KEVIN Blackwell is not among the dissenting voices calling for international fixture planners to treat domestic football with greater respect but the Sheffield United manager still has cause to rue the latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
With Northern Ireland and Wales both in action tonight, two senior members of Blackwell's squad are unlikely to report for duty at Shirecliffe until Friday morning; hardly the ideal preparation for the club's most important game of the season so far.
With Keith Gillespie, expected to win his 85th cap for the province when they entertain San Marino at Windsor Park, apparently heading for the exit door any disruption caused by the experienced midfielder's absence should be kept to a minimum.
But David Cotterill's presence in Germany, where John Toshack's side hope to inflict a shock defeat on the Euro 2008 finalists, has left Blackwell wrestling with a potentially mind-numbing problem.
How best to polish the set-piece routines which proved such an effective weapon during the 3-0 victory over Bristol City earlier this month?
"It's impossible to do too much work with important people away," Blackwell said.
"We won't have everyone here until Friday and so that means you've only really got a day to do it properly. Obviously that's not ideal.
"We'll have had a fortnight without any matches by the time the next one comes around but, when you consider the actual situation that we're dealing with, we'll have had nothing like that to prepare and get ready. In real terms it will only be a couple of days. If that."
Blackwell's frustration has been tempered by the knowledge that Brian Laws, his Sheffield Wednesday counterpart, has been forced to do without Jermaine Johnson as United's arch-rivals fine tune their tactics at Middlewood.
Johnson, a thorn in United's side during the corresponding fixture last season, has been away representing Jamaica while Scotland's lack of a Group Nine tie means that United's Gary Naysmith rejoined his team mates yesterday morning. Helping Wales triumph in Moenchengladbach will, of course, ensure that Cotterill returns psychologically prepared to wreak the same sort of havoc on Wednesday.
Michael Ballack is a major doubt for the Germans but there can be little doubt that Gillespie faces an altogether more routine evening against opponents who boast students and accountants among their ranks.
However, San Marino manager Gianpaolo Mazza insisted: "I believe this is our best team in the last 10 years."
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