What Next If The Season Gets Voided?

There is no way football should continue behind closed doors.

Yes the virus tends to hit those with pre-existing health conditions worst but fit young healthy people are dying from this virus. The current survival rates for people requiring ICU time are appalling, if you get sent to ICU the chance of surviving coronavirus is only 48%!

Then you have to look at the other possible complications playing football creates. Journeys for those people involved in the games, possibility for travel accidents, injuries to players and possible hospitalisation. It would simply not be responsible for football to restart at this time.

@lowerrous surely you can’t expect footballers to take that risk? Young, fit, healthy people are dying of this virus....some things are more important than finishing a season.

 

Fans would also congregate....somewhere....

 

You're talking as if football will be the only workplace/area of business that would reopen in May, it wouldn't be. Nor would it reopen without permission from the relevant authorities.

Again, what are the numbers of "young, fit, healthy people [that are] dying from this virus"? They're unlikely to be significant. And even if you ignore the significant issue of ages/health, the risks of even catching the thing or having "travel accidents" for a few footballers playing matches outdoors are unlikely to be higher than those of the many people travelling to indoor supermarkets for their regular food shop, even if those in the supermarket observed social distancing.

Lastly, perhaps this is a misplaced view, but I'd be surprised if games would restart if too many players were completely unwilling to partake due to the minute risk, and at least players will generally be consulted about their willingness before any agreements are made. And maybe any players still too nervous to play could just be allowed not to.

 

I doubt anything is going to reopen in May, certainly not football.

Perhaps by June, but no one has yet explained how a pre season is to fit in to a month along with 9 or 10 games plus cup games plus several teams are still in European competition. It’s fantasy.

The only way to make it work is delay next season by 3 months. But that just adds to the financial damage and clubs won’t go for it.

 

Nothing can happen until the lockdown is lifted. Today's announcement means we have at least another 3 weeks of lockdown. That's a minimum.

That takes us to 7th May. If by some miracle the lockdown is loosened enough for players to go back to training, you're going to have to allow at least two weeks to get players fit enough for competitive football. That takes us to the weekend of 23rd/24th May.

I would say it's possible to get 9/10 games played before June 30th, but only just. We have the FA Cup, plus playoff fixtures to fit in too. Also European games.

Tomorrow the Premier League have a meeting and the main point clubs are going to insist on is that the league completes by 30th June.

I'd say we're on the cusp of a season cancellation. If the government extend the lockdown beyond 7th May, for another 3 weeks then that's it. The season will have to be cancelled. I see no other option.

It's clear to me the only way the season can be completed is behind closed doors, in a World Cup type of competition. Two venues are being touted. Wembley and St Georges Park.

Southern teams should play their "home games" at Wembley and Northern/Midlands clubs play their "home" games at St Georges Park.

I still think that's going to be a huge disadvantage to Watford. We're pretty decent at home under Pearson, but on the road we've been poor all season. Our only hope of staying up, imo, is to play at home in front of Watford fans (not going to happen) or have the season cancelled, which is entirely possible. Any other scenario will see us relegated......again IMO.

 

No chance lockdown is loosened by 7th May

 

Well I will happly swap my office job for there job if they are that worried

 

What did you not understand about the sentence I've highlighted in bold above

 

To have any chance of getting the league finished means the cups have to be cancelled. I don't see how we can fit FA Cup and European matches plus the league in to one month. I don't see it finishing at all if I'm honest though as I can't think of a fair way of doing it given the time frame. Behind closed doors would be a horrible way to do it but certainly better than playing at Wembley and St Georges. If we went down the Scottish football route we would be safe by one goal and Bournemouth would be down. I don't dislike Bournemouth like many seem to but do think that would be quite funny!

 

Well, the part you highlighted only said you didn’t think it would ever happen, not that the proposal you made was absolute nonsense.

 

Football as a mass attendance spectator sport may not return before a mass vaccination campaign has been deployed. Probably it will reopen before that. But on what basis? compulsory face masks for spectators, no food and drink sales, reduced socially distanced attendances. Hand sanitisers at every turnstile, No away fans. How many temporary mitigations will be required to allow some spectators in the stadiums?

Certainly until the government can accurately track infections rates, and they are <1 I can't see football returning with stadiums full of spectators. That will probably not be possible until some time very late summer at the earliest.

If football restarts without spectators, I reckon that would so compromise the appeal to a TV audience that the tv companies will somehow create an artificial crowd to accompany the footage. Imagine that, canned chanting!

And what about the active participants. Will players have to be tested before every game? Will one first teamed found to be infected, will that result in a game cancelled. If not one what about 5 or more first team infections, will that result in an abandonment?

The whole thing is going to compromise the way football operates for many many months. We might as well admit the whole current season has been so compromised that we would be better spending our energy thinking how a new season can start and be sustained to the end. Rather than fretting about how to complete the final quarter of this one.

 

I was saying that that would be the only way that matches could ever be played safely, ERGO I WAS SAYING IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN

Therefore they should just scrap the season now! Alternatively when it is safe to start playing again, just restart this season where we left off and play it out to it's normal end. Then we should go straight into the next season after say a two or three week break, and play that out even if it means an extension into the Summer of 2021.

 

I understood it perfectly.

But you stating that ‘it’ll never happen’ doesn’t at all allude to whether you think it should or not. If it was sarcasm you were aiming for, you missed the target. And some of your previous ludicrous suggestions mean that it’s hard to decide what you are or are not serious about.

Hope that clears it up.

 

So you’ve backed down from your belief that every team should start next season on this seasons points? Or that games should be going ahead now behind closed doors?

Didn’t take long.

 

Fairly certain that isn’t a way out of this.

But taking that comment seriously, are you suggesting that players are being wimps for not wanting to expose themselves to the risk?

 

PL meeting today, my prediction is that they will push the resumption date back to 16th May give or take a few days. However at this meeting instead of just kicking the can down the road a bit further I guess that they will be discussing options in greater detail if they can't resume as normal.

 

I think they will find a way to finish the season, no matter how ridiculous the final solution is as time gets further squeezed. 3x 30mins games a day ?

 

Which would be a material change in the Rules of the Game therefore could have complex and messy contractual consequences between PL, clubs, TV companies, sponsors et etc. The game format won’t be changed because it can’t be changed.

 

Speak for yourself!

 

In Germany no large groups of people will be allowed until at least August and they are a long way ahead of us. China was 11 weeks lockdown whilst we are now in our 4th and even if the lockdown is slowly reduced through May it must be becoming clear to all involved in Football that plans must be agreed upon for voiding the season and then deciding how next season will be formatted. Today's meeting will not publicly say that but that is what will be discussed between the clubs, authorities and media. As an example a deal with sky to continue to pay their fees now subject to extra matches next 2 seasons with 22 teams in the league, maybe an extension of their deal on current terms by a season or 2 to make up for the financial loss, that sort of negotiation to allow for voiding the season which will happen almost everywhere in the world as the weeks and months go by.

 

I haven’t two-footed anyone from HR since 2009 so I just assumed...

 

Think you’re being hopeful about them discussing or setting out further options. This is the PL.

They will move the date back another few weeks more or less in line with the lockdown and that’ll be it I’d bet. Can, road, kicked.

It was my belief from the start that they would simply keep changing the date and somewhat bury their heads in the sand.

 

Yet Bundesliga clubs are already back in training with a view to finishing the season behind closed doors - the no large groups of people until August ruling is more just relevant to not having fans in stadiums.

 

Transexuals shouldn't be allowed to vote. Full stop.

 

We are a country mile (2.2km) behind Germany in recovering from this emergency. No teams in UK will start training at least until 2nd week in May and that only in the unlikely event that lockdown is lifted early and not continued for a further 3 weeks.

 

You can walk 2.2km in only about 20mins, so if you're going to try and be so precise with your analogy it'll need to be a larger distance than that.

 

A centipede can’t

 

Captain Tom can walk faster than that!
Well done to him btw
... but on a sadder note Norman Hunter has bitten his last legs I'm afraid

 

But dogs should?

 

And I thought fisting sounded disgusting. This is a whole new level

 

Not at all, I still believe that a fair way to do it would be to start next season with all clubs carrying over their points and goal differences, I am just suggesting different ways of trying to resolve the situation.

In my most recent post, see below, I am saying that playing behind closed doors would not solve the problem, because football is a CONTACT sport.

Edit: see #93. Also where in this thread did I suggest that games should be going ahead behind closed doors?

 

Why would football being a contact sport make any difference to playing behind closed doors?

 

Have you not heard of SOCIAL DISTANCING.

How can any football match be played whilst observing social distancing, whether it is behind closed doors or otherwise when it is a CONTACT SPORT That's why it would make a difference DUH!

 

Have you not seen our marking at corners? Perfectly conforms to the social distancing guidelines.