‘behind Closed Doors’ Competition

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by UEA_Hornet, Mar 6, 2020.

?

Which game do we fans get banned from first?

  1. It’ll never happen. The virus will wipe out everyone before that.

    7.9%
  2. Leicester (H)

    23.7%
  3. Burnley (A)

    35.5%
  4. Southampton (H)

    18.4%
  5. Chelsea (A)

    9.2%
  6. Norwich (H)

    3.9%
  7. Newcastle (H)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  8. West Ham (A)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  9. Man City (H)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. Arsenal (A)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  11. First match 20/21 season

    1.3%
  1. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Yes, I know. But some people seem to be speculating it will go further than that.
     
  2. GoingDown

    GoingDown "The Stability"

    Would very much depend on the players. LeBron James has made it very clear he won't play in the NBA without fans, I would imagine it'll only take one of the 'big names' here to be the first to refuse to play before the empire falls.

    I'm going with Dele Alli.
     
    jrmich9 and Keighley like this.
  3. Mollyboo

    Mollyboo First Year Pro

    And if the players get the virus?
     
  4. Leighton Buzzer

    Leighton Buzzer Reservist

    Why would the players be any more likely to get the virus by playing behind closed doors, than any other thing they might do in life.
    Unless you are suggesting that everybody stays at home all the time of course.
    What over reaction by the media can do to us all!!
     
  5. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    “Live on Sky this weekend - Super Sunday Eliminator. A special edition where teams literally play to the death.”
     
  6. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    If they ended the season right now, Deeney would of saved us from relegation. Muff, Norwich and Villa would be gone. Nothing else really changes. Leauge is won.
     
  7. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    In addition to playing behind closed doors? A sneak peak of Watford's new kit...

    IMG_20200309_113743.jpg
     
  8. Harefield Yellow

    Harefield Yellow First Year Pro

    Find it rather funny that the pre-match handshake has been banned, yet the players still gob on the pitch during a match. Errrr, now, what be more likely to spread any possible virus ?
     
    HappyHornet24 likes this.
  9. Leighton Buzzer

    Leighton Buzzer Reservist

    And nothing being mentioned about vaping, where you breathe in water vapour from somebody else's lungs.
    Edit. I know the players don't vape, on the pitch at least.
    Comment was more general.
     
  10. Forzainglese

    Forzainglese Reservist

    Because then they go home and pass on the infection to the seventy-year olds who are living with them.
     
  11. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    Playing behind closed doors can only be an advantage to Bournemouth. They pretty much play behind closed doors every other week.
     
    folkestone orn likes this.
  12. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    If one team gets a CV outbreak in their squad its season over. No one would dispute liverpool being awarded the league. The rest could be settled with play offs before the next season starts, whenever that may be. All of this just because of a highly contagious killer virus that has no vaccine or herd immunity.
     
  13. Arakel

    Arakel First Team

    I don't know that they'd do that, though. Chances are just as good that they'd just write the whole season off and everyone would pick up next season as if this one never happened.

    The problem I can see with awarding titles, relegation etc. is that at some point you have to make subjective decisions, and then teams will start complaining about unequal treatment. For example, imagine all UK football is cancelled and the decision is made to give Liverpool the title. Should Leeds and WBA be similarly granted the automatic promotion spots, given they are 7/6 points clear of third respectively? If you did that, who would they replace? None of the bottom Premier League teams are out of sight, not even Norwich, and all could make a case that they have the opportunity to secure safety.

    I suppose the "fairest" solution I can think of would be to award titles/runner up to those teams occupying 1st and 2nd at the point the season is cancelled, and remove any promotion/relegation from the agenda this year. That's still not fair (especially to teams who are shaping up to be promoted), but it's about as good of a solution as I can see should the season be ended early.
     
  14. Burnsy

    Burnsy First Team

    The ‘fairest’ solution (should it come to a point where a decision needs to be made) will be to void the season. You cannot award titles etc based on an incomplete season/competition as it’s fundamentally against the rules of the competition. Yes it’s bad/good luck for teams in positions of contention but so be it. Some things are more important. Every team can be awarded the prize money for where they finished the season, with an amount deducted that’s proportional for the games not played. That money can then be handed down from League 2 upwards to clubs to help keep them afloat until things can start again.

    I really do think that’s the best way forward. But I suspect pressure will tell and the authorities will try and get as much played behind closed doors as possible. I suspect we may get a couple more games with fans before they say no more. Personally I’d stop it at that point. This Saturdays game against Leicester could be the last home game for us as fans IMO.

    That being said, I see a number of Euro coefficients have asked UEFA to push Euro 2020 back a year to allow leagues to finish this summer. The worry with that is the predictions that Coronavirus will drop off a bit before coming back even stronger next winter. At some point postponing things will have to turn into cancelling things.
     
    SkylaRose likes this.
  15. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    It’s interesting that a number of significant football figures in this country have come out against playing ‘closed door’ matches. I would assume many would have the same view in other countries. However in the likes of Italy and Spain, in reaction to government directives, they are going ahead with the programme without spectators. This can only be a decision made by the football authorities there. I wonder if the leagues here would really come to a different one.
     
  16. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    Arsenal v Man City off .
     
    Markoa$ likes this.
  17. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    Tweeting this at 2am is just wrong. The arsenal fans are not happy.

    Going to be hilarious if our worst ever season ends up being cancelled and void.

    Leeds then stay in the championship which would be even funnier.
     
  18. Maninblack

    Maninblack Reservist

    Our worst ever season?! Either you've not been watching us for very long or you've not got a very good memory!
     
  19. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    L**** get to stay up though :(
     
  20. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    There's no "if". It's just a matter of time.
     
  21. folkestone orn

    folkestone orn Squad Player

    I can only assume that you are younger than 10?
     
  22. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Is it? Have any Italian footballers got the virus yet?
     
  23. 3000

    3000 Reservist

    They won’t cancel the rest of the season, there’s too much money to be lost which is more important than our health.
     
  24. UEA_Hornet

    UEA_Hornet First Team Captain

    We need to make sure we beat Leicester on Saturday. Last thing we need is to be in the relegation zone when the covid-19 music stops and the league is suspended.
     
  25. FromDiv4

    FromDiv4 Reservist

    I think the answer is to cancel all European competitions now. Teams and fans travelling around Europe does not make sense. They are all cup competitions so do not matter if they do not have a winner this year, they do not have the complexity of promotion or relegation to consider. This would also open up midweek dates for domestic games to be played in all countries. You could stop all football for say 3 weeks, and play the games mid week before the end of the regular seasons.

    They need to decide if money or health is their major concern.
     
    Heidar and Otter like this.
  26. fuzzy73

    fuzzy73 Squad Player

    This will be the golden ticket for the authorities. Liverpool win the league, poxy two-bob clubs like Bournenouth, Watford and Norwich get relegated and replaced with the mighty Leeds and West Brom. I'm sure they'll find a way for Forest to take the last slot.

    They'll have to quickly re-write the Premier League rule book though to avoid the season being null and void if there's no games for 60 days
     
  27. Legends

    Legends Reservist

    Can you change an option for "season suspended "
     
  28. Lincshornet

    Lincshornet Academy Graduate

    If the season has to finish early they could record all non played games as nil nil draws the same as they did in the rugby world cup. That would effectively maintain all league positions and enable promotions, relegations and European places to be determined as usual.
     
  29. BusheyOrn

    BusheyOrn Reservist

    I agree with this. Very important to keep out of the bottom 3 now.

    We are about 2 to 3 weeks behind Italy at a guess. I think Leicester match will be played but situation changing very quickly now.
     
  30. BusheyOrn

    BusheyOrn Reservist

    I think we all know the answer to that! Money!
     
    Lincshornet likes this.
  31. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    That's essentially what happens in cricket too. If a match cannot be played on the designated day (e.g. for a rain washout) then the teams are awarded no-result points.
    This could be the drastic solution if the remainder of the season is delayed too long.
     
  32. Robert Peel

    Robert Peel Squad Player

    Who is Villa's game in hand against? That could be the biggest game of our season.
     
  33. sydney_horn

    sydney_horn Squad Player

    If the season is ended without being completed there will be a lot of messy litigation whatever happens.

    Certainly the EPL money means that anyone relegated, while mathematical still able to survive, would take the FA to court. Equally if those teams at the top end of the EFL were told they are staying where they are then they would almost certainly sue.

    I think they will do whatever it takes to complete the games. If the government intervenes then I think the FA will award the title to Liverpool and suspend relegations. The teams in the EFL are operating under the Football League so I think the FA will fear the consequences of pushing teams out if the EPL rather than refusing EFL teams entrance to their competition imo.

    There is no easy or uncontroversial answer though.
     
  34. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    When it comes to the relegation issue, I think they will relegate Watford, Bournemouth and Burnley and promote Leeds, Forest and Sunderland.
     
  35. Lincshornet

    Lincshornet Academy Graduate

    Whatever ends up happening this season I suspect there will be clauses written into the league constitutions to cover this type of event in the future.
     

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