[Football] Will this season be completed?

[southstandandy]

At the moment I can't see it being completed unless it's run later in the year and we either seriously delay the start of next season and all the issues that will involve or just forego next season entirely and play the remaining games late this year or early 2021, as the powers at be seem determined to finish this one whatever happens.

Things will hopefully change and improve but purely on a personal level I would rather not see next season pushed back from it's anticipated start date of August. Ultimately no one really knows and its all a complete guess as to what will happen but my gut feeling is this season won't be completed. Hope I'm wrong though. Even my Eagles gig at Wembley is now being looked at for postponement and that's not due until the end of August!

 

[Lincoln Imp]

At the moment I can't see it being completed unless it's run later in the year and we either seriously delay the start of next season and all the issues that will involve or just forego next season entirely and play the remaining games late this year or early 2021, as the powers at be seem determined to finish this one whatever happens.

Things will hopefully change and improve but purely on a personal level I would rather not see next season pushed back from it's anticipated start date of August. Ultimately no one really knows and its all a complete guess as to what will happen but my gut feeling is this season won't be completed. Hope I'm wrong though.

Don't void the PL/EFL season (too expensive) but conclude it now, activating promotions but not relegations (would attract ferocious litigation) and adjust the excess numbers in each division at the end of season 20/21 by increasing relegation numbers. Like every solution it's not fair, but only to clubs hoping to achieve glory by climbing onto this season's podium at the last moment. Other solutions are much less fair, and to more teams.

 

[Badger Boy]

And equally unfair to resume the season 3, 6, 9 months from now.

Not less fair than relegating teams at any level. I agree that whatever gets done is unfair because teams will have players available who otherwise would not have been. Spurs would have finished the season largely without Kane, but any resumption he'd be fully fit for. He's the most obvious example but there are others - any finish to the season is arguably unfair on teams but surely it's a better conclusion than deciding the table at game 28 is final, right?

There is no perfect outcome, there's no argument about that.

 

[jamie the seagull]

July/Aug - behind closed doors

 

[essbee1]

Not less fair than relegating teams at any level. I agree that whatever gets done is unfair because teams will have players available who otherwise would not have been. Spurs would have finished the season largely without Kane, but any resumption he'd be fully fit for. He's the most obvious example but there are others - any finish to the season is arguably unfair on teams but surely it's a better conclusion than deciding the table at game 28 is final, right?

There is no perfect outcome, there's no argument about that.

I totally disagree. As long as you say that Leeds and W Brom come up and that's it, it's a hell of lot easier than playing the season out and then
facing the legal action from clubs who say that they might have stayed up if the matches had been played at the time they were intended etc etc...

 

[Taybha]

I think we'll be the only club on the planet still with a injured player whenever the season does get completed, as it should do.

 

[BluesRockDJ]

July/Aug - behind closed doors

great idea, but can you imagine the public order problems the police will have to deal with if Liverpool win the title , Leeds get promoted etc.......behind closed doors ? The yobbery won't stay away from stadia .

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Needs to be declared null and void - but it won't. Sky and all the other vested interests won't let it, but frankly apart from them, who gives a toss. Players who weren't going to be fit will now be fit for a run in. Clubs will have differing degrees of fitness, but certainly not match fit. Others will pull muscles, hammys etc., first game back. The league positions are largely forgotten and the games won't have the same meaning. Other than not wanting to be relegated, I just don't care about last season and don't even switch on Sky for updates now.

 

[warmleyseagull]

Needs to be declared null and void - but it won't. Sky and all the other vested interests won't let it, but frankly apart from them, who gives a toss. Players who weren't going to be fit will now be fit for a run in. Clubs will have differing degrees of fitness, but certainly not match fit. Others will pull muscles, hammys etc., first game back. The league positions are largely forgotten and the games won't have the same meaning. Other than not wanting to be relegated, I just don't care about last season and don't even switch on Sky for updates now.

This. The Mickey Leagues have realised that it is pointless pretending the season will complete; PL and FL haven't because scared shitless about the money. You cant talk about integrity of a tournament that has been delayed by at least 6 weeks; there can be no integrity in playing 3 matches a week; behind closed doors; beyond 30 June; with payers out of contract; with or a combination of these four. PL needs to broker a deal with Sky and BT now and call it a day.

 

[Weststander]

I totally disagree. As long as you say that Leeds and W Brom come up and that's it, it's a hell of lot easier than playing the season out and then
facing the legal action from clubs who say that they might have stayed up if the matches had been played at the time they were intended etc etc...

When people are dying, why exactly does it matter today as to when the PL season ends?

If it’s completed in July behind closed doors, or September, what’s the problem?

 

[BUTTERBALL]

There are too many potential breaches of contract for it not to be completed, however long that might take.

 

[Poojah]

The thing that baffles me is that there wasn’t an agreed process in place for an event such as this. I get that this is a once in a century event (if not rarer than that) but things like wars and pandemics do, sadly, happen from time to time. This isn’t the first time football has been curtailed because of global events.

As it is now, the PL and football league have got themselves between a rock and a hard place legally. There should have been a rule in place that said something along the lines of “if more than two thirds of the season have been played the table is taken as final based on points per game, if not, it’s null and void”. Alas, it seems there isn’t and it’s going to be a very tricky place to manoeuvre from now.

Either way, it seems games will be lost. Either from a curtailed 19-20 season or a shortened 20-21. Clubs stand to lose out on a significant chunk of income; given the state many clubs were already in, you have to fear for some.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

The mood seems to be shifting in the PL.

https://twitter.com/AndyNaylorBHAFC/status/1243433971586867200?s=19

"But privately, some clubs have developed strong reservations about resuming football during the coronavirus crisis and are leaning towards the season being re-run regardless of the consequences."


About time.

 

[crodonilson]

The only reason I see in voiding the current season is if we can get the new season underway in August and avoid all the logistical problems with future seasons going forward. However I don't really want to see any season, be it the completion of the current one, or the beginning of a new season, behind closed doors and with a decent pre season needed and friendlies required I don't see it as realistic we will be able to begin the new season in August so surely it's still better to complete the final quarter of this season first.

Realistically I see 2 broad scenarios, best case we can begin mid-late Autumn this year and we complete the current season by Xmas/early 2021 which means we would need to do a half season for the first 6 months of next year whereby teams play half of the games either without relegation or ending in a mini play off at the top/bottom of each division to sort 1 relegation/promotion from each division.

Worst case scenario the social distancing continues for approx 1 year and we're starting up again next year roughly where we ended this year which then gives the perfect window in which to complete the current season in line with a May finish for Euro 2021 and players contracts ending this summer will have to be rolled forward by a year.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Need to draw a line under season 19/20, and call it finished after - what? 29 games. Let the positions stand as they are and work out a solution to promotion & relegation.
It won’t please everyone but it’s the best of a bad job. You cannot have this going into the late Summer . Don’t forget we have to fit in Euro 20, now 21 ....and the World Cup 22

 

[Palacefinder General]

Need to draw a line under season 19/20, and call it finished after - what? 29 games. Let the positions stand as they are and work out a solution to promotion & relegation.
It won’t please everyone but it’s the best of a bad job. You cannot have this going into the late Summer . Don’t forget we have to fit in Euro 20, now 21 ....and the World Cup 22

I can see Euro 21 not happening, nor the Nations League (whenever that is), nor the World Cup. The domestic leagues need to regroup first, the fallout will drag on for a long time to come. International tournaments should be put on the back burner.

 

[OzMike]

Done and dusted.

 

[Seasider78]

Say it goes to a vote to abandon which clubs would vote against it?

Liverpool, Wolves, Sheff United ?

I imagine everyone else would be pretty happy to abandon

 

[Bold Seagull]

Need to draw a line under season 19/20, and call it finished after - what? 29 games. Let the positions stand as they are and work out a solution to promotion & relegation.
It won’t please everyone but it’s the best of a bad job. You cannot have this going into the late Summer . Don’t forget we have to fit in Euro 20, now 21 ....and the World Cup 22

I’ve said it before, but end it now but don’t have relegation, just have a 22 Team PL next year leading to top 2 of each league going up, no playoffs. You could have 4 go down from the PL for the next 2 seasons to get back to 20. If the top clubs want to sit out the league cup because of the extra 4 league games they can.

 

[blockhseagull]

I’ve read a lot about financial problems with broadcasters should the season be voided and the Prem clubs having to pay money back for football not completed.

However .... if the season is completed in the autumn and a full 20/21 season isn’t possible, surely that puts the clubs in exactly the same position anyway ?

Or am I missing something ?