Ways To End The Season Fairly

The contract issue is only really for this season and I'm sure they can extend contracts a short term basis. If the footballing authorities agree not to open the transfer window until the domestic seasons across the world have completed, then there is no benefit for a player wanting to leave as they would not be allowed to sign for another club.

For future seasons there is plenty of time to make contract adjustments for players who are out of contract in 2021 or 2022

 

They absolutely will be able to sign for another club. Willian, Giroud etc can sign for European clubs right now should they wish. As mentioned elsewhere, I’m sure the authorities will make provisions for short term extensions to be made - but they can do that now. There’s nothing to stop players signing rolling monthly deals I don’t think. But no one can unilaterally make players sign anything.

I suspect it won’t be a huge issue. And most players will sign etc. But it will raise a small question around integrity etc if they don’t.

 

Personally I'm looking forward to mid-Summer mid-week Watford game, 28c, beers in the sun and shorts and t-shirts (or wife beaters and flip flops with socks for you weirdos)

 

The current issue is that they could stop playing for their current club and play for another one before the end of the season. If they do not open the transfer window, then this would stop that from happening. They could sign for another club, but couldn't play for that club until the season has completed, which is what I meant.

 

No of course. I’m not suggesting they could play for another club before this season ends. But some clubs could still lose players before the end of the season that they wouldn’t have otherwise lost if the season ran to its normal conclusion. That in some cases will weaken those clubs and give them reason for grievance.

It could be a situation that clubs and players solve together - but if they don’t, there’s not a lot the authorities will be able to do around the issue of sporting integrity as they cannot make people sign contracts against their will.

 

Read today the FA may not be able to present the FA Cup at Wembley this year because of the health issues surrounding the winning team touching it & passing it around etc with the fingerprints left on it.

 

I suppose it all depends on whether the European championship gets put back until 2021. Maybe then they can finish the season with a little normality. Normality isn't the correct word but you get my drift. It's all its and buts. Can see it getting completely voided.

 

The Euros will definitely get postponed. I think it will depend on what UEFA say their reasoning for that is - either so that domestic leagues can finish in the summer or because they don’t think it’ll be safe enough to play them.

 

Not only does it impact completing this season though, if subsequent seasons are ending in the winter. We’d create a situation where clubs are potentially losing players mid-season for the next 2/3 years, right up until the calendar goes back to normal, if new deals can’t be arranged.

As you say, no solution is going to please everybody, but I’ve still yet to be convinced that any solution besides voiding 19/20 makes much sense.

 

I heard that's why we made sure we lost last May.

 

Isn’t it plausible they will just say it is postponed because of ongoing uncertainty over the Covid-19 situation?

Don’t see why their view on safety (a) needs to be expressed and (b) should be decisive anyway. It’s UEFA we are talking about, not the WHO.

 

You better, you better, you bet.

 

Agree.

I don't think you can make assumptions of what 'would' have happened, if the results aren't certain. You should need either statistical certainty, or unanimous support from other clubs.

I can see how clubs may then unanimously agree that Liverpool should win the title (even if I think it would be absolutely brilliant if they are robbed of it). However, the relegation and European places cannot be decided fairly in this manner. Also, the idea of a 22 point league is ridiculous when there is so much to play for in the championship (the top 2 are 7 and 6 points clear with 9 games to play).

The main awkwardness in my opinion is what you do with European places.

If you can keep playing matches before the CL starts next year, that's obviously the best solution.

If not, I can think of a few options:

Use a formula which looks at both current points and H2H. I.e. current points and add/ subtract points for teams which have won/ lost both PL matches against a CL competitor.

Have a mini tournament to decide.

Add an additional qualifying round, doubling the number of CL places.

Get Uefa to decide (probably based on a combination of current league standing and past CL performance).

Give it to the current top 4(/5).

Start again with this years CL teams next season.

 

Void it off and start next season with every team already on the points that they have achieved from this season.

 

I think that there are too many other problems for anybody outside of fans to give a toss about football.

I personally think football wont be up and running before august as they won’t be able to source medical staff and police for security . If they can’t start before August logic (or at least the easiest option) would be to scrap the 19/20 season, yes it will irritate 3 or 4 clubs per league but it will also make 3 or 4 clubs per league happy.

There is no way to end this with everybody being happy, so you have to look for the least destructive solution. If we write of 19/20 season it’s a one year thing , if we start playing around with season end dates / contracts etc the problems could last for years.

I think any changes to the PL need to be ratified by 14 members of the 20 PL teams , I just can’t see enough teams agreeing to anything complicate

 

I don't expect to see football now before August, possibly later. By then several clubs will have gone under, and the survivors interested in only one thing - how to get revenue flowing. They will want the 20/21 season up and running as fast as it can possibly happen. No one is going to care about the 19/20 season except perhaps Leeds.

The lack of cash will help us keep Doucs for another year, I don't see there will be much cash around to splash out in the window.

 

Cancel all European competitions until national leagues are back to normal.

 

Completely agree, there will of course be a few that complain. However given how unique this current situation is the complaining clubs would probably be seen as being petulant and risk alienating their own fan base......apart from Leeds of course
Void the season, the only reasonable answer

 

Boris is a spider

 

Surely it'll be voided. They won't say it now, but it has to be a serious consideration. Seasons have been cancelled before though admittedly they were still in the early stages of the season.

Unless we just stop time for a year.

 

David Ornstein breaking an ‘exclusive’ that UEFA want clubs to pay them €300m to postpone Euro 2020 as that will be the estimated cost.

Can see domestic authorities just cancelling this season in the face of that if it’s true.

 

Seems fair.
Would all the league s do similar. 22 teams in the Prem. More moaning about fixture congestion.

May means 5 teams go down?

 

Still seems farcical to me to even be thinking of allowing the top 2 in the Championship up in these circumstances.

 

This is a very dangerous proposal.
Send the parachute money to the EFL - £60m each to Leeds and WBA, £15m to Fulham, £10m to Brentford and Forest, £5m to PNE.
We don't want any clubs appointed to the PL. Do you think the likes of Watford and AFCB would get the same sort of leg up?

 

Been working on Covid since early Jan. We are facing a truly grim situation, not necessarily from the illness but the economic devastation and instability that will follow. Plenty of sensible people (in Whitehall) are getting extremely worried - it may be a trigger for a number of global flashpoints and domestic unrest. Fact, not Daily Mail nonsense.

For the first time the good times will end; young people for the first time will be told what to do and do things they don't want to. An interesting inflection point in our society.

It's also an opportunity to press the reset button. I sense we've all become a bit lazy and greedy; we've all fuelled the global multinationals at the expense of the nation of shopkeepers. Perhaps there's an opportunity to pull together as communities and stimulate our local economies.

And back to football, firstly this season is over. There will be no more matches played. I don't really care what happens. its been a miserable season, less a few high points since xmas. As for hitting the reset button, when we hit new levels of poverty who is going to care about footballers who once earned £20000 a week....?

 

Some years ago the big 14 in Europe were threatening to create a breakaway tournament, but UEFA made CL changes to keep them onside. If they demanded such a figure what's to stop all clubs in Europe from resigning from UEFA en masse and creating their own new body?

 

How is it going to be possible to keep to the scheduled Euro 2020 tournament in June at the expected peak of the virus? Countries are in lock down, travel restrictions are in place, fans are banned from stadiums and it is now deemed unsafe for footballers to play any matches. Unless the virus disappears before June how is it logical to expect the tournament to go ahead even if clubs were happy to void the season? UEFA are simply going to have to deal with the loss of money like a lot of businesses.

 

Good post. I have a feeling football will never quite be the same again. Lots of smaller clubs in League one and below are going to struggle with a lack of match day income. I hope a fund is made to keep them in business by the time football resumes.

 

That Nathan is actually a great idea!!!

Just freeze this seasons points and play next season as normal, only difference is there is no promotion or relegation this season so teams play in the same divisions next season and teams start the new season with the points they have accumulated so far this season, simple but brilliant IMO.

It works when teams have been deducted points in the past, so it will work when teams start with points as well.

 

There’s nothing to sort out in my opinion. No one has won a league or been promoted in the PL or EFL and no one has been relegated. Everyone sucks it up, accepts it’s a bad situation, swallows their grievances and we start the thing up again afresh in August (if safe to do so)

The only grey area for me is European spots - I don’t think it’s fair to award them to the clubs in those spaces now...I’d say the same teams that were in it this year go again but it wouldn’t be right that Spurs get another season for example after they’ve been knocked out.
It won’t happen due to the money involved - but I’d be for this seasons European competitions finishing before Xmas in conjunction with domestic leagues starting afresh - and then playing domestic football only from January onwards so players are more fresh for the Euro’s. Or scrap European football for this season and next.