Sentinel: Port Vale set to start in three weeks with two cups and League Two burst

[News Feed]

No action for six months and then a full blast

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[Santa]

Quote

 

“I know the EFL is keen to get fixtures out but it’s not as easy as thinking there are an even number of teams in each division so just pull them out of a hat, home and away. You have to look at how far teams travel on bank holidays, at Christmas and New Year, where you are sending them in mid-week or back to back

“Normally they genuinely have to take into account the Shipton Sheepdog Trials and Bristol Air Balloon Race as well as the British Transport Police making sure that fans of certain clubs don’t meet at train stations on their way back from respective away matches.

“Clubs are paired up as well to make sure they don’t play home matches on the same day. That’s normally us and Stoke, which might seem straight forward, but you have the Sheffield clubs with European ties to be taken into consideration.

“It’s a very tough job and this time they’re doing it in half the time it normally takes."

 

It's amazing really that the EFL takes all of these factors into consideration, only to ignore them all when the fixtures eventually do come out.

It didn't stop us and Stoke having home games scheduled on the same day in recent years, nor did it stop the possibilty of Vale and Stoke fans bumping into each other in March when both had away games scheduled in Greater Manchester.

[Andyregs]

Are we going to be able to watch the games on ifollow? 

[darren1810]

With regards to the restart can anyone explain how last season was curtailed with 9 games left due to financial constraints and the possibility of clubs going bust 

So we now start in September with no crowds and a glut of fixtures. 

You could argue season ticket money but if you look at how ours have dropped , Morecambe for example may of only sold a couple of hundred .

I don't quite fathom irrespective of EFL trophy or League cup games being crammed in how the likes of Morecambe, Stevenage ,etc can survive without income. 

We are 2000 or more season ticket sales down and no paying customers until October at the earliest . However due to our owners should be able to ride it out.

I don't equate the difference between the last 9 games of last season or the first 9 of this season . No difference. Yet now it's okay to start ?

[robf]

I think it's down to circumstances. When you've got people dying then sport continuing has to take second place while the priority is to stop the deaths.

Now we are (unfortunately) used to living in Covid times there are now protocols and steps taken to help players and staff health as much as possible and so with the clubs in sore need of some sort of income (starting to play the season will trigger the hefty PL solidarity payments which is £470k per League Two side plus TV payments, iFollow streaming money etc). 

So, that's why things are different in my view. When it stopped, there was a hugely worrying situation and things like sport ended for public safety. Now, after we've learnt more about Covid and can take steps to minimise it, the new season can start. 

It's not ideal by any means but there you go...