Ending the season early? (+++ALL GAMES CANCELLED TILL 4 APRIL+++)

LargeAddick said:

^^ there may be daylight between West Brom, Leeds and the rest but with nine/ten games to go there isn’t enough daylight to be able to say that those two deserve promotion. I don’t think there is any way such a scenario will/can happen. There are two options, scrap the season and everything is null and void or you play to it’s conclusion and then jigger around next season to suit ie less games, play every midweek, no cups etc. 

... especially as both teams threw away a 12+ point advantage over the chasing pack not that long ago.

They've done it once this season, there's every chance they could do it again.

So who would've been our representative on that call?

rikofold said:

MartinCAFC said:

Now Euro 2020 has been moved to Euro 2021 this means that next season's league season must start and finish on time in order for Euro 2021 to go ahead.

So not sure how you can finish the current season if it can't finish by the end of June which personally I don't see happening.

If it doesn't finish before end of June you're running into player contracts ending, which of course would be as problematic for us as anyone.

I think they have to try to find a way to finish the season, even if behind closed doors. Even if it means using more midweek fixtures next season and compressing it.

Can you imagine the legal challenges if teams are denied promotion or relegated before the season ends? 

Non-League football has been cancelled that would see less people in the ground than behind closed doors matches being staged.

I just can’t see any likelihood of matches restarting in the next 3 months which, in my mind, makes cancelling the whole season the only sensible option. Apart from Liverpool running away with the Prem title, no other teams in any of the leagues can reasonably claim they are being denied ‘certain’ promotion/financial gain. From a purely selfish standpoint, I suggest this is also the best possible outcome for Charlton too.

se9addick said:

rikofold said:

MartinCAFC said:

Now Euro 2020 has been moved to Euro 2021 this means that next season's league season must start and finish on time in order for Euro 2021 to go ahead.

So not sure how you can finish the current season if it can't finish by the end of June which personally I don't see happening.

If it doesn't finish before end of June you're running into player contracts ending, which of course would be as problematic for us as anyone.

I think they have to try to find a way to finish the season, even if behind closed doors. Even if it means using more midweek fixtures next season and compressing it.

Can you imagine the legal challenges if teams are denied promotion or relegated before the season ends? 

Given that the spread of the virus is going to get worse over the next few weeks, I can’t see anyway that any measures that have thus far been taken are going to get relaxed. 

This season is over, either it will be declared null and void or they will use the current standings as final and have promotion without relegation (and a 22 team Prem next year).

Apologies if already mentioned but increasing the PL by two teams will mean either the tv companies will have to stomp up another £250 million or the PL will have to find the money, or the other 20 clubs will have to take a cut in their share of the tv money. It ain’t going to happen.

letthegoodtimesroll said:

se9addick said:

rikofold said:

MartinCAFC said:

Now Euro 2020 has been moved to Euro 2021 this means that next season's league season must start and finish on time in order for Euro 2021 to go ahead.

So not sure how you can finish the current season if it can't finish by the end of June which personally I don't see happening.

If it doesn't finish before end of June you're running into player contracts ending, which of course would be as problematic for us as anyone.

I think they have to try to find a way to finish the season, even if behind closed doors. Even if it means using more midweek fixtures next season and compressing it.

Can you imagine the legal challenges if teams are denied promotion or relegated before the season ends? 

Given that the spread of the virus is going to get worse over the next few weeks, I can’t see anyway that any measures that have thus far been taken are going to get relaxed. 

This season is over, either it will be declared null and void or they will use the current standings as final and have promotion without relegation (and a 22 team Prem next year).

Apologies if already mentioned but increasing the PL by two teams will mean either the tv companies will have to stomp up another £250 million or the PL will have to find the money, or the other 20 clubs will have to take a cut in their share if the tv money. It ain’t going to happen.

That is at least an easy one to fix. TV money is around £100million. The Premier League have over £1billion in reserves, plus won't be paying out 3xparachute payments, so the money to find is virtually inconsequential.

If we have to complete all fixtures by the end of June then we could do so in the space of in a little over 3 weeks by:

(1) Scrapping Play Offs with final finishing positions dictating who goes down and up

(2) No team has more than 10 games left so these could be played:

Saturday 6th
Monday 8th
Thursday 11th
Saturday 13th
Tuesday 16th
Thursday 18th
Sunday 21st
Tuesday 23rd
Thursday 26th
Sunday 28th

Most clubs have 9 matches to go so will get an extra "gap". Players will have had a break so the usual moans about playing too many games is not one that carries any validity especially if they are not made to over train in between games. Equally, a lot of those who were injured will now be fit so squad strength will have been restored at the outset

(3) New season starts in September with all outstanding European games being played by the end of that month

(4) Do away with/suspend for one season the Carabao Cup and Football League Trophy - less is more and clubs might actually then treat the F A Cup more seriously

(5) Transfer window stays open 'til the end of October 

letthegoodtimesroll said:

se9addick said:

rikofold said:

MartinCAFC said:

Now Euro 2020 has been moved to Euro 2021 this means that next season's league season must start and finish on time in order for Euro 2021 to go ahead.

So not sure how you can finish the current season if it can't finish by the end of June which personally I don't see happening.

If it doesn't finish before end of June you're running into player contracts ending, which of course would be as problematic for us as anyone.

I think they have to try to find a way to finish the season, even if behind closed doors. Even if it means using more midweek fixtures next season and compressing it.

Can you imagine the legal challenges if teams are denied promotion or relegated before the season ends? 

Given that the spread of the virus is going to get worse over the next few weeks, I can’t see anyway that any measures that have thus far been taken are going to get relaxed. 

This season is over, either it will be declared null and void or they will use the current standings as final and have promotion without relegation (and a 22 team Prem next year).

Apologies if already mentioned but increasing the PL by two teams will mean either the tv companies will have to stomp up another £250 million or the PL will have to find the money, or the other 20 clubs will have to take a cut in their share of the tv money. It ain’t going to happen.

I'm sure they will survive!  

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

Addick Addict said:

If we have to complete all fixtures by the end of June then we could do so in the space of in a little over 3 weeks by:

(1) Scrapping Play Offs with final finishing positions dictating who goes down and up

(2) No team has more than 10 games left so these could be played:

Saturday 6th
Monday 8th
Thursday 11th
Saturday 13th
Tuesday 16th
Thursday 18th
Sunday 21st
Tuesday 23rd
Thursday 26th
Sunday 28th

Most clubs have 9 matches to go so will get an extra "gap". Players will have had a break so the usual moans about playing too many games is not one that carries any validity especially if they are not made to over train in between games. Equally, a lot of those who were injured will now be fit so squad strength will have been restored at the outset

(3) New season starts in September with all outstanding European games being played by the end of that month

(4) Do away with/suspend for one season the Carabao Cup and Football League Trophy - less is more and clubs might actually then treat the F A Cup more seriously

(5) Transfer window stays open 'til the end of October 

Just because they've had a break doesn't mean they can hammer themselves by trying to fit 10 games into 3 weeks.

And no worries about over training in between games because with your crazy schedule there wouldn't even be any time for training. It would just be play game, travel, play game. It's not going to happen.

Why? You have stated that they won't need to train. They are not being asked to do this for 9 months! You may or may not know but clubs used to have to play on Christmas Day AND Boxing Day and as a result play 4 games in 7 days.

They didn't have the 24 man squads that clubs do now. There is a thing called rotation now so the likelihood is that players will only have to play 6 or 7 games in that time. So no training and playing two or a maximum of three games a week- having had 12 weeks off beforehand. Wow that is tough!

Rothko said:

Players aren't even training at the moment, they are being asked to social distance as we are, so clubs are closing training grounds. I can't see the season starting again to the end of April at the earliest, and it depends on what happens with the virus. 

What about medical support for games, say a player has an injury and requires surgery, and the local hospitals have converted their theatres for ICU as they have ventilators, what happens to that player?

We all want football back, but I can't see it coming back for a while

That is one I don't get. Players can train. They can keep themselves fit in isolation. If my 17 year old son can do so by training at home and regularly go on 5-10 mile runs and not be paid to do so then I'm sure they can.

The major hindrance to playing a number of games is mental and not physical fatigue - and it usually takes place at the end of a long hard season which is why Managers complain so much about it.

By the beginning of June players will have had 12 weeks off. Any sportsman worth their salt will be itching to get out there. Nobody is suggesting that they will be as sharp as they might be but these are the circumstances that all players will be in. 

To believe that they cannot play two or three games a week over a three week period (a maximum of 6 hours of intense exercise a week) is, frankly, a symptom of the society we live in now. They should try working 40 hours a week down a coal mine and then might appreciate what hard labour is about!

And when they've done that they can have, as per my suggestion above, another four weeks off before they have to come in to train again.

killerandflash said:

Addick Addict said:

Rothko said:

Players aren't even training at the moment, they are being asked to social distance as we are, so clubs are closing training grounds. I can't see the season starting again to the end of April at the earliest, and it depends on what happens with the virus. 

What about medical support for games, say a player has an injury and requires surgery, and the local hospitals have converted their theatres for ICU as they have ventilators, what happens to that player?

We all want football back, but I can't see it coming back for a while

That is one I don't get. Players can train. They can keep themselves fit in isolation. If my 17 year old son can do so by training at home and regularly go on 5-10 mile runs and not be paid to do so then I'm sure they can.

A big difference in intensity though, and players won't be able to do the gym work they normally do

I would be very surprised if they don't have or have access to home gyms, bikes, free weights etc etc.

What they "normally" do isn't relevant because we aren't in normal times. And ALL players are in the same position. There is also nothing to stop players "matching up" and training with each other on a daily basis as long as it is the same couple so, if one of them does have symptoms, then only the two players (and their immediate family) are affected.

Either we want the season to finish or we don't. And it will be a level playing field (bar the odd club that has to play an extra match).

All of this is based on a return in June. If it's later then the season is over. If it's just a couple of weeks earlier and using my suggestion re the European comps and starting next season later then there is even less of an argument not to finish it.

We had two World Wars and are currently fighting the worst epidemic in most people's lifetime. Surely we shouldn't be making excuses for not being able to complete 10 games in 3 weeks where almost all the players will play no more than 7 games should we?
 

Cafc43v3r said:

If they must finish the season before the 1st July, for loads of different reasons, they won't be able to it unless they start again on the 4th of April.

They can't start again on the 4th of April. 

Therefore they cant finish the season.

Either the league tables are now "final" or the season has to be scrapped.  You make rules up on the fly for diffrent leagues/teams.  

Disagree. Even if you started on 1st May the regular season can be finished by 31st May as there are five Saturdays and you play every midweek. That gives a month for the play offs so can be done and dusted easily by mid June. I’d even say if the season starts mid May you can still get it done by 30th June.