[Albion] Paul Barber on 5live

[Bozza]

Quick interview with the head honcho on 5Live's breakfast show this morning talking all things Covid...

- Testing of players today was going on as he spoke.
- Challenging week with Covid, other seasonal viruses and injuries but club are working through it.
- Most of our players are vaccinated. He wouldn't commit to a number.
- Contnual education exercise with remaining players, much like the rest of society, on the benefits of vaccination.
- Aim is to spot check 20% of attending fans for Covid passes and ID.
- Something about random tickets being blocked at the turnstyle for some people to prove their Covid status (sounded a bit like self-scan at the supermarket where you get randomly selected for a rescan by a supermarket employee)
- Fixture postponements are inevitable, but clubs doing all they can to minimise infections and get games on.
- Premier League will continue to re-schedule games as soon as is practical when they are postponed.


Listen from 2:23:10 >>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012gp5

 

[B-right-on]

Thanks Bozza

Seriously trying times for Barberout and the club over 20 months or so.

 

[spoonie]

agree. feels like fun has been sucked out of all a bit doesn't it over the last almost 2 years through no fault of The Albion

 

[Saladpack Seagull]

Just heard PB on BBC Radio Sussex. Pretty much reiterating what Bozza has posted. He wouldn't commit to how many players are currently affected by Covid, describing them as "several" and wouldn't say if was more than the 3 or 4 already mentioned by GP. As usual I thought he came across very well on air.

 

[Berty23]

Did he say whether we tried to get tonight’s match postponed? Sounds like Norwich wanted to last night but failed.

 

[Bozza]

Did he say whether we tried to get tonight’s match postponed? Sounds like Norwich wanted to last night but failed.

He wasnt asked and he didn't mention it.

 

[chaileyjem]

<Reminder to myself to put a link to the show from BBC Sounds when it's up later>

PS: with all shows on Sounds you can scrub back to the bit you want to hear again/missed even when the programme is still live. - on either web or the app.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Just heard PB on BBC Radio Sussex. Pretty much reiterating what Bozza has posted. He wouldn't commit to how many players are currently affected by Covid, describing them as "several" and wouldn't say if was more than the 3 or 4 already mentioned by GP. As usual I thought he came across very well on air.

Yep, a very busy man is our Mr. Barber at the moment, not that he isn't normally of course.

 

[Bozza]

PS: with all shows on Sounds you can scrub back to the bit you want to hear again/missed even when the programme is still live. - on either web or the app.

Yeah, I know, but I wasn't sure I could post a link that will work for others to listen back to in perpetuity, which is why I was going to wait for the whole show to be listen-back-able on Sounds.

(Let's face it - I'll forget anyway)

 

[Bozza]

It's up.

Go to 2:23:10 >>> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012gp5

 

[Weststander]

20% of 8,994 is doable.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Did he say whether we tried to get tonight’s match postponed? Sounds like Norwich wanted to last night but failed.

Perhaps that would depend on the number of positive cases today - to add to those that the club already know about.

IF for example a FURTHER half dozen are positive, I can't see how the game can go ahead.

On the other hand, if matters are unchanged from Monday when Potter said recently we had 3-4 cases I guess it does go ahead.

What's the latest a game can be postponed? I mean for weather related postponements, games are often pulled right at the last minute....

 

[chaileyjem]

Just heard PB on BBC Radio Sussex. Pretty much reiterating what Bozza has posted. He wouldn't commit to how many players are currently affected by Covid, describing them as "several" and wouldn't say if was more than the 3 or 4 already mentioned by GP. As usual I thought he came across very well on air.

The interview is there on R Sussex during the Breakfast show - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_sussex. - scrub back to 8.44...

 

[Weststander]

 

[Wozza]

Did he say whether we tried to get tonight’s match postponed? Sounds like Norwich wanted to last night but failed.

Quite a few reasons to get tonight's game done, I guess...

 

[chaileyjem]

Perhaps that would depend on the number of positive cases today - to add to those that the club already know about.

..

Barber said in both interviews that currently it was "several" cases on the playing side. He didn't get into detail about it.

 

[chaileyjem]

Quite a few reasons to get tonight's game done, I guess...

The point from Barber was that by postponing games you cause a fixture pile up further down the line which in itself can cause health / issues - multiple games played in a short period of time.
I felt he seemed pretty bullish on wanting to keep stadiums full , and avoiding a suspension in the season and that this could be done using the new covid protocols for players and for fans.
But of course things change...

 

[Wozza]

The point from Barber was that by postponing games you cause a fixture pile up further down the line which in itself can cause health / issues - multiple games played in a short period of time.
I felt he seemed pretty bullish on wanting to keep stadiums full , and avoiding a suspension in the season and that this could be done using the new covid protocols for players and for fans.
But of course things change...

Yes, I figured he wouldn't want fixture congrestion, or the match played with restricted capacity in future.

Also: get Duffy suspension out of the way. Jiménez missing etc etc.

Oh, and TV revenue.

And less chance of booing under the tricky circumstances!

Like I said, many reasons.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Quite a few reasons to get tonight's game done, I guess...

Personally I disagree.

It's a very winnable game, but we find ourselves without Dunk, Webster and Duffy - guaranteed. Who knows about the other injured players, such as Veltman, Trossard, Wellbeck, Lallana, never mind as many as 4 Covid absentees.

Postpone until the new year and we'd certainly have a much stronger squad to pick from.

 

[Wozza]

Personally I disagree.

It's a very winnable game, but we find ourselves without Dunk, Webster and Duffy - guaranteed.

Sure, but they don't score goals - and their star striker is out.

Swings and roundabouts...