[Football] Will the season be halted?

[warmleyseagull]

That article seems to suggest nothing has been agreed in advance for what happens in the event of a curtailment. Which seems a bit bonkers. The logical thing would be to cancel the FA Cup now. But they won’t do it and will end up having to do something worse later down the line. Much like the Government approach in fact.

See https://www.espn.com/soccer/english...ontingency-plans-if-positives-persist-sources. Article raises concerns you voice and raises possibility of 2 week break. That seems even more bonkers than cancelling FA Cup as the previous article I quoted showed there are only 3 possible dates for postponed matches as it is, and some of those will be required for matches already postponed.

Guess they could do what used to happen: reorganise postponed games on later cup round weekends if both teams out. Doesnt happen much now because of fewer postponements but could be used. I wouldn't mind seeing Cup and League games played on same weekend with teams deciding on whether to play A team in Cup or League, with (obviously) all non 25 squad players allowed in either game. That wont happen but could be quite fun.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Sky News saying that Derby’s youth team will represent the club in their game against Chorley. Seems a much better option than postponement.

 

[TugWilson]

Agree with all of this. People in the football bubble will naturally come into contact with people outside of the bubble (through kids at school, for one example), so they certainly aren't immune to covid, regardless of how hard they try.

One thing I don't quite get is the link between football and (positive) mental health. If watching football helps in that regard, then surely you could replicate it – to an extent – by showing classic PL/WC/European games for people? Or is it the thrill of the live action unfolding that people benefit from?

I might be wrong, or jumping the gun, but I think sometimes that line is trotted out by a lot of people in and around the game to try and justify it continuing. I'm not saying the individuals here were guilty of that, but there was a great example I heard yesterday on Talkshite of all places. Max Rushden putting the importance/futility of football into the context of a global pandemic and McCoist and Andros Townsend both claimed that it needed to carry on because it helped people with mental health problems. I've no doubt it helps in some way, but I'm not totally convinced it is essential

It does help mental health that is a fact . I was diagnosed with six different mental health conditions 30 years ago . Severe OCD , PTSD , Paranoia , Agoraphobia , Anxiety and Depression and Social Phobia . I have absolutely no problem admitting it , why should i , besides there`s an excellent thread on MH on NSC .

In the first lockdown we all went crazy for football , but it was halted . I think the powers to be learnt what our first national sport meant to the vast majority . Which is why , provided the idiots can be kept in line , i think it will and should continue . I have heard the words " looking forward to the match " after a hard weeks work , more times than palace have lost , yes that many ! . But just like the Armed Forces Entertainment keep up the moral of our Incredible Service Men and Women while they fight for us , i think a common addiction like football ( however petty by comparison )can help the average person fight the mental turmoil that lockdown causes .

 

[studio150]

Villa training ground now closed with both staff and players said to have covid in large numbers.

Their FACup game against Liverpool tomorrow and Spurs midweek must be in doubt.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Villa training ground now closed with both staff and players said to have covid in large numbers.

Their FACup game against Liverpool tomorrow and Spurs midweek must be in doubt.

Villa will just have to play a youth team. They didn't mind last year, that Liverpool had to do so in a league cup game, due to an unavoidable clash with the club World Cup.

Given they are captained by a proven lockdown transgressor, it's hard to feel too much pity for them.

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Covid at the Albion now according to Naylor ..................this is getting stoopid !!

 

[Acker79]

[tweet]1347240219385458699[/tweet]

 

[Bry Nylon]

[tweet]1347240219385458699[/tweet]

Won't affect us then.

 

[Easy 10]

One thing I don't quite get is the link between football and (positive) mental health. If watching football helps in that regard, then surely you could replicate it – to an extent – by showing classic PL/WC/European games for people? Or is it the thrill of the live action unfolding that people benefit from?

Please god no.

I can't face watching Euro96 AGAIN

 

[vagabond]

One thing I don't quite get is the link between football and (positive) mental health. If watching football helps in that regard, then surely you could replicate it – to an extent – by showing classic PL/WC/European games for people? Or is it the thrill of the live action unfolding that people benefit from?

Well surely you know why you like football, right?

Of course it’s a different thing watching your team, live, with real stakes at play, compared to a replay of a generic game. Seems fairly obvious to me.

Regards it helping mental health, well that’s hard to prove. But considering the sacrifices we’re all making, having some aspect of normality is of course a good thing for people. And football, sport is a good distraction from any of the bad news we seem to be getting each day at the moment. I’m not saying that justifies it, but it will help some people for sure.

 

[SCassidy]

Covid at the Albion now according to Naylor ..................this is getting stoopid !!

Players not affected though.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Must be getting close to the time that clubs and the PL are forced kicking and screaming to place their duty of care for their employees above the increasingly futile pursuit of playing out fixtures with diminished squads and postponements.

Young, fit, healthy footballers contracting Covid is bad enough but soon some poor sod on the training ground staff or stadium staff or in the catering dept etc is going to become infected and possibly die form this. Kudos to the clubs for giving it a go but with 1000+ people dying / day it is becoming unsustainable and unethical to not at least suspend games for the moment. Carrying on regardless is becoming increasingly tone deaf to what is happening out here in the real world.

 

[Acker79]

I get that there is a new version of the virus that spreads more easily, but it feels like that isn't really enough to explain the difference between last season's 'project restart' where infections were kept so low, and this season. Are the lockdown breaches we know about just the tip of the iceberg? Have standards really slipped so much?

 

[Poojah]

I get that there is a new version of the virus that spreads more easily, but it feels like that isn't really enough to explain the difference between last season's 'project restart' where infections were kept so low, and this season. Are the lockdown breaches we know about just the tip of the iceberg? Have standards really slipped so much?

Project restart was played out between 17th June and 26th July - pretty much the lowest, flattest part of the graph below. Compare that to where we are now. That's your answer.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Well surely you know why you like football, right?

Of course it’s a different thing watching your team, live, with real stakes at play, compared to a replay of a generic game. Seems fairly obvious to me.

Regards it helping mental health, well that’s hard to prove. But considering the sacrifices we’re all making, having some aspect of normality is of course a good thing for people. And football, sport is a good distraction from any of the bad news we seem to be getting each day at the moment. I’m not saying that justifies it, but it will help some people for sure.

Cheers, those are fair comments and yes, of course I get the distinction, but I wondered HOW important it was to have all-new games of football.

And I completely get that doing something you love improves your mental wellbeing, so watching football is obviously going to help. But does it have to be live action? I mean that's why people have DVDs of sports, films, etc, etc. To a point, there must be a benefit of watching something you've seen before or else why would you bother?

If your MH is affected by sports and you're a, say, Sheffield United fan – or maybe even some of our own – you'd quite happily live without it at the moment, no?

 

[severnside gull]

Steve Bruce breaking ranks to question the morality of football continuing

 

[dazzer6666]

Steve Bruce breaking ranks to question the morality of football continuing

Toon fans say he stopped the football ages ago

 

[Jim in the West]

Mourinho has highlighted that if Spurs have another game postponed, there are no free dates on which to play all their postponed games - which basically means they'll need to play 4 games in 8 days at some stage. Inevitably they would play weakened teams in one or more of those games. It's highly, highly likely that there will be more serious outbreaks at some clubs, which means we are at the stage where the playing field will no longer be even. I think you either have to sacrifice the FA Cup (at the very minimum) to create a bit of space* or pause the season until we're over the crisis. Maybe it means this season continues until (say) November? The one advantage of the 2022 World Cup is that it doesn't start until November 2022, so you could theoretically play the 2021/22 season from Jan to Sept. It's all getting very messy.

*Not sure that will do much good, though, as there is only one weekend carved out for FA Cup games (the 4th round)

 

[darkwolf666]

Must be getting close to the time that clubs and the PL are forced kicking and screaming to place their duty of care for their employees above the increasingly futile pursuit of playing out fixtures with diminished squads and postponements.

Young, fit, healthy footballers contracting Covid is bad enough but soon some poor sod on the training ground staff or stadium staff or in the catering dept etc is going to become infected and possibly die form this. Kudos to the clubs for giving it a go but with 1000+ people dying / day it is becoming unsustainable and unethical to not at least suspend games for the moment. Carrying on regardless is becoming increasingly tone deaf to what is happening out here in the real world.

Oh come on, don't you know the plebs need their does of football from stopping them rioting on the streets...

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Players not affected though.

So that makes it okay, then ? As long as the players don't get it !!