing game on these pitches. As a result, British players are nowhere near as good technically as those in other European countries.

England came up against a much superior technical side in Croatia and were passed off the park during the Euro 2008 qualifiers. They were strong, fit and athletic but just could not cope with the Croatians' skill and technique. England keep asking why they have not won a World Cup for more than 40 years but I guarantee that if there was a winter break then the standard would improve and England and Scotland would have a much better chance of doing well at international level.