Neil Harris has slammed Millwall’s “ridiculous” festive fixtures.

The Lions will have to play four games in the space of just nine days over the Christmas period.

And Den boss Harris plans to give his players as much family time as he can during the busy winter schedule.

He told News Shopper: “I’ll try to find them family time because I’m huge on that. They’ve got to have their downtime.

“For their benefit, to play well in the Christmas period, they need to spend time with their families and see their children open their Christmas presents.

“So they will be in over the Christmas period because that’s what the fixture list demands.

“It’s a ridiculous fixture list. In this country, how we’ve not learned to change it, why we’re still dictated by TV [companies], and crowd attendance is beyond me.

“The bigger picture is the national team doing better. I’ve got to find a way for my players to get that family time but make sure we prepare correctly for every game.”

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Millwall are seven points clear of danger but face promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough, Derby and Wolves this month.

The Lions have taken four points from their last two games against Aston Villa and Sheffield United – proving they can compete with the Championship’s top clubs.

Harris added: “It shows what a tough division we’re in. We’ve played really well this season but find ourselves in 17th.

“We should have five or six more points minimum and be around that top 10 but we have to keep standards up.

“We’ve been unlucky with injuries and just need that bit of luck to keep people fit and a bit of luck in front of goal which we’ve not had.

“We’re enjoying it and I like watching my team play but there’s more to come from this group.”