Gary Neville @GNev2 June 8th for the @premierleague return! This is being briefed anonymously. No-one wants to put their name against this one!
I thought so, puts it into perspective. I've no appetite for sport until the situation is much improved, just seems dangerous and unimportant at the present time. Give Liverpool the title and void the rest and lets move on.
Premier League after today's meeting on Project Restart:.. "The clubs reconfirmed their commitment to finishing the 2019/20 season, maintaining integrity of the competition and welcomed the Government’s support."
I'm not sure anything like what I'm suggesting below has been proposed, but I'll present it anyway. How about the league governors combine TWO seasons together ? Complete the '19/'20 season's fixtures in all leagues using the tables as they stand. Set up '20/'21 fixtures with the same complement of teams in each league, and add the results to the "final" leagues standings in all 4 divisions. (Maybe 38 & 46 fixtures X 2) for the final positions to determine promotion & relegation spots for the '21/'22 season ? Forget FA Cup, League Cup and earlier rounds of European competions. Simple knock-out matches in the latter, non of the group leagues. That approach may reduce pressure on fulfilling league obligations. Eliminate transfers between clubs ( extend player contracts at the same compensation levels), get the Sky's of this world & their sponsors to continnue their coverage ( with or without closed-door games). Such an approach may well satisfy teams who are already in the "honours" positions, and give potential relegation candidates a chance of determining their own destinies over an amalgamated 2 season set of fixtures - 76 and 92 league matches respectively. Maybe a few refinements of the above ?
It’s a complete farce and shows how much the money is corrupting the game. The only two ethical options are to declare the season finished early with current positions deciding champions/promotions/relegations, or to void the season and start the next season, whenever that is, with the same teams/leagues as in August 2019, except Bury. Abandon the Cups.
Why is this year being completed more important to the 'integrity' of the competition than next years or beyond being disrupted? I get that that can realign the rules from the start, but surely there's compromises in that, and I doubt they'l find a way that doesn't dis-benefit some teams.
for me, if you're going to **** up a season it may as well be one that hasn't started yet rather than one which is 80% complete edit...also from a legal perspective, dick around with this year, stop relegation / promotion or anything like that and you'll have a whole raft of legal cases stacking up potentially lasting years and resulting in colossal payouts. Change next season in a variety of ways and I can't imagine there would be the same raft of legal cases
When the green light is given, whenever that may be, continue with this season to a finish. Then assess the time left between the end of 'this' season and May 21. Based on that time organise some post-Covid one off competitions - along the lines of the Watney Cup or Anglo-Italian comps of old. A football and life affirming celebration. Fit in the Euros in June/July 21. August 21: Start the 2021/22 season. Simples.
Next season is already disrupted. The promotion and relegation that is necessary for a new season hasn’t happened yet. And it won’t be played under normal conditions, because I doubt crowds will return in August. In that context, it seems odd to want to start a new disrupted season before an existing disrupted season has been completed, which itself compounds disruption of the new season.
I think we are looking at two different problems. The Premier League may have the finances to meet the necessary requirements to fulfill the season and may be allowed to by the authorities. I cannot see League 1 and two clubs having the finances or facilities to do it, even Championship clubs may not be able to. What happens to players contracts after June? Are you going to have a transfer window shortly after June? When a player or official tests positive for Covid, are you going to quarantine the rest of the team and any other team he has come into contact with, for 14 days? Are you allowing spitting and nose clearing on the pitch? How are you going to deal with injured players? Is it worth it (maybe for Premier League but Lg 1 & 2)? It all depends on precisely what the TV contracts say. Integrity? don't make me laugh.
And if somehow the Premier League plays out the whole season, the relegated teams will have to be replaced. By who? The German Bundesleague was also hoping to play the rest of the season, but just hearing now of some players being tested positive for the virus. Update 3 "staff" from Cologne FC.
To be honest, I don't care. I would just finish Premiership and have no relegation. Pay off Leeds, WBA et al. I think the entire situation is to do with money. The sensible thing to do is to award Liverpool the title and start again WHEN SAFE TO DO SO, ie probably january or thereabouts then you can have the contracts end, a transfer window and some strategy across all leagues. Anything else is a cash driven fudge and/or potential health **** up. Legal liability will also follow from an ill judged early start and what happens if (as is probable) the players "don't fancy it"? If I was a pampered millionaire, I know I wouldn't.
Testing is seen as the great solution to Covid, but I am not so sure. The test is a snapshot as to who is shedding virus particles at any given time. Yes, I'm shedding virus/ No, i'm not. Trouble is you can be infected and not yet have started to shed virus. A false negative result. As soon as you start shedding virus, you are infectious to others. If you are not careful, your football team will behave exactly like a care home for the elderly. Everyone will rapidly get infected, Also people probably shed virus particles for longer than the 7 days originally thought possible. If you visualize some one suggesting one care home goes and plays, say, whist with another care home and what is likely to happen, then thats what a football match is going to be like. OK the players are younger with (hopefully) fewer drastic consequences but, for **** sake, why are they taking the risk? Answer for several billion quid. You mentioned integrity...
