[Albion] Paul Barber Opposes PL Restart Plan

[dadams2k11]

...........meanwhile up the road


https://apple.news/A9YmPuow3T-qt5Cxf__kC3Q

Because they are skint and he needs the money or they will go down the pan...

 

[Weststander]

Because they are skint and he needs the money or they will go down the pan...

Hoping.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I wonder how strongly Barber is opposed to switching to neutral stadiums for the last quarter? Would he be willing to give up £30m in TV money and cancel the season, rather than play on at neutral stadiums, on a point of principle? Or is he just saying that he is opposed to playing at neutral stadiums but would do so if it was the only way?

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

I wonder how strongly Barber is opposed to switching to neutral stadiums for the last quarter? Would he be willing to give up £30m in TV money and cancel the season, rather than play on at neutral stadiums, on a point of principle? Or is he just saying that he is opposed to playing at neutral stadiums but would do so if it was the only way?

The giving up £30 million assumes that no deal could be struck with SKY/BT to give them more games next season, which in all likelihood will be behind closed doors meaning there is scope for more televised games.

 

[Is it PotG?]

I wonder how strongly Barber is opposed to switching to neutral stadiums for the last quarter? Would he be willing to give up £30m in TV money and cancel the season, rather than play on at neutral stadiums, on a point of principle? Or is he just saying that he is opposed to playing at neutral stadiums but would do so if it was the only way?

Will £30m be lost if the season is voided? I thought that was not the case.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Will £30m be lost if the season is voided? I thought that was not the case.

We don't know. But if the season is voided, then the new season is also likely to be voided for the same reasons, and in that case it would be certain that the £30m would be lost along with next seson's money.

If playing behind closed doors at neutral stadiums is unacceptable now, it will be unacceptable next season as well. What would change?

 

[Seasider78]

I wonder how strongly Barber is opposed to switching to neutral stadiums for the last quarter? Would he be willing to give up £30m in TV money and cancel the season, rather than play on at neutral stadiums, on a point of principle? Or is he just saying that he is opposed to playing at neutral stadiums but would do so if it was the only way?

I think he is doing his job in knowing that if play resumes we are one of the clubs at risk of the drop so any moves that disadvantage our chances of staying up he is pushing back on. Let’s face it £30m is nothing compared to the cost of being relegated

 

[Weststander]

Will £30m be lost if the season is voided? I thought that was not the case.

Some ITK posters have mentioned a few times that Sky will fully pay every £b, even if this season is null and voided. Does that remain so?

BT Sport - anyone here know if they’ve promised the same?

 

[Change at Barnham]

The first essential is to decide what is to be done about wages. The only sensible way to do it IMO is to thell the players that if the season is not finished, and obviously that means next season is in doubt as well, then all players will be furloughed until things become clearer.

Then, there are IMO two options.

1. Work from now to get the game going again. Premier League only to start with, I dare say, with subsidies further down the league as necessary.
or
2. Give it up, no more football until the coronavirus has been solved - estimated perhaps 18 months. Or next March has been mentioned. Either way, that's why players need to be on furlough because they can't get paid when there is no income to pay them.

The idea of not making emergency plans for this season while immediately starting emergency plans for next season, is nonsense. Coronavirus will not disappear and the basic situation won't change unless and until we get a vaccine. If we can't start in June, it's highly unlikely that we will start in September.

I believe that if a player is furloughed it gives the player the option to walk away from his contract and become a free agent.
I doubt if too many Premier League sides will want to allow their major assets to have a chance to sign for another club with nothing in return.

 

[swindonseagull]

End season now.
Allow the table to stand as is.
No relegation to champ, and no promotion.
allow clubs to vote who should be made champions, guiding them to vote Liverpool.
Text ‘genuinely, so sorry’ to Leeds United.

This but forget the text and just send the following emoji

 

[sparkie]

I wonder how strongly Barber is opposed to switching to neutral stadiums for the last quarter? Would he be willing to give up £30m in TV money and cancel the season, rather than play on at neutral stadiums, on a point of principle? Or is he just saying that he is opposed to playing at neutral stadiums but would do so if it was the only way?

It is more complex than that in that some of Tony Bloom's other business interests require sport and betting to restart so revenue can be generated again.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I think he is doing his job in knowing that if play resumes we are one of the clubs at risk of the drop so any moves that disadvantage our chances of staying up he is pushing back on. Let’s face it £30m is nothing compared to the cost of being relegated

That's my suspicion too. Certainly if it was the other way round, as it very well may be next season - that the season starts behind closed doors and moves to home and away later - his objections to the loss of sporting integrity would be a bit easier to overcome.

It's pretty obvious that the objections the bottom 6 have - not just Brighton - to resuming the competition is because of fear of relegation. And that's the problem with the Premier League, or one of the many problems. Because of its constitution, where the clubs themselves make all the decisions, a few clubs can hold the rest to ransom over relatively trivial issues.

It would still be interesting to kow, when push came to shove, if he would be willing to block the resumption of the PL over this relatively trivial issue. There are after all sound reasons for neutral venues -one in particular being that some grounds (ie. Turf Moor) have very small away dressing rooms that give no scope for social distancing.

 

[Guinness Boy]

It's pretty obvious that the objections the bottom 6 have - not just Brighton - to resuming the competition is because of fear of relegation. And that's the problem with the Premier League, or one of the many problems. Because of its constitution, where the clubs themselves make all the decisions, a few clubs can hold the rest to ransom over relatively trivial issues.

I'm sure you're right, but it sholdn't be. The season should be abandoned on safety grounds and every decision between now and resumption (closed doors) and full resumption (30,000 pissed up people right next to each other) needs to be made on safety grounds. Absolutely nothing else.

I've said repeatedly that the fairest way to do it is to give Liverpool the title, bring Leeds and WBA up, no relegation and then relegate 4 a season for two seasons. That obviosuly suits us but I can't see who else would really complain apart from the most bitter of Mancs.

 

[Springal]

I'm sure you're right, but it sholdn't be. The season should be abandoned on safety grounds and every decision between now and resumption (closed doors) and full resumption (30,000 pissed up people right next to each other) needs to be made on safety grounds. Absolutely nothing else.

I've said repeatedly that the fairest way to do it is to give Liverpool the title, bring Leeds and WBA up, no relegation and then relegate 4 a season for two seasons. That obviosuly suits us but I can't see who else would really complain apart from the most bitter of Mancs.

Not sure that the argument covers Leeds & WBA unfortunately. WBA are by no mean a dead cert.

Also I guess the TV money needs to cover 2 extra teams and I reckon a bunch of PL clubs may object. At this stage anyway...

 

[Guinness Boy]

Not sure that the argument covers Leeds & WBA unfortunately. WBA are by no mean a dead cert.

Also I guess the TV money needs to cover 2 extra teams and I reckon a bunch of PL clubs may object. At this stage anyway...

Well, the TV money would definitely need to cover the additional teams but then if the PL is completed behind closed doors at neutral venues I can see all three eventually relegated teams challenging the result, possibly through the courts, which already have a massive delay.

WBA go up under exactly the same basis as Liverpool winning the league. It's both or neither - but again the alternative isn't just completing the PL by about the end of June but also completing the Championship.

We all know that all the outstanding professional games in England won't be completed so it's time to start floating the least worst options.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

My understanding is EPL needs 14 votes to carry project restart decision. The bottom 6 to vote against. Where's the other 8 votes coming from? If it goes ahead, the EPL will need a tome of rules and responses to 'what if' scenarios so it's clear and upfront how it will deal with a given set of circumstances. Fraught with practical issues.

 

[Springal]

Well, the TV money would definitely need to cover the additional teams but then if the PL is completed behind closed doors at neutral venues I can see all three eventually relegated teams challenging the result, possibly through the courts, which already have a massive delay.

WBA go up under exactly the same basis as Liverpool winning the league. It's both or neither - but again the alternative isn't just completing the PL by about the end of June but also completing the Championship.

We all know that all the outstanding professional games in England won't be completed so it's time to start floating the least worst options.

Why would Liverpool win the league, Leeds & WBA be promoted - but no one relegated by the same thinking.

I can go with Liverpool because they are 25 points clear - and there is no material effect on giving then the league based on over whelming probability. The rest.... not so much

 

[sparkie]

Not sure that the argument covers Leeds & WBA unfortunately. WBA are by no mean a dead cert.

Also I guess the TV money needs to cover 2 extra teams and I reckon a bunch of PL clubs may object. At this stage anyway...

Although there would be 2 extra teams, there would also be 3 sets of year 1 parachute money not to pay to offset the difference.

 

[Guinness Boy]

My understanding is EPL needs 14 votes to carry project restart decision. The bottom 6 to vote against. Where's the other 8 votes coming from? If it goes ahead, the EPL will need a tome of rules and responses to 'what if' scenarios so it's clear and upfront how it will deal with a given set of circumstances. Fraught with practical issues.

If only 6 want to abandon then you have to assume that the other 14 are in favour of resumption in some way, varying from "on the fence" to "let's get it on".

But your second point is spot on. What happens if a squad or two get a confirmed case? Or two cases? What happens if ref and linesmen go down with it? And there's no way that playing at a neutral venue is a strict fuldilment of the original fixture and I bet all the bottom 6 have their lawyers looking at that right now.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Why would Liverpool win the league, Leeds & WBA be promoted - but no one relegated by the same thinking.

I can go with Liverpool because they are 25 points clear - and there is no material effect on giving then the league based on over whelming probability. The rest.... not so much

So what happens if the PL completes the season, a bottom three is established, but the Championship cannot complete their season plus playoffs?