Pugin

The whole discussion is absolutely bizarre. We could all go over-the-top with effusive praise of any player, or alternatively pick holes in any player in the world (with the possible exception of Messi, who is possibly so good that he defies criticism.) But to focus on the hackneyed old chestnuts such as Todd's use of the ball or care in possession is....well, it's strange and I don't understand how anyone an watch our games and not just be thankful. If Todd steers clear of injury he will have to go at some stage. It's definitely a question of you never know what you've got till it's gone (which I was about to attribute to Mr Dylan whereas it is of course a Joni Mitchell line). Be that all as it may...I think we are wasting our time trying to persuade LDC 🙂

(I love you Lakey but...) you do come out with some tosh. No one could believe that Todd could 'walk into' Jurgen Klopp's first team. No one has suggested that. Anywhere. But the fact remains that Todd has scored goals against top teams this season and of the players in Klopp's squad in his position, Oxlade-Chamberlain has come back well but doesn't score goals, and Adam Llanana is I believe being released. So logically, Todd should be in Liverpool's thoughts. But he won't go to Liverpool at this stage of his career as it would be too much of a risk that he would be sitting on the bench for who knows how long. Don't forget Todd missed a year of his development with a back problem, and was so frustrated two years ago that he pushed for a move to a loan club just to get games. Like all youngsters he wants to be out on the pitch, not sitting watching. Elsewhere you have said that you want to see Todd running at people with the ball. Fine. We would all enjoy that. But it's not the way Daniel Farke prefers to see the game played. He loves his touch, pass and move, touch, pass, move, and repeat. Todd has obviously got a bit of licence, but he only gets away with it because he does it so well!

What Lakey needs to appreciate is that within 24 hours of any game finishing, Daniel will have the full game analysis for the team and for individuals. Any individuals making recurring errors will have their good points and bad points reviewed one to one, on the Monday or Tuesday after a weekend game. Suffice to say, Todd ball retention data is tremendously good. Of course he has given the ball away at times - the first 25 minutes at Palace was hard for him but he was strong enough to fight back before the game was over, as an example. As for Todd looking more assertive in his last few games - as Lakey asserts - the most recent game at Sheff Utd was Todd's worst of the season. He simply ran himself to a standstill at Tottenham on the Tuesday over 120 minutes of play, and left his legs on that pitch so that he had nothing left at Sheffield and could have been rested. Isn't it awkward when facts get in the way of opinion?

+ hardest worker in the team, regularly covering 12kms which is phenomenal and on a par with the world's top players in the left flank position. Probably works against Todd, as he keeps him being given a position out wide as Daniel knows that Emi or Onel would not work as hard as Todd.

Agreed, but it's not just backbone. Troy Deeney is at a club where the fans love him, the management of the club love him, he's paid his dues, been round the block, had his career, and, yes, made his money, so he is in a stronger position than most as he is confident to express his views without paying too high a price. He's had his career and no one can take that away. But more than all of that, he's on the inside and he knows that he is speaking for probably a couple of hundred other players who have more at risk if they speak out. He is actually a hero and should be acknowledged as such. I was celebrating today when I heard that the Government has formed a Task Force including Rugby and Football representatives to discuss the restart. It's great because you can rest assured that the Rugby types have enough Doctors, surgeons and Consultants in their ranks to ensure that Rugby does not re-start until it is safe to do so. Surely, they wouldn't dare sanction football abandoning social distancing until rugby does also. (I wouldn't bet against it though!)

So glad this is gathering pace. Ian Holloway has just slaughtered the PFA on TalkSport because of the negligent way in which they are representing players. Darren Bent made the point that players are prepared to forgo wages in order to stay safe. I know this to be the case. It's about individuals and their nearest and dearest staying healthy. A few brave players have said what hundreds of their colleagues believe. Let me put it this way - the Government and the professional classes are well into their rugby. If Rugby Union started ignoring social distancing in training, then footballers would happily do the same. But rugby players won't - they have far to manny Doctors, surgeons and lawyers in their ranks. They know.

Check out the Moderna vaccine trials. Early results show that 'guinea pig' volunteers are showing the requisite antibody presence in their bloods. These trials are due to continue for a year to determine longevity and safety. But it feels like a breakthrough. The pharma stock market certainly thinks so.

I seriously wonder if this T guy believes in the benefits of eugenics. There is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that he does: Seeking to target / blame those with physical imperfections, in this case those who are overweight or obese. Perpetuating the bizarre claim that 'racism is a known biological trait'. Elsewhere he has said that people are born as inherent racists. This is totally and absolutely wrong. I was not born a racist and don't have a racist bone in my body, so I think the observation is offensive and dangerous. Overt nationalism, perversely in favour of his adopted country rather than his country of birth. He's not the first to have done that! There are still many people who believe in the benefits of maintaining the purity of an Aryan race and I find parts of Germany to be eerie and uncomfortable because you can walk down the street and sense the 'purity' of the population. If the current government were eugenisists (and there is a silent nod in that direction in the extreme right wing of the party, without naming names as that would just inflame and deviate the conversation), then the targeted groups would be poor immigrants, the physically impaired, the under-educated, and no doubt some other unfashionable groups. I am not saying that T is a nazista (although he could be), more that the views he express resonate a linear development of eugenic ideas, fit for the mid-21st century.

All this nastiness. It it so depressing. Sorry, but it is.

Do you think the evidence is slowly coming to light, Bill? People like Allardyce are on the inside and know exactly what players are thinking.

You really do need a good sub-editor. What you write would still be nonsense, but grammatically correct nonsense.

If there is a re-start, Daniel must stick to his beliefs. That's the best bit of advice that anyone can give him (not that he needs it). The reason is that if we go down playing his way, then so be it. But if we went down playing a different style he would forever wonder what would have happened if he had stuck to his guns. The same applies to any manager. Success actors: Teemu finding his touch again Emi starting off well - he had a shocking spell last autumn and had to be dropped. We just can't afford for that to happen again I understand that Timm does not believe that he is up to the pace of the Premier League, and therefore I don't think he is in the reckoning, sadly. The young guns - Todd, Max, Ben, Jamal and maybe Adam Idah could really come back flying having now got three quarters of a Prem season under their belts (except Idah). It still feels to me that we are one top player short in the key sitting midfielder role. That's for Daniel to sort out in the five or six weeks between now and the resumption. The more I think about it, Ben could be the answer.

Professor Van-Tam has been listening to the players and managers and appears to be kicking the ball further down the road in this afternoon's briefing. He talked about one step at a time and confirmed that the training protocols have not yet been agreed, and that until that happens they cannot even think about resumption of playing. Unfortunately I cannot attach the video clip for reasons of size (its, not mine). Do not believe the Sky party line! Sky are being hoist on the Government's petard of involving health professionals in the briefings. Huzzah!

Where the Hell is the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) in all of this? And, come to that, the League Managers Association? They are so far off the pace that it is embarrassing. At the very, very least they should be issuing daily press releases / briefings. I guarantee that both have overblown press departments. They should see the current situation as an opportunity to make a difference. Whatever anyone says, the games cannot resume without the players agreeing and take it from me, the groundswell of opinion amongst is that players is that they feel it is too dangerous to resume in the immediate future.

Liverpool need to come out and say it is unsafe to resume. They would be thanked evermore and would claim the moral high ground. But with American owners I don't hold out a lot of hope.

This is becoming grotesque. If the Mail article is accurate, thankfully the managers have it within their power to put a stop to this nonsense. They surely will do.

Mate, the furlough scheme is to maintain and protect the foundations of the economy so that as soon as possible we can return to the previous status quo. We have a government with some extreme hard right elements, and it is their policy.

I can only speak for myself and say that the only reason I have followed football for decades is because I love the drama and thrill of 90 minutes of cut and thrust contest played live in front of your eyes, and everything that goes with it. I have noticed that fans of clubs with stacks of silverware are not the happiest in the long term. Look at Man Utd or Arsenal fans. Between them they were dominant for a long period, bur has it made the any happier in the long term? Clearly not. In fact it has made them less content. How about Everton, who have never been relegated? Happy or not? So please understand that promotion or relegation is not life and death, but the thought of a player entrusted by the club and fans to represent City, ending up dead or dsabled is life and death. Literally. Its not all that matters, but it is a thousand times more important than anything else.

At Norwich there are very strong feelings amongst the players, all being fielded and pulled together by players' rep Timm Klose. But I think it's important to leave Norwich out of the discussion as they could be accused of having a vested interest. Other clubs have exactly the same response from players. It is the other mid-table and not relegation-thrwatened clubs that will make all the difference.

Good news in my opinion. While the Government tries to creakingly get the country working again, it seems that at most Premier League clubs the players themselves are wisely resistant to a premature resumption of games. Even at Liverpool there is a groundswell of fear and resistance amongst some if not all the players. This story will run. The press should get hold of it quickly and no doubt put their own spin on it. Public opinion will be behind the players and it is hard to see how any restart can take place with reluctant participants. I know this to be the case within at least four clubs, and suspect it applies to many / all.

And for the record, club football does nothing to raise the nation's morale. For every joyously happy Liverpool fan there are far more moaning Man Utd, Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, fans. The natural state of the football fan is one of almost continuous discontent. God Bless Danny Rose - he has spoken what most players are feeling.

Comparison with Spain is not like-for-like. Spain reports 13,055 deaths to date. England reports 29,710. Spain is far ahead of England in terms of the progress of the virus. Spain is planning a resumption on 12th June. The Premier League does not yet have a resumption date but the signs are that it will be sooner. For you information, across most EPL clubs the players are very reluctant to resume playing until if is safe to do so. We shall see how this plays out. There are considerable rumblings which can only get louder. As for a risk assessment giving an infection likelihood rating of 'virtually nil', I shall believe it when I see it. Quite honestly, it is impossible to accept.

OK, I'll bite. I know I shouldn't do, and that you are not here for the long haul, but despite all that I will still bite. There is benefit to the country's economy to resume Premier games quickly. Therefore 'return to work' is not the issue. There is a real and tangible risk of exposing professional athletes to potential infection. If say 5 or 10 players do become infected during the Resume process, it will put proper resumption back months if not years. Who in their right mind would risk the death (we are talking about potential death) if not essential. Can you imaging the effect of only one player at your club becoming infected, and dying? Can you? There is evidence growing that the fitter the individual, the more potential damage the virus will cause. We do not have any concept of the long term effect of the virus. Do you understand how mentality traumatic the experience will be for all those players and non-players involved, and their loved ones? Think about it. We don't yet understand why BAME people appear more susceptible to the virus. There will be players who find a way of avoiding playing. Who can blame them. They deserve support. We don't know if you can be tested 'Negative' on Day One but be 'Positive' the next day (game day). A return to playing behind closed doors will be artificial in every sense. It will prove little. The country will be teetering around the +1 'R' rate in a month's time. We are playing with fire to have unnecessary mass gatherings such as games of football. Think of the message it would send to the population. Relax folks, you will be OK. So no, we can't play while this virus is around. At least, not until it is fully understood and we are able to mitigate the risks. If we don't understand the risks, how do we know that any mitigation is adequate? Someone needs to knock this on the head very soon. The Government and EPL will not, the PFA should but won't as frankly they are not intellectually capable or inclined, the clubs could but it remains to be seen if they will. Please respond.

Lest we forget - there are few things less reliable than unremunerated legal advice 🙂

I ask the question because the most inadequate and downright dangerous risk assessments are conducted when the authors already know the desired conclusion - in this case the EPL wants the conclusion to be that adequate mitigation will reduce the Risk to a manageable and acceptable level. With good reason there is a paucity of information available as to how the virus is transmitted, how prevalent it is, why those of BAME background appear more susceptible, how near we are to an effective vaccine, what pre-match testing actually proves, whether extreme exercise promotes degree of damage, long term effects etc. etc. etc. In the circumstances, at Monday's EPL meeting it is the risk assessment which should be scrutinised and challenged most keenly, as I am sure that it will be the EPL's achilles heel. (The same question arose when all seater stadiums were introduced. I took the time to read all the legislation and the introduction of all seating decreed that every sports venue shall conduct its own risk assessment and base their actions on that. Did these ever see the light of day? No chance!)