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

[Perfidious Albion]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

 

[darkwolf666]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

Back within weeks, what 1 week, 2 weeks, 52 weeks?

More meaningless paper talk... Football ain't coming back to the UK any time soon!

 

[Springal]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

If we want a goal keeper we better hope it is a bit longer than a few weeks

 

[essbee1]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

Seems just The Sun are saying that (unless I missed something). Attention grabbing headlines?

 

[Bold Seagull]

Not really.


Would be the right decision though .No reason Liverpool couldn't be awarded the title though, as it wouldn't affect promotion or relegation (neither of which should happen when the season is voided) either way.

I agree with this. Okay, it’s not mathmatically done, but it’s as good and as clear as you could ever wish it to be in this unforeseen circumstance. They’ve won that title fair and square incredibly with 9 games to go.

A handful of points it would be different, hence in every other circumstance it’s really too tight to make those critical promotion/relegation calls. Champions of England though, come on, it’s theirs.

 

[Bob!]

Today, the chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission has floated the possibility of having rugby fans download an app and “self-isolate” for 14 days if they want to go to the State of Origin - one of the year’s most significant and competitive series of games.

Peter V’landys made the comments to Triple M radio this morning, saying he was looking at ways to hold the event with a safer or smaller crowd.

The ARLC has already announced that a three-game Origin series will be held at the end of the year, but the exact details are yet to be determined.

Today V’landys floated a number of possibilities.

“We may not have the crowds of a normal State of Origin, but a limited crowd with social distancing,” he said.

“There’s an idea where we put people on an app and if you’re a really hardcore supporter and you can stay at home for 14 days and isolate yourself and we track you on the app, you can go to the game."

So, you just leave your phone switched on at home for 14 days, and you can go to the game?

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

“There’s an idea where we put people on an app and if you’re a really hardcore supporter and you can stay at home for 14 days and isolate yourself and we track you on the app, you can go to the game."

Sounds like an idea from Trump.

 

[southstandandy]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

I think it would be pretty disingenuous to make football an exception where social distancing would be ignored, if the rest of public were told and be expected to continue with this for months to come. Why should football be treated differently?

Even if they were tested many people have been asymptomatic or had tests showing 'false negatives' so there would be no guarantee clubs and teams couldn't then get infected. What would the authorities then do if a player or players subsequently are found to have the virus? Allow clubs a further 2 or 3 weeks for isolation purposes? We could have the never ending season.

 

[darkwolf666]

So, you just leave your phone switched on at home for 14 days, and you can go to the game?

That exact same thought crossed my mind. Get a cheap phone, download app, keep phone on bedsit cabinet, go out and about, attend game, infect fans, job done...

 

[WilburySeagull]

I think it would be pretty disingenuous to make football an exception where social distancing would be ignored, if the rest of public were told and be expected to continue with this for months to come. Why should football

Even if they were tested many people have been asymptomatic or had tests showing 'false negatives' so there would be no guarantee clubs and teams couldn't then get infected. What would the authorities then do if a player or players subsequently are found to have the virus? Allow clubs a further 2 or 3 weeks for isolation purposes? We could have the never ending season.

This. Cant see how it would work. Even if tests were available they only give a result for that day so after testing all the players and support staff would need to be isolated from the outside world. Then there is the travel issue and keeping stadiums virus free.

Even if all that is sorted what happens if say 3 or more key team players test positive?

 

[southstandandy]

The quicker a decision is made regarding the ending of this season the better. Everyone is in limbo until this is done. The lack of clarity at the moment prevents all sports from planning for the future. At least with cricket they have said there will be no cricket until at least July. A decison needs to be made soon so clubs can plan for next season (if there is one) regards transfers, squads, staffing, TV issues (whether all games will be played to empty stadiums), season ticket issues, sponsorship etc etc.

We all know this season won't be completed, somebody in authority just needs to have the balls to make a decision.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

At least with cricket they have said there will be no cricket until at least July.

If cricket has now said that, it puts pressure on the PL to do something sooner rather than later given that many of the clubs said the season would need to be resolved by June 30th. If the football authorities started earlier, the question would be 'What makes football different?'

 

[southstandandy]

If cricket has now said that, it puts pressure on the PL to do something sooner rather than later given that many of the clubs said the season would need to be resolved by June 30th. If the football authorities started earlier, the question would be 'What makes football different?'

Simple answer - MONEY

Quote from BBC cricket pages yesterday :
"The shutdown on cricket in England and Wales will remain until at least 1 July, meaning the postponement of England's Test series against West Indies"

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Simple answer - MONEY

This is true. However, money or not, it would still present a huge problem for football, if in the current climate, it was seen putting money above safety.

 

[Bob!]

The quicker a decision is made regarding the ending of this season the better. Everyone is in limbo until this is done.

So, if that decision is made we won't be in limbo any more?

The lack of clarity at the moment prevents all sports from planning for the future. At least with cricket they have said there will be no cricket until at least July. A decison needs to be made soon so clubs can plan for next season (if there is one) regards transfers, squads, staffing, TV issues (whether all games will be played to empty stadiums), season ticket issues, sponsorship etc etc. .....

Nope, we'd still be in limbo.

 

[sparkie]

If we want a goal keeper we better hope it is a bit longer than a few weeks

Walton's loan ends on May 31st so we can simply refuse to extend it if necessary if Ryan is stuck overseas.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

Papers today are saying that football could be back within weeks , behind closed doors.Subject to players and officials being tested. I wonder if tests can be done? Surely any test on a footballer is one less for a key worker , even if the clubs pay privately for them.
Personally, I think it is too soon. I don't want to see a spike in cases or a second wave of infectious.

The press seem to be heavily in favour of behind-closed-doors. You can see why - a brief sudden death kickabout with millions at stake would offer great copy. The fact that such events would be unfair, artificial and run counter to the noisy, raucous, partisan and emotional spirit of British professional football is of little concern to the media. That's just fans stuff.

Find a way to conclude the season now; a way that's unfair to the smallest-possible number of parties.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

It's all about fulfilling commercial contracts in the end tho eh? Between players and clubs. Between clubs and broadcasters. And as for the fans? Just keep those direct debits coming, or take a three month breather then have those payments suitably increased. Sake! Football exists in it's own little super-rich bubble. Until suddenly it doesn't

 

[Change at Barnham]

This is an excellent and very detailed article from The Athletic about all the various options and scenarios that face football associations throughout the world.
Before anyone just spouts out 'null and void' (which is my opinion) it should be read to try and digest the complete mess and 'no win' situation that it is.
After reading it I've decided to have a lay down and let the 'experts' decide what to do.

 

[Bozza]

The quicker a decision is made regarding the ending of this season the better. Everyone is in limbo until this is done. The lack of clarity at the moment prevents all sports from planning for the future. At least with cricket they have said there will be no cricket until at least July. A decison needs to be made soon so clubs can plan for next season (if there is one) regards transfers, squads, staffing, TV issues (whether all games will be played to empty stadiums), season ticket issues, sponsorship etc etc.

We all know this season won't be completed, somebody in authority just needs to have the balls to make a decision.

Who is in limbo right now? No one is doing anything at all.

Even if this season was written off right now, absolutely no plans at all can be made for next season.

All the league and clubs can do is make provisions for different scenarios so they are well-placed for football to return whenever it is possible for that to happen.