[Updated] Football suspended indefinitely

[Warren]

The players are against returning. So that is the end. Then the PL would need to play at specified neutral venues, even if it did start up, to facilitate the testing and control needed. There are about 10 PL clubs opposed to that. So the decision to close the season and determine the outcome on points per game draws closer. I expect that deciding on points per game could pass if relegation was cancelled. It is unlikely that the next PL season could start before September and more likely January next year behind closed doors. The Championship clubs may also be able to start playing on that basis because of TV money. But L1 & L2 clubs would lose money playing behind closed doors. So the start up for L1 & L2 clubs is likely to be with crowds from August 2021 cancelling the 2020/21 season. These are my latest thoughts after listening to Sunday Supplement on Sky this morning. There is a lull in decision making ahead of the Governments plan next Thursday for returning to normal. That will bring the certainty needed to make decisions.

[silvermicky]

Problem is that no one knows what will happen and how long it's going to take to get a vaccine and/or cure  so it's impossible to predict when things will start to return to 'normal'. Everyone, scientists, medics and government are learning as they go along day by day. 

Even if games happened behind closed doors while there was no vaccine, imagine being a player with vulnerable members in your family — you'd probably hold back on tackling just to avoid contact, so games might end up with rugby scores.

No, I reckon we have to scrap this season. No promotions and no relegations. After all, no one's coming up from the conference. What I'd suggest is for the teams at the top to start the next season whenever that'll be with a couple of bonus points in recognition of their good 2019/20 season say Crewe being 1st 3 pts, Swindon and Plymouth 2 pts and play-off position clubs Exeter, Cheltenham, Colchester and Northampton 1 point while Stevenage could restart with minus 1 or 3 points. Vale would have to start with 0 though (sob) like the rest. 

And if it's safe to start in January or February 2021 then I stick by my previous suggestion of League 2 North and South with 22 games to be played by May and just points bonuses or deficits again to be carried forward into a full 2021/22 season. 

Lastly, for the duration of the pandemic and the suspension of football till things are safe again, the EFL/FA  should suspend all points deductions for teams who might go into administration cz of this virus. I think Oldham and Southend were in trouble, and others too, and if things get worse they shouldn't be penalized for circumstances beyond their control.

Stay safe and well everyone. UTV

[bycarspete]

The only way league 1/2 clubs to survive is possibly moth ball/close down for the duration of this pandemic, or will fans still purchase a season ticket knowing that not many games will be played just to help the wellbeing of their club, a lot of players will have more uncertainty in their career than normal, hopefully Vale can survive and come out the other side with a nucleus of staff and players in place, keeping the faith and keep believing, up the Vale 

[Howjy04]

27 minutes ago, bycarspete said:

The only way league 1/2 clubs to survive is possibly moth ball/close down for the duration of this pandemic, or will fans still purchase a season ticket knowing that not many games will be played just to help the wellbeing of their club, a lot of players will have more uncertainty in their career than normal, hopefully Vale can survive and come out the other side with a nucleus of staff and players in place, keeping the faith and keep believing, up the Vale 

Normally a club is reliant on ST sales during the close season,which would,in normal circumstances,be now.I think we should carry on as we would have done.I’d sooner lose a few quid if it meant the Vale survived.I appreciate things are difficult at the moment but if folk can afford it,buy a ST.

[DistantVale]

4 hours ago, silvermicky said:

Problem is that no one knows what will happen and how long it's going to take to get a vaccine and/or cure  so it's impossible to predict when things will start to return to 'normal'. Everyone, scientists, medics and government are learning as they go along day by day. 

Even if games happened behind closed doors while there was no vaccine, imagine being a player with vulnerable members in your family — you'd probably hold back on tackling just to avoid contact, so games might end up with rugby scores.

No, I reckon we have to scrap this season. No promotions and no relegations. After all, no one's coming up from the conference. What I'd suggest is for the teams at the top to start the next season whenever that'll be with a couple of bonus points in recognition of their good 2019/20 season say Crewe being 1st 3 pts, Swindon and Plymouth 2 pts and play-off position clubs Exeter, Cheltenham, Colchester and Northampton 1 point while Stevenage could restart with minus 1 or 3 points. Vale would have to start with 0 though (sob) like the rest. 

And if it's safe to start in January or February 2021 then I stick by my previous suggestion of League 2 North and South with 22 games to be played by May and just points bonuses or deficits again to be carried forward into a full 2021/22 season. 

Lastly, for the duration of the pandemic and the suspension of football till things are safe again, the EFL/FA  should suspend all points deductions for teams who might go into administration cz of this virus. I think Oldham and Southend were in trouble, and others too, and if things get worse they shouldn't be penalized for circumstances beyond their control.

Stay safe and well everyone. UTV

It isn't correct to say there aren't 2 teams coming up from the National leagues, the teams are voting this week to come up with a solution as to how they think the season should be finished.   UEFA are looking for all professional leagues to be finished with an out come where promotion and relegation takes place ,

[silvermicky]

1 hour ago, DistantVale said:

It isn't correct to say there aren't 2 teams coming up from the National leagues, the teams are voting this week to come up with a solution as to how they think the season should be finished.   UEFA are looking for all professional leagues to be finished with an out come where promotion and relegation takes place ,

Oh I wasn't aware of that...was thinking the other day about how we might move on ...still personally I'd rather they didn't have promotions and relegations after an unfinished season but as someone else said earlier whatever they do they'll be damned 

[Wrex]

2 hours ago, DistantVale said:

It isn't correct to say there aren't 2 teams coming up from the National leagues, the teams are voting this week to come up with a solution as to how they think the season should be finished.   UEFA are looking for all professional leagues to be finished with an out come where promotion and relegation takes place ,

Not quite. UEFA couldn't give a toss about anything outside of the top leagues in each country. They said they'll ban nations that close their leagues, unless the nation's government have decreed no football can be played or unless the member association can prove to UEFA that completing the league fixtures would financially devastate them. Those that are forced to end the season have to award European places on 'sporting merit' ie. they can't just say we'll send the same teams who qualified in 2019 or play favourites somehow

[Paul6754]

While this virus is still on this planet (It may never be eradicated) and even with the existence of vaccines and effective medicines there will always be a risk of humans falling sick and popping off from COVID-19 although at a much, much lower number/rate than at the moment.

Restarting football as with every occupation/industry will be a balance between lives and livlihoods. For Lge 1 & 2 finish this season behind closed doors over a period of 5 weeks starting ca mid June, generate income from allowing  supporters to pay for an iFollow subscription and allow season ticket holders the option of an iFollow subscription for the remaining home games. For supporters who really wish to go to home games  then contact the club and the club gives an assigned seat within the social distancing guide lines with a limit on numbers.

Regularly test players, a player with COVID-19 antibodies is considered injured and doesn't play.

The financial stuff can be worked out, Vale get a greater share of the iFollow money, the EFL use it's piggy bank, everything can be worked out to save the clubs, players and the season. Start nest season around end August on the same basis and gradually open Vale Park to attendees as conditions improve.

[Paul6754]

10 hours ago, Paul6754 said:

Regularly test players, a player with COVID-19 antibodies is considered injured and doesn't play.

Should read, "Regularly test players, a player with the virus or the virus and COVID-19 antibodies is considered injured and don't play or train, those testing for no virus or the antibodies and no virus are fit to play.

[robf]

12 hours ago, Paul6754 said:

The financial stuff can be worked out, Vale get a greater share of the iFollow money, the EFL use it's piggy bank, everything can be worked out to save the clubs, players and the season. Start nest season around end August on the same basis and gradually open Vale Park to attendees as conditions improve.

There's actually a cracking article by Mark Palios which says the PFA's huge contigency fund shoud be used to pay players' wages. He argues that the PFA have basically sat around and done nothing and this is clearly an obvious time for a contingency fund to be used rather than the PFA sitting on it.

He also says this is the time to look at football's finances and get rid of stupid things like parachute payments.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/05/player-wages-and-contracts-will-bankrupt-efl-clubs-its-time-for-the-pfa-to-act

[robf]

12 hours ago, Paul6754 said:

Regularly test players, a player with COVID-19 antibodies is considered injured and doesn't play.

I can't see that working unfortunately. The current advice is anyone who has contact with an infected person would need to be isolated so one player getting it could potentially isolate a whole squad. If that's the advice for the general pubic I can't see it changing for football and that is a massive issue. If all of a club's players can become unavailable for two weeks it's going to make any resumption impossible.

[Emile]

Players should be tested before they are meeting other players surely? Obviously a smaller number but you can get a 3 hour test in Austria these days for 180 euros privately

[robf]

12 minutes ago, Emile said:

Players should be tested before they are meeting other players surely? Obviously a smaller number but you can get a 3 hour test in Austria these days for 180 euros privately

Sure but it's a team game. Let's say John Smith is tested and is negative. He then plays a game. After it, he feels ill and is tested positive. In that scenario, he has had a negative test but has picked up the symptoms after being tested and now anyone in contact with him (presumably all his team mates, coaches and opposition players) now need to be isolated in case he has passed it on.

My point is - a test only shows you the result when you take it. Unless the players are literally being tested every minute of the day, then with football being a team game, it's going to be near impossible for one infected player not to force an entire squad into quarantine. And if one team is unable to play then the competition will then be thrown into doubt.

For that reason, I can't see any way resuming playing what is a team sport is possibly going to work when social isoation is still needed. 

[Emile]

But if all players are tested there should be 0% chance of catching after a match with another team who have all been tested right? Or that means the tests aren't accurate enough. 

[JRC]

1 hour ago, robf said:

Sure but it's a team game. Let's say John Smith is tested and is negative. He then plays a game. After it, he feels ill and is tested positive. In that scenario, he has had a negative test but has picked up the symptoms after being tested and now anyone in contact with him (presumably all his team mates, coaches and opposition players) now need to be isolated in case he has passed it on.

My point is - a test only shows you the result when you take it. Unless the players are literally being tested every minute of the day, then with football being a team game, it's going to be near impossible for one infected player not to force an entire squad into quarantine. And if one team is unable to play then the competition will then be thrown into doubt.

For that reason, I can't see any way resuming playing what is a team sport is possibly going to work when social isoation is still needed. 

 

1 hour ago, robf said:

Sure but it's a team game. Let's say John Smith is tested and is negative. He then plays a game. After it, he feels ill and is tested positive. In that scenario, he has had a negative test but has picked up the symptoms after being tested and now anyone in contact with him (presumably all his team mates, coaches and opposition players) now need to be isolated in case he has passed it on.

My point is - a test only shows you the result when you take it. Unless the players are literally being tested every minute of the day, then with football being a team game, it's going to be near impossible for one infected player not to force an entire squad into quarantine. And if one team is unable to play then the competition will then be thrown into doubt.

For that reason, I can't see any way resuming playing what is a team sport is possibly going to work when social isoation is still needed. 

Rob I take your point about the testing but this is going to be the same for all of us. Companies and the country cannot afford another 12 months of this so we are all going to need to work. The general population aren't going to get tests to start work so nor should footballers. Most work is a team game where people work together. Not allowing crowds into matches is sensible but I don't see a reason for not playing online. We are all going to have to accept a degree of risk for at least the next 12 months in mosts walks of life. Staff at Tesco have to accept this already. I think its important footballers don't face a greater risk than someone in a factory or supermarket or building site. That's not quite the same as there being no risk. There would be postponed matches due to quarantines but the actual cost of postponements would be a lot less than currently as you only need the 4 officials and camera crew in attendance.