[Football] Arsenal's Gabriel tests positive for the plague

[crodonilson]

Footballers aren't in some sort of bio-secure bubble of the kind that England's cricketers have been.


Given the current parlous situation in much of the country, we surely have to try and stop most of a whole squad, their coaching and medical staff and others who work at training grounds becoming infected, taking it home and spreading things far and wide.

Which is why now is the time for football and all elite sports to be banned until we get control if this, hopefully by late spring/summer.

 

[Berty23]

Do we know what was agreed re ending the season early. It would be just our luck if we dropped into the relegation zone for the first time since week 2 of our first prem season and it ended!

I feel so sorry for the Everton fans who would have felt like they won the lottery getting a ticket for the game. I expect it was to be the highlight of their Christmas. And then bosh.

 

[Bry Nylon]

If infection rates and the numbers in hospital keep don't start dropping dramatically soon I don't see how PL football can carry on, morally or practically.

 

[Berty23]

Which is why now is the time for football and all elite sports to be banned until we get control if this, hopefully by late spring/summer.

National league south is all but done. Only three matches survived covid today. My mate’s team played Chesterfield in the trophy last week and now they have postponed three games. It is coming sooner than we would like. I will miss it because I have loved having sport to watch. Jan and feb will be grim.

I guess we can watch sport from abroad.

 

[ShandyH]

About time all games were indefinitely postponed, hospitals full, new strain going round, record infections. Football is not above all if this, they are not essential work and they should all be required to stay at home and not mix.

I disagree entirely. Even though Brighton aren’t winning much, I really look forward to their games. Sport buoys me and enough of society to make it essential. Added to which, the teams are taking all possible precautions so to stay at home and not mix is giving up. Limp, like your poorly thought out comments.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bozza]

It is coming sooner than we would like.

Almost everything with Covid-19 has.

Several times over the last nine months, I've either sensed the tide turning and/or felt it was coming in far faster than most realised and said that events would be postponed, cancelled or places closed, I would then be called out by some for being an alarmist and then stuff rapidly changed.

It's going to be a rough couple of months, as the hospitalisations and deaths sadly already "baked in" from recent infections play through and we wait for the positive effect of the vaccination programme to take effect.

I can't see how schools can return a week from now.

 

[The Fits]

7 (Seven) League One games off tomorrow. Five National League games off today. Millwall and Bolton games off tomorrow.
A lot of these clubs have cancelled the next two weeks of fixtures.
The whole thing seems a bit daft.

 

[Bozza]

I wonder if the Premier League would consider the private procurement of vaccines so that they could protect all squads and associated staff.

It would probably only take 2,000 - 3,000 vaccines to do what is required - a very small number in the context of the tens of millions being produced, but the "we can spend cash to jump the vaccination queue" may be the wrong message for the PL to be sending out.

 

[GT49er]

Should be like the war years. Turn up with the fit players and pull fans from the stands to complete the line up.

But to be authentic, without relegation or promotion.

 

[The Fits]

Almost everything with Covid-19 has.

Several times over the last nine months, I've either sensed the tide turning and/or felt it was coming in far faster than most realised and said that events would be postponed, cancelled or places closed, I would then be called out by some for being an alarmist and then stuff rapidly changed.

It's going to be a rough couple of months, as the hospitalisations and deaths sadly already "baked in" from recent infections play through and we wait for the positive effect of the vaccination programme to take effect.

I can't see how schools can return a week from now.

Figures over the last few days are alarming given they are currently England only and not all areas at that (i understand the rest of UK have not been submitting figures over Xmas).
Highest daily cases today I believe.
Is football that important?

 

[Berty23]

I wonder if the Premier League would consider the private procurement of vaccines so that they could protect all squads and associated staff.

It would probably only take 2,000 - 3,000 vaccines to do what is required - a very small number in the context of the tens of millions being produced, but the "we can spend cash to jump the vaccination queue" may be the wrong message for the PL to be sending out.

I can’t see that happening. Where would it stop? It would obviously make some sense but it would cause so much trouble.

I agree with your previous post and suspect that this day next week the picture will look very different to now. 42k cases today and Christmas not even included yet due to time lag. Hopefully the vaccine can be rolled out at ridiculous speed so we can at least have a spring.

 

[GT49er]

Do we know what was agreed re ending the season early. It would be just our luck if we dropped into the relegation zone for the first time since week 2 of our first prem season and it ended!

I'm pretty sure that neither the EPL or the FA have made plans for this - they'll want to stay on the money train no matter what the cost, either to clubs or individual players.
Of course there should be an agreement on when and if and how to end the season if/when it can't be completed - but they're far too selfish and money-grabbing for that.

 

[crodonilson]

I wonder if the Premier League would consider the private procurement of vaccines so that they could protect all squads and associated staff.

It would probably only take 2,000 - 3,000 vaccines to do what is required - a very small number in the context of the tens of millions being produced, but the "we can spend cash to jump the vaccination queue" may be the wrong message for the PL to be sending out.

Do we have enough evidence yet that vaccines will stop the transmission of the virus? I don't think we do, we already know that players are at very low risk of serious illness or death but we need to break chains of transmission.

 

[Bry Nylon]

The people I feel for in all this are the people compelled to be at risk (and their families) simply because people want football on.

The groundstaff, the people who wash the kit, catering staff, the people from the broadcasters who have to be at the grounds, medical and stadium staff, coach drivers etc. None of these people would be doing this at a time of surging infection rates if football wasn't being played. Sooner or later some of these people will contract covid as a direct result of this non-essential activity and become very ill or worse.

Not great for them or their families. The argument that people demand the PL carries on as it gives them a lift is a bit hollow once people start catching a potentially fatal disease as a direct result.

 

[crodonilson]

I can’t see that happening. Where would it stop? It would obviously make some sense but it would cause so much trouble.

I agree with your previous post and suspect that this day next week the picture will look very different to now. 42k cases today and Christmas not even included yet due to time lag. Hopefully the vaccine can be rolled out at ridiculous speed so we can at least have a spring.

The mass amounts of virus now circulating will surely mean we have to be sensible with the roll out. We need to vaccinate the most at risk first and they don't get any immunity for several weeks so we need to be very careful with the roll out or in themselves this centres where we vaccinate could become breeding grounds for the virus before people get any immunity. I doubt very much we will get the numbers needed to go back to any semblance of normal life for many, many months I'm afraid.

 

[crodonilson]

The people I feel for in all this are the people compelled to be at risk (and their families) simply because people want football on.

The groundstaff, the people who wash the kit, catering staff, the people from the broadcasters who have to be at the grounds, medical and stadium staff, coach drivers etc. None of these people would be doing this at a time of surging infection rates if football wasn't being played. Sooner or later some of these people will contract covid as a direct result of this non-essential activity and become very ill or worse.

Not great for them or their families. The argument that people demand the PL carries on as it gives them a lift is a bit hollow once people start catching a potentially fatal disease as a direct result.

Totally agree, it's absolute folly we should carry on.

 

[The Fits]

Long covid has to be an issue with players. Saint Maximin is out with it and no real date has been set on his return. We know it's more prevalent in younger people.
Is it worth that?
How would we feel as supporters if one of our players got it and was out indefinitely? Or is that just the way it is?
It's complicated. Supposedly seven Man City players caught it since Christmas. Don't they deserve protecting as they're clearly not as safe as the FA would like?

 

[GT49er]

Figures over the last few days are alarming given they are currently England only and not all areas at that (i understand the rest of UK have not been submitting figures over Xmas).
Highest daily cases today I believe.
Is football that important?

'Football isn't a matter of life and death - it's more important than that' was a throw-away clip from Bill Shankly over 50 years ago. Sadly now the football authorities take it as a mantra for justifying their relentless pursuit of the money.

 

[golddene]

Over coronavirus NOT the plague. One is a virus and the other is a bacterial infection easily treated with antibiotics.

I do apologise, I understood [MENTION=21064]easy[/MENTION]10 was referring to the current pandemic, which is indeed a virus, as reason for the postponement of today's fixture.

This current pandemic ( Coronavirus) is sometimes referred to in some quarters as a 'plague' hence my trying to be helpful in reminding you that our first game postponed in March was caused by Government legislating for a National shutdown in direct response to this current pandemic ( Coronavirus) outbreak and coincidentally the same opponent today may be subject to another postponement!

I didn't realise when replying to you that your 'post' was not you being ignorant to the coincidence of the same opponents being involved but just you being your usual argumentative and pedantic self.

With that I withdraw from this conversation.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Over coronavirus NOT the plague. One is a virus and the other is a bacterial infection easily treated with antibiotics.

You really are a little ray of sunshine aren't you?

Maybe if all elite sport gets called off you could entertain the nation instead with your sparkling wit and incredible understanding of the nuances of humorous phraseology. I imagine the media will be queuing up.