Covid19: The Football Thread

buffybegood

Can't see any argument at all for promoting 3 teams; the playoffs are such a lottery that it's really tough to argue that any of the teams in or around the playoffs would definitely have been promoted. 22 teams is easier to cope with than 23, but I personally think they should just write off this season and start next season with no promotions or relegations. Maybe a touch harsh on some teams, but any way from this point in time will have someone that's unhappy, and this is by far the cleanest solution.

Pearces_Left_Foot

I agree there are no easy solutions there are so many issues to consider . I can't see the season restarting as there are too many obstacles and conflicting interests.

buffybegood

One further point, given that the games will come thick and fast should the season be restarted, what happens if just one player in a team, any team, in the Premier League, tests positive? The rest of the team would then have to self isolate again (for 2 weeks), and then the whole league is compromised as there would be no chance whatsoever to reschedule games. Even if this happens before the games have started but after training has resumed, that team would miss out on its "Pre-resumption" training and would be hugely disadvantaged. Project Restart should be abandoned, it just isn't viable.

thornburyiron

They’ve had 10 positive tests in top two divisions in Germany so players already being isolated.

MrsGrey

I just noticed that it was announced a few days ago that the U23 league and all the youth leagues have been declared over.

A decision about promotion, relegation etc will be taken at a later date.

buffybegood

Latest suggestion, shorter matches. No, no, no, just give up already.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52542756

Barney

We could play with social distancing i.e. no tackling, on neutral grounds, with reduced playing time, no spitting, no testing before / after and call it finishing the season with integrity. OR void the season now

Expat_Hammer

But of course, playing shorter halves reduces the risk of contagion ........ doesn't it

:doh:

ScotHammer

If they really want to finish the season quickly, why not play 5-a-side. Then they could play 2 games at a time at a neutral local park with multiple pitches. :doh:

IronHerb

Hackney Marshes could rise like a Phoenix with all those games going on simultaneously.

IronHerb

Last time I had a short half I had a word with the barman. :run:

ScotHammer

IronHerb said:

Last time I had a short half I had a word with the barman. :run:

Be sensible IronHerb. Hackney Marshes would not be deemed neutral, so they wouldn’t be “protecting the integrity of the competition”. :weep:

thornburyiron

30 minute halves may work as we tend not to play the first 15 of each anyway.

BubblesNeverDies

From this article about Hackney Marshes comes the wonderfully named Bedford Jezzard, and this: 'I first played there in 1948, when I was 15, 16,' says Johnnie Walker. 'The team were called Islington Queens — it didn't have the connotations it has today!'

:biggrin:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4961024/A-shot-time-Hackney-Marshes-home-120-pitches.html

Expat_Hammer

thornburyiron said:

30 minute halves may work as we tend not to play the first 15 of each anyway.

But we'd make sure that we included the first 15

Fortuneseeker

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8288367/How-Premier-League-look-games-ended-ended-early-Gordon-Taylor-revealed-talks.html

Can't see why we wouldn't be in favour of this plan, can anyone? :whistle:

claretandbluesky

I cant see any possibility of games being played. In my view there is only one decision which is to simply say that season didn't count, null and void or promote but not relegate on standings at present and catch up next season.

I would suggest the latter is fairer and possibly cancel the league cup next season to free up some fixtures.

MrsGrey

I can see how there are many obstacles, and lots of ideas about how they might be surmounted. Bottom line - how far are you (they) prepaed to compromise?

Imo if you are going to void the season, you have to void it fully. You can't 'void' relegations but not void promotions. It's just not fair.

If you want to allow the upper level standings (champions, European places) to be valid, you have to allow the lower level standings (bottom 3) to be valid as well.

The only other alternative is to void it fully, and go back to factory settings for next season.

I don't think it's right to have one rule for one part of the table and a different rule for the other.

claretandbluesky

I think the argument is that a team may find benefit for their efforts this season but none should suffer due to the extreme circumstances. Should West Brom for example get promoted I don't think it would be moaned about but If Bournemouth got relegated for scoring one goal less it could be considered harsh. I think the clubs will accept clubs being afforded something good but the clubs effected not something bad imposed.The Euro places will be moaned about but they will get over it, relegation however is not the same in my view.

So in essence we had a season and it's now been impacted by something extraordinary, lets allow efforts to be rewarded but allow the failures to be allowed some leniency as they didn't get to finish their effort, at least rewarding some means the season did at least mean something.

I would understand voiding the whole thing however, but the charitable in me feels we could reward and correct the numbers next season.

thornburyiron

Fortune that’s quite good for us considering we started most games late.

whupathman

5 down next year delays it a season for us then

Yeoldhammer

When is the final decision they need to do something by ? end of May ? and if they do not decide anything do UEFA straight up void it themselves ?

UK now highest death toll in Europe for Covid-19 according to BBC.

thornburyiron

Not surprising as we’re the most densely populated country in Europe. Deaths per head of capita are not the highest at the moment.

MrsGrey

All those figures have to be taken with a pinch of salt, as countries don't all report figures in the same way.

thornburyiron

Some clubs appear to be against neutral grounds especially Villa who have 6 home games left. Having games played at your ground when you’ve got to play elsewhere will grate with a lot of clubs. London Stadium is touted as one of the neutral grounds.

OutcastLondoner

Tbh with the atmosphere the London Stadium's always been a neutral ground :biggrin:

ASLEFshrugged

thornburyiron said:

Not surprising as we’re the most densely populated country in Europe. Deaths per head of capita are not the highest at the moment.

People per square km

Netherlands 521
England 424
Belgium 326
Whole of the UK 272
Germany 232

thornburyiron

Aslef the Netherlands figures include its foreign territories. England is the most densely populated in Europe.

ASLEFshrugged

The Dutch Caribbean Municipalities, the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, have a population of 25,987, just 0.15% of the total Netherlands population (17.28m) with a density of just 77 per sq km

If they're included in the 521 per sq km then excluding them would produce a tiny increase in density

thornburyiron

If you’re getting your figures from wiki then they’re a bit out of date. We became the most densely populated sometime last year when the statisticians started to look at the variation between urban and rural areas.