The Watford players were sent home early today from training. Now it makes sense. It must be linked with this.
Just imagine this season gets voided altogether. Villa have played a game less than everyone else and would, therefore, be relegated because of it. Won't happen of course, they surely have to freeze the season as it is and play it in the summer when this has hopefully calmed down. The Euro's will not be going ahead this year so will have the time to play it. Will be astounded if this Saturday goes ahead, surely with the Arteta news it can't continue
I love my matchday routine, but I’ll be amazed if this game goes ahead. I can picture the postponed games being rescheduled for after what would have been our final game away at Arsenal. Would they cram them all in otherwise, what with the FA Cup and UEFA competitions still to concluded?
I think the season should be voided, apart from our win against Liverpool. That can remain....IMO. Villa would be given an average points total, to make up for playing one less game. This will give them an extra 0.8 points. Let's be kind and round that up. They'd have 26 points from 29 games. Bournemouth would go down by virtue of 1 goal between us and them. That would be sweet, but I'd wouldn't advocate gloating. The most logical thing is to forget the season. Maybe the bottom three could play the top three from the Championship to decide who goes up or goes down, in a shoot out in May/June once the dust has settled. Have a mini league with them all playing twice, home and away and the top three from the mini league go into the Premier, and the bottom three enter the Championship. The three Leicester players with the sniffles are Mendy, Perez and Soyuncu.
Mrs Willis laughs when people from Yorkshire or Lancashire say they’re northern - but then she is from Inverness.
Top two go up. No relegation. 4 relegated next two seasons. No league cup. Seems the fairest way for all. similar arrangement down the leagues.
There is no way that with 9 games remaining any Premier League club, regardless of current league position, would accept being relegated or put into some sort of play off without serious legal ramifications. There's still far too many points to play for and no ones position is certain. Bournemouth or Villa could easily still finish 14th-16th with a sudden, good run of form, for example. The only way this can go now is a complete voiding of the season with everything being completely written off, and with clubs lower down the pyramid being compensated in some way.
I think it’s what should happen and will be ultimately what will happen - they will suspend it first of course but I suspect too much time will pass before they can reasonably play again this season. To play over the summer, they be asking the players to do that after no training for weeks/months and then head straight into another season and then the Euros in 2021 and then another season with very little break. But seeing as we have been the last country to suspend (and we haven’t even done that yet), I’d be really shocked if they went to the other extreme immediately and voided the season.
I would assume all fixtures are to be postponed, meaning the games are played in the order they should be, just a few months later
Not making light of this situation at all, but if this was to happen the uproar on Merseyside would be hilarious. Finally winning the league after 30 years and it ends up not happening
Once they suspend games, with players/coaches/squads all being affected, no games can be allowed to take place until the situation is resolved. We're talking about 9 matches for most clubs. The final two months. Now of course, a new fixture list can be set up to play remaining matches and the season can be extended. Two games a week to catch up, but it all depends on when this crisis gets under control. Playing games behind closed doors I don't think is a realistic option. Players are human too and have the same issues as the rest of us. It all depends on how long this crisis lasts. If it goes on for longer than 6 weeks, then I think you're getting into realms of voiding the season. I don't think there will be an alternative. Once you get to the end of June, you've got things like player's contracts expiring. The current season is due to end on 5th May, and I expect because of this emergency situation it can be extended to the end of May, if things quickly return to normal. Any longer delay than that, then I don't see how you can realistically complete the season. It would be unfair to relegate the current teams in the bottom three, so I think the fairest thing would be to void the season entirely, and compensate teams next season. Leeds and West Brom are romping the Championship, so I think they should be given some sort of advantage for next season. Such as a 7 point head start, or something of that nature. Sounds crazy, but this is unprecedented. The last time anything like this occurred was when WWII broke out and the season was abandoned after only 3 games.
Gino certainly is pulling out all the stops to ensure Watford do not go down this season. His northern Italian connections have come up trumps. Just to make double sure, he passed a little bit over the fence at the training ground when no one was looking. What a guy.
Premier League now arranging an emergency meeting for tomorrow morning. Likely to expel Arsenal from the league for infecting the whole competition.
NHL (no one tested positive yet) and NBA (one player tested positive) have suspended their seasons. Not too bothered about the NBA as I hate basketball, however seems inevitable that the PL and European leagues will follow suit.
Hudson-Odoi has it as well, which means Chelsea players and staff are also now in isolation. This season is finished. 100%.
I wonder if all the fans on here claiming the “fairest” solution is to void the season would feel the same if we were in Leeds’ position? Just can’t see the season being voided at this late stage. I think the most likely - and fairest - solution is to suspend games for now and push back the Euros for a year to allow the league games to be completed in the summer months when, hopefully, the dust will have settled (but not the virus).
That's what I thought they'd do but then you also have the problem of players contracts running out in the summer
I never cease to be amazed at how the PL operates outside of reason but with consummate greed. Surely they have to suspend matches for at least a month?
How is it outside reason if the government isn’t advising them to stop? Clearly things have changed overnight with Arteta and Hudson-Odoi being found to be infected and I’m sure they’ll postpone this weekend’s games now. But before that there was zero sporting reason not to continue.
I’m expecting some sort of announcement that makes them fall in line with the worlds other sports to an extent but still allows them to look idiotic - I predict a one week suspension. Which will obviously be increased in a week and so on. It should be indefinitely. But it won’t be I bet.
Stop using the L word, for God's sake. You are triggering people into a state of anxiety and rage. Someone will get hurt, mark my words.
