EFL players told,Season unlikely to be completed

[Heisenberg]

I naively thought sport is less of a priority than pandemics

I happens again and season needs to be cancelled, so be it.

Where did I say that it was more of a priority... where did I even imply it?

I was talking of the practicalities of the situation, which is the whole point of the thread.

[tell it like it is]

The point I'm trying to make is not when but how. Football will return but why not just a continuation of this season rather than a new one? If there's a possibility of another pause then why not just put it on ice instead of cancelling months of work.

So aim to continue, another few waves occur, postponed again?

We're hardly talking a "minor" issue here, we're talking a pandemic, exceptional circumstances.

Accept it's unfortunate it needs to be scrapped, start afresh.

[Heisenberg]

So aim to continue, another few waves occur, postponed again?

We're hardly talking a "minor" issue here, we're talking a pandemic, exceptional circumstances.

Accept it's unfortunate it needs to be scrapped, start afresh.

Why start a new season every time and not continue where you left off? That's the point I've been trying to make.

There's no point in having any football played at all if every season will be deemed null and void.

For the record, since you think I've suggested otherwise, I don't want sport taking place if it isn't safe to do so.... But I don't get the point of saying "just start again" each time something major causes a disruption when the "start again" surely means that it safe to finish what they've already started.

[trampie09]

The way things are going they could knock football on the head until next March and pick up where they left off this March.

[Chris Pontprennau Blues]

Somebody knock up one of those voting threads asking whether we think season will cancelled/voided including EPL and whether the bottom three in EPL would be relegated and top 2 in EFL/Championship get promoted or not

[jon1959]

The way things are going they could knock football on the head until next March and pick up where they left off this March.

That could be it. Rename the 2019-20 season the 2019-21 season and aim to finish it in 12/13 months time.

The only downsides to that plan are Leeds and Liverpool !!

[xsnaggle]

The way things are going they could knock football on the head until next March and pick up where they left off this March.

I agree. i said this weeks ago, just waint until the end of Feb and call it the 2019-21 season

[life on mars]

I don't give a flying feck whilst so many still fall unwell , die in thier hundreds, friends and family suffer . Imagine how many of these unfortunate people are footy fans

[xsnaggle]

That could be it. Rename the 2019-20 season the 2019-21 season and aim to finish it in 12/13 months time.

The only downsides to that plan are Leeds and Liverpool !!

But they might well have won it and under this plan they would have the chance to actually prove it.

[jon1959]

But they might well have won it and under this plan they would have the chance to actually prove it.

That is the downside - and why I think just voiding the season has so many attractions.

[ToTaL ITK]

Bearing a grudge because of a global pandemic would be a tad churlish.

ohhh come on !!! this is much bigger than a pandemic

[trampie09]

That could be it. Rename the 2019-20 season the 2019-21 season and aim to finish it in 12/13 months time.

The only downsides to that plan are Leeds and Liverpool !!

Indeed.

[xsnaggle]

That is the downside - and why I think just voiding the season has so many attractions.

[CCFCC3PO]

I realise plenty of people will chuckle at their misfortune but - as has been pointed out - other teams will suffer too. What is being said is that nine months of work, effort, injuries, travelling etc now means nothing. It's being torn up to start again. (And start again when?)

I think I remember this right but in the 90s the Major League Baseball players went on strike and the owners said fine, we'll scrap the season. Then the following year attendances were hit - the fans said if you can't be bothered, neither can we. Perhaps when football comes back crowds will surge because of what we missed but I fear the opposite. You made it meaningless; you scrapped what we hope to achieve, so what's the point?

And I still don't know why they can't hang on indefinitely.

I think you are hitting lots of nails on their head.

Let's say this season is scrapped and, by some miracle, 2020/21 kicks off in early September. What happens if there is a second wave of the virus in March 2021? It all gets scrapped again? Just the question existing would mean that, in a world where jobs are being shed and the economy is shrinking, what is the point in buying a season ticket?

[Kitman]

It was mentioned earlier on but I wonder how this affects parachute payments.

If the season is null and void, do we receive one additional year? Who knows

[CCFCC3PO]

Its a right mess. Playing behind closed doors will have the testing and tracing, what happens if a player tests positive and all that team and the opposition have to go into quarantine again?
What stops idiot fans travelling to the grounds even when it’s behind closed doors causing headaches for the plod and other resources?
There’s a whole host of legal issues from other clubs protesting against relegation and promotions if the season can’t be finished and there just can’t be a fair outcome.
I can honestly see all divisions being voided.

What I don't understand is, why is 2020/21 starting being seen as more important than 2019/20 being completed. Especially when there are no guarantees that 2020/21 will be able to restart. UEFA claim it's so that their competitions can take place. But, we can't even envisage Swansea playing Cardiff, so planning that Sporting Lisbon will play Qarabag seems crazy.

Let's also remind ourselves that Euro 2021 is still going to take place across an entire continent.

[WJ99mobile]

What I don't understand is, why is 2020/21 starting being seen as more important than 2019/20 being completed. Especially when there are no guarantees that 2020/21 will be able to restart. UEFA claim it's so that their competitions can take place. But, we can't even envisage Swansea playing Cardiff, so planning that Sporting Lisbon will play Qarabag seems crazy.

Let's also remind ourselves that Euro 2021 is still going to take place across an entire continent.

We should have a vaccine by then. It should be back to normal

[Taunton Blue Genie]

I think this is more about the way we proceed than the lull itself. If you work on something for nine months and then you're told to scrap it because it won't be finished in time, but you can start again from scratch in August (but perhaps not August) then I don't see how people will keep a lid on their resentment.

People are dying in their tens of thousands and everyone needs to have some sort of perspective. And there's no guarantee that things will be normalised in August (and in a different contractual period for many players) anyway.

[CCFCC3PO]

We should have a vaccine by then. It should be back to normal

Really? Where is this reported?

[CCFCC3PO]

People are dying in their tens of thousands and everyone needs to have some sort of perspective. And there's no guarantee that things will be normalised in August (and in a different contractual period for many players) anyway.

That is true. The issue, though, is that we could get back to some normality (who knows when) and that may include football stadiums being reopened to, say, 50% of capacity. The question then is, how can football have any sustainability when no end result can be guaranteed. The fact that thousands of people are dying, whilst we all agree is tragic, should not stop us from talking about this.

It appears that the Premier League will go ahead and complete the season behind closed doors. The issue is that the Football League cannot achieve the same result, and that is why they are being forced to strike off the season (because there is no way they can finish ahead of August). As a fan of a Football League club, it would be sensible to think (in normal times, but with the spectre of another outbreak) "Why bother spending £500 on a season ticket when there are no guarantees the season will end?"

The interesting thing will be, do the PL kick off 2020/21 in August behind closed doors? And, where does that leave the Football League? If they (the football league) can't resume until much later than September 2020, then there will be no point resuming at all since the Premier League will have established rules that enable their seasons to start and complete (with or without fans) in August-May.

Having this debate does not mean we have lost our sense of perspective. My own preference is that 2020/21 is scrapped taking the pressure off this season being completed. If there is then a big gap before 2021/22 starts, then I think it would be an idea to fill this with cup competitions that enable lower league clubs to get the big names visiting their stadiums and putting cash in their banks. If, however, the PL is hell bent on going its own way, then they either need to subsidise the game at the lower league levels (that link and camaraderie was broken in 1992 with the Sky money) or come clean and say that it isn't their problem.

[Whisperer]

We should have a vaccine by then. It should be back to normal

I wouldn't bank on a vaccine, one hasn't been found for Hepatitis C yet and we're 20/25 years in. although I really do hope that the scientists can come up with one sooner rather than later.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

That is true. The issue, though, is that we could get back to some normality (who knows when) and that may include football stadiums being reopened to, say, 50% of capacity. The question then is, how can football have any sustainability when no end result can be guaranteed. The fact that thousands of people are dying, whilst we all agree is tragic, should not stop us from talking about this.

It appears that the Premier League will go ahead and complete the season behind closed doors. The issue is that the Football League cannot achieve the same result, and that is why they are being forced to strike off the season (because there is no way they can finish ahead of August). As a fan of a Football League club, it would be sensible to think (in normal times, but with the spectre of another outbreak) "Why bother spending £500 on a season ticket when there are no guarantees the season will end?"

The interesting thing will be, do the PL kick off 2020/21 in August behind closed doors? And, where does that leave the Football League? If they (the football league) can't resume until much later than September 2020, then there will be no point resuming at all since the Premier League will have established rules that enable their seasons to start and complete (with or without fans) in August-May.

Having this debate does not mean we have lost our sense of perspective. My own preference is that 2020/21 is scrapped taking the pressure off this season being completed. If there is then a big gap before 2021/22 starts, then I think it would be an idea to fill this with cup competitions that enable lower league clubs to get the big names visiting their stadiums and putting cash in their banks. If, however, the PL is hell bent on going its own way, then they either need to subsidise the game at the lower league levels (that link and camaraderie was broken in 1992 with the Sky money) or come clean and say that it isn't their problem.

I didn't suggest that having a debate about this matter meant that people have lost a sense of perspective. My comment was about people over-reacting, in my humble opinion, to the EPL season being called to a halt in these unprecedented times. Nothing more than that. If you have a different perspective, that's fine, old fruit.

[blue matt]

ive seen a few idea's online

end this season, just void it
merge 19-20 and 20-21 , so its 19-21
cancel 20-21 season but play 19-20 when we can
average points per game

now to me, it doesnt really matter we have bigger matters to deal with, they have cancelled grassroot football and just voided it, the team i coach came mid-table ( after a great first few games we fell away a little ) that doesnt mean the games didnt take place, the girls know they beat the top of the table team after the other teams player told them they were going to win the league that day and would beat them easily, sure its not that important in the football world, we have no win bonus, no TV money to deal with, but it is just a game

The grassroot netball leagues are asking each league what they want to do

cancel and void
work out a points per game average and work out the league places from that

thats 2 simple options, the teams in each league get a vote


Now the Netball superleague havent decided on what they will do, wish they would hurry up as i have 350 quid of season tickets which we have only played 2 rounds of games, so we have seen 1 game, a 300 quid refund would be nice


now we know the EPL are hell bent on finishing the league, it has nothing to do with whats right and wrong, its only about the money, has been for a long time now

i wish the government would just put a stop to it and take is out the of greedy hands of the EPL, just tell them they are not going to play till this is all over, job done

[the other bob wilson]

Football to remain behind closed doors until 2021/22? I think it could well happen.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...eason-18182309

[goats]

People are dying in their tens of thousands and everyone needs to have some sort of perspective. And there's no guarantee that things will be normalised in August (and in a different contractual period for many players) anyway.

Are they? 12 in the whole of a Wales yesterday wasn’t it? 8 the day before? Time to get back to some sort of normal before it’s too late for far more than 20,000. And I’m pretty sure there will be a few companies with vaccines available by sept to Dec, not just one......