EFL needs two months to finish

[pete 318]

http s://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52230105

EFL announce leagues can be completed in 56 days.  Unless the season 20/21 is going to commence much later in the Autumn it seems unlikely a full season will be completed.  The PL will want to see a new season starting as near to August as possible to save losing more income.  Playing later will impact broadcasters established schedules.  An August restart looks it may be a starter without fans until covid 19 is eradicated.

 

[lake district canary 4,531]

Nope. Pointless having any football behind closed doors. Just forget it. If they did that, football at the top level would be ridiculed and derided and people likely turn off it altogether. 

[JF 694]

13 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

Nope. Pointless having any football behind closed doors. Just forget it. If they did that, football at the top level would be ridiculed and derided and people likely turn off it altogether. 

Realistically though there won’t be any fans attending matches possibly for the whole year. Football will have to eventually be played behind closed doors for clubs to survive. I can’t see any possible situation arising in the foreseeable future where all social distancing measures are stopped and 70,000 fans can attend a match. Probably won’t happen until there is a vaccine 

Edited April 9, 2020 by JF

[sonyc 5,492]

5 minutes ago, JF said:

Realistically though there won’t be any fans attending matches possibly for the whole year. Football will have to eventually be played behind closed doors for clubs to survive. I can’t see any possible situation arising in the foreseeable future where all social distancing measures are stopped and 70,000 fans can attend a match. Probably won’t happen until there is a vaccine 

Agree with this especially given the latest research about social clustering (sports events / festivals...one of main stories in the Guardian today) and how those conditions are perfect for the spread of the virus. Cannot see matches being finished for this season with fans. It would be crazy and irresponsible to do so.

[Making Plans 936]

So what if after they've resumed, just one player tests positive. What happens to that team's training/fixtures etc. And then there's the matches they've already played ie the opposition teams they've already come into contact with. What happens to those clubs training/fixtures etc?

And that's just one player in one week which would bring the whole thing to a standstill again.

[lake district canary 4,531]

33 minutes ago, JF said:

Realistically though there won’t be any fans attending matches possibly for the whole year. Football will have to eventually be played behind closed doors for clubs to survive. I can’t see any possible situation arising in the foreseeable future where all social distancing measures are stopped and 70,000 fans can attend a match. Probably won’t happen until there is a vaccine 

Which takes me back to my point last week where I said its pointless to rule anything out as we don't know how long this will go on for.  Next season may simply not happen and in that year, there may be time to play just a few games.....ideal for finishing this season's games and lead us directly on to the 21/22 season.  Not saying that would happen, but it is one possible outcome.

And playing football behind closed doors is a waste of time. No fans, no football.

[Creative Midfielder 1,985]

39 minutes ago, lake district canary said:

Nope. Pointless having any football behind closed doors. Just forget it. If they did that, football at the top level would be ridiculed and derided and people likely turn off it altogether. 

Spot on, completely pointless. The BBC are saying that they want an August start playing behind closed doors to generate revenue - I can't see how, no match day income and who is going to subscribe to TV to watch dead games?

I know they are desperate but if that is the best they can come up with they'd be better off nulling this season and the next and focus purely on how to keep football clubs financially alive - government aid I guess. Although it is becoming very hard to see how most professional clubs can survive in anything like their current form.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I can see the EPL achieviing it through the media. Every match televised etc. But I cannot see how the EFL can do it.

[Surfer 1,547]

Read this - from Accrington Stanley - on why scrapping this season is important financially to lower league teams.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1248112461259177984.html

You’re burning our club.. ...to finish this season. Tell me you understand that and tell me what you’re doing for NEXT season so I can plan please. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Surfer

[Europe_93 11]

I think we may begin this season in the Autumn, and complete by Christmas (I.e. all competitions) then begin playing seasons in a calendar year, with a break scheduled for tournaments.  It’s a break with tradition but could make a lot of sense...

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I think we may begin this season in the Autumn, and complete by Christmas (I.e. all competitions) then begin playing seasons in a calendar year, with a break scheduled for tournaments.  It’s a break with tradition but could make a lot of sense...

That is a good suggestion. I know there might be clashes but it is worth considering. Which means it will be dismissed out of hand.

[JF 694]

Just reading that in Germany they are planning on starting again behind closed doors in May and have said there won’t likely be any fans attending in 2020 

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

1 hour ago, Making Plans said:

So what if after they've resumed, just one player tests positive. What happens to that team's training/fixtures etc. And then there's the matches they've already played ie the opposition teams they've already come into contact with. What happens to those clubs training/fixtures etc?

And that's just one player in one week which would bring the whole thing to a standstill again.

It's only more than 300 games, or 400-plus if the National League is included, so I don't see what could possibly go wrong.

[Europe_93 11]

4 hours ago, keelansgrandad said:

I think we may begin this season in the Autumn, and complete by Christmas (I.e. all competitions) then begin playing seasons in a calendar year, with a break scheduled for tournaments.  It’s a break with tradition but could make a lot of sense...

That is a good suggestion. I know there might be clashes but it is worth considering. Which means it will be dismissed out of hand.

For me it gives us the best chance of completing the season and other competitions avoiding a legal mess.   It would also allow football to honor tv deals and sponsorships, all be it with a slight extension.  Football in a calendar year would allow the players Christmas & New Year off, that kind of sucks as a fan, but be good to trade that for some nice days in the summer.   It might change the pace of the game a bit in England and help the national team at tournaments, it means teams should hit a tournament at full throttle too.  If it filtered down to grass roots, perhaps there’d less football cancelled.

i can see lots of benefit and not too many downsides.....

[sgncfc 1,223]

It also depends on what the social distancing rules are by then - you can't really have plod moving on people for having a kickabout on Clapham Common and then have a televised match that evening, even if it is behind closed doors.

My understanding of behind closed doors is about 300 people including all the staff/coaches/fitness/grounds/TV crews etc - again, if we release lockdown and restrict to gatherings of 20 or 50 people it can't happen.

[Surfer 1,547]

How about 50? 18 per team plus 4 mangers and 4 officials. Add 2 more to unlock the door to the players in and four medical staff. 

We can do all the TV work remotely if we tried. 

[Rich T The Biscuit 562]

18 hours ago, Making Plans said:

So what if after they've resumed, just one player tests positive. What happens to that team's training/fixtures etc. And then there's the matches they've already played ie the opposition teams they've already come into contact with. What happens to those clubs training/fixtures etc?

And that's just one player in one week which would bring the whole thing to a standstill again.

I really don't understand how those making decisions think that its possible to do any kind of football until there is either no virus or a cure.

So what happens if they decide to start again, what about the players and support staff?

These are people who are just as likely to catch it, just as likely to pass it on and just as likely to die from it. So it's ok to put these people at risk just to keep Sky and BT Sport happy is it?

What about if a player catches if from another and dies from it, would the insurance company pay out if the advice for EVERYONE is to social distance. Whatever idiots decided this as a viable solution is exactly that,an idiot and will be responsible for any deaths of players or family should that happen.

Also what if a lot of players refuse to play because they don't want to get it? That then affects teams and will impact results so that's just as bad as not playing.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no sport can be played until there is a cure or every player, support staff or anyone else needed to put on a behind closed door match until every one of them has had it and is better.

Yes football is good for peoples mental health, I'm sure most people would prefer some low days over the risk if dying from this. None of us are immune to the risk of dying, none of us!

[ricardo 7,347]

The desperation to keep the money rolling in is what is driving it. Every other sport on earth has seen the light and called it a day.

Edited April 10, 2020 by ricardo

[Making Plans 936]

3 hours ago, Rich T The Biscuit said:

So what happens if they decide to start again, what about the players and support staff?

These are people who are just as likely to catch it, just as likely to pass it on and just as likely to die from it. So it's ok to put these people at risk just to keep Sky and BT Sport happy is it?

The thing is, football pitches, and competitive games of football, are not by any means the safest places to be if any of this virus is still around.

Firstly you cannot play football and social distance, although some might argue that our defence has be known to on more than one occassion.

Add to that that there are bodily fluids all over the turf from players spitting, gobbing and clearing their noses out. They all do it.

And then there are the droplets of sweat flying around in the air.

Surely these are the very things that are the easiest and quickest way to transmit the virus.

If they even think of playing games when there is just the slightest evidence that this bug is still about then they are mad.

 

[ricardo 7,347]

11 minutes ago, Making Plans said:

The thing is, football pitches, and competitive games of football, are not by any means the safest places to be if any of this virus is still around.

Firstly you cannot play football and social distance, although some might argue that our defence has be known to on more than one occassion.

Add to that that there are bodily fluids all over the turf from players spitting, gobbing and clearing their noses out. They all do it.

And then there are the droplets of sweat flying around in the air.

Surely these are the very things that are the easiest and quickest way to transmit the virus.

If they even think of playing games when there is just the slightest evidence that this bug is still about then they are mad.

 

The football authorities are interested in money, not logic.

[CANARYKING 634]

How many supporters are going to gather outside the behind closed doors games ? Thousands of Liverpudlians for a start