[Football] Premier League / Football League attempts to finish the season

[JBizzle]

On the plus side, it pushes the agenda to remove stadium fans from the game to fruition far quicker. We all know we're less important than Tv audiences

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

What happens if the season half gets completed behind closed doors and is then abandoned ? Say a full team goes down with CV with 4 games to play.

Is the final 'proper football' table used ? Or the final 'proper football + the completed behind closed doors but not all fixtures played' table used ?

 

[Milano]

They keep saying “football returning even behind closed doors would lift the spirits”, well not if we get done 2-0 away to Norwich it fecking won’t!!!! I’m not sure I could actually bring myself to watch these games, I’m a silly old bad tempered sod when we lose in ‘normal’ times, not sure I’d want that in family lockdown!!

 

[essbee1]

Well, one supporter could get a game abandoned in normal times if they were prepared to go far enough.

True. Agreed. But I somehow think this is a different scenario - especially if a fan
feels that home advantage has been denied them.

 

[GT49er]

Personally I am in favour of completing all 2019/20 competitions by playing the remaining games, whenever that can be done. However, interesting to note in this article that were the 'average points' idea to be employed to end the season, which I think they are looking at in Scotland, Brighton would stay up.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52282288

By all the various methods of ending the season postulated on there - average points, points to date, home and away ratings, whatever - we stay up in every scenario.

Pundits still generally talking about finishing the season by hook or by crook, although Chris Sutton has come round to common sense. Significantly the largest number of votes for any of the options in the public opinion poll in that article are in favour of simply voiding the season.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

They keep saying “football returning even behind closed doors would lift the spirits”, well not if we get done 2-0 away to Norwich it fecking won’t!!!! I’m not sure I could actually bring myself to watch these games, I’m a silly old bad tempered sod when we lose in ‘normal’ times, not sure I’d want that in family lockdown!!

I won't be watching, nor going out of way to find out the results ( I won't be able to miss them on NSC though ).

Also, who wants a miserable relegation battle dragged out for weeks on top of all the other depressing real stuff that is going on ?

 

[LamieRobertson]

They keep saying “football returning even behind closed doors would lift the spirits”, well not if we get done 2-0 away to Norwich it fecking won’t!!!! I’m not sure I could actually bring myself to watch these games, I’m a silly old bad tempered sod when we lose in ‘normal’ times, not sure I’d want that in family lockdown!!

And if we won by that amount?

 

[LamieRobertson]

I won't be watching, nor going out of way to find out the results ( I won't be able to miss them on NSC though ).

Also, who wants a miserable relegation battle dragged out for weeks on top of all the other depressing real stuff that is going on ?

Doesn’t stop us normally

 

[blue-shifted]

What happens if the season half gets completed behind closed doors and is then abandoned ? Say a full team goes down with CV with 4 games to play.

Is the final 'proper football' table used ? Or the final 'proper football + the completed behind closed doors but not all fixtures played' table used ?

It's possible, but not a good enough reason not to at least try

 

[milliepops]

With mass gatherings looking unlikely till a vaccine is developed I presume next season will also begin behind closed doors as well.
Or will grounds be allowed to open with reduced capacities, no away fans etc?

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

It's possible, but not a good enough reason not to at least try

I think they need to clarify at the start whether or not any behind closed doors results count if the season still has to be abandoned mid way through the behind closed doors mini-tournament.

For instance, what happens if a team drags itself out of the bottom 3, and then at that point 'by complete coincidence' needs to abandon the season ( due to fair means or foul ) ?

 

[blue-shifted]

What I think we have to keep in mind here was that there were a number of clubs on the brink of going the same way as Bury before the lockdown. If this goes on a year or 2 years, how many league clubs will go under? It would be quicker to ask how many would survive.

I think we have to try and find a way of playing some games and getting them some income if (and this to me is the big question) we can do it safely.

I still haven't heard a footballing reason not to play the rest of the season which can't be got round with a little imagination, the letting go of a few "nice to haves" and the acceptance of a bit of imperfection for the greater good.

The outstanding issues are all medical ones. These risks might become manageable in due course and if and when they do, football should get itself to be in a position to be good to go

 

[blue-shifted]

I think they need to clarify at the start whether or not any behind closed doors results count if the season still has to be abandoned mid way through the behind closed doors mini-tournament.

For instance, what happens if a team drags itself out of the bottom 3, and then at that point 'by complete coincidence' needs to abandon the season ( by fair means or foul ) ?

I don't think clubs would deliberately infect their players if that's what you're suggesting. Players wouldn't be allowed out of the complex for the duration, so it would be hard for them to deliberately contract the virus if they wanted it.

I suppose this can only happen if everybody is being tested pretty much every day, so if an infection does occur you take the positive players out of the bubble, retest everyone and get on with it.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

What I think we have to keep in mind here was that there were a number of clubs on the brink of going the same way as Bury before the lockdown. If this goes on a year or 2 years, how many league clubs will go under? It would be quicker to ask how many would survive.

I think we have to try and find a way of playing some games and getting them some income if (and this to me is the big question) we can do it safely.

I still haven't heard a footballing reason not to play the rest of the season which can't be got round with a little imagination, the letting go of a few "nice to haves" and the acceptance of a bit of imperfection for the greater good.

The outstanding issues are all medical ones. These risks might become manageable in due course and if and when they do, football should get itself to be in a position to be good to go

This is why I think league 1 and league 2 teams will vote down the EFL plan to go behind closed doors.

They are better off furloughing all staff, rather than playing behind closed doors for tiny televised income.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I don't think clubs would deliberately infect their players if that's what you're suggesting. Players wouldn't be allowed out of the complex for the duration, so it would be hard for them to deliberately contract the virus if they wanted it.

I suppose this can only happen if everybody is being tested pretty much every day, so if an infection does occur you take the positive players out of the bubble, retest everyone and get on with it.

I'm just saying that they need to be very clear in advance which table stands if the behind closed doors mini-tournament is stopped before completion.

 

[blue-shifted]

I'm just saying that they need to be very clear in advance which table stands if the behind closed doors mini-tournament is stopped before completion.

Surely as long as the mini league has started, then those results which have happened will remain valid. If they can't complete, then that's when they'll probably have to award draws for the remaining fixtures

 

[blue-shifted]

The thing I don't get about this mini league is that I can see how you would do it for the premier league, but you've got to do it for all the other leagues as well so that promotion and relegation works

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Surely as long as the mini league has started, then those results which have happened will remain valid. If they can't complete, then that's when they'll probably have to award draws for the remaining fixtures

It all needs to be clear, and not assumed.

Head off any legal action at the pass, as it were.

 

[blue-shifted]

This is why I think league 1 and league 2 teams will vote down the EFL plan to go behind closed doors.

They are better off furloughing all staff, rather than playing behind closed doors for tiny televised income.

If there is live sport on again, people will watch it. They could either do it, PPV on Saturday afternoons so have the matches consecutively like Amazon do. TV income could be decent.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

And if we won by that amount?

Nice if we win, always. But inconsequential at the moment until we start seeing some kind of progress in terms of infections and moreover effective treatment (I am looking at you Trump) with the possibility of a vaccine.