After Coronavirus - What next for league football? (poll)

[Greenacres]

For me, the order of preference is 1) complete season with fans 2) complete season without fans 3) PPG placing 4) void.

I will caveat 1) and 2) by saying that it's got to come a point where it isn't feasible to finish this season. I'm not a big fan of affecting a second season too much (there are also massive implications with some contracts expiring in June, so too many months further down the line it's another financial outlay). If we can complete this season in June, July, August and we can kick off a new season in September, October then fair enough. With a few more Tuesday games, scrapping the League Cup, Checkatrade and FA Cup replays for a season then you could probably pull it back fairly well. But if it's going to be September, October time then you'll lose a season and again, there are contract issues because player contracts won't run around the new season dates, there's a contract outlay but very little football etc and everything will be completely skewed.

I would go with this, if there is any way to complete the season then that should happen, then have a break to allow teams to re-set and recruit ready for the next season to start after maybe six weeks to two months. I would definitely go with scrapping the Checkatrade, I doubt if there would be much opposition from clubs to making that happen, and not having the League Cup next season.

Things will definitely be skewed but, if the virus doesn't have a second coming, everything could be back on track for the 21/22 season.

 

[Luke Imp]

PPG is a very unfair way as I’ve said before as teams have got a harder run in get an advantage over ones who’ve already faced the top sides and had a easier one on paper.

I wouldn't say it's 'very' unfair. Not ideal, but far better than the other option - void.

Even taking into account the strength of the opposition in the remaining games, unless someone has an extreme set of fixtures where they're playing all the top 7 away, it's going to be there or thereabouts at this late stage of a season.

 

[Indian Dan]

PPG for home games and PPG for away games - then combine the 2. Slightly fairer way.

Just get it done, ffs.

 

[Laker]

Alphabetical order would be good.

 

[Deepcut Cobbler]

There won't be any competitive professional football before Christmas...at least.

 

[Indian Dan]

If that’s the case, then I expect more than a few of us will never see our clubs in action again.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

There won't be any competitive professional football before Christmas...at least.

Source?

 

[Indian Dan]

PL donating £125m to the EFL.

Yikes!

 

[AdamStag]

PL donating £125m to the EFL.

Yikes!

That’s impressive!

 

[Indian Dan]

Also £20m to the NHS

 

[Luke Imp]

PL donating £125m to the EFL.

Yikes!

It's an advancement of money in the form of youth grants, solidarity payments etc rather than donated, just like the EFL advanced their payments.

 

[AdamStag]

It's an advancement of money in the form of youth grants, solidarity payments etc rather than donated, just like the EFL advanced their payments.

Still it provides the clubs chance to budget accordingly. Players across the board are going to see their wages dramatically down across the board the next season or 2

 

[Indian Dan]

Still it provides the clubs chance to budget accordingly. Players across the board are going to see their wages dramatically down across the board the next season or 2

Your lot won’t like that!

 

[AdamStag]

Your lot won’t like that!

Good, the overpaid bunch of lifeless c*** can have a wake up call.

 

[TimeyWimey]

PL donating £125m to the EFL.

Yikes!

£124.75m to the Championship, £250k spread unequally between the rest?

 

[Spanishstag]

There won't be any competitive professional football before Christmas...at least.

Cant see it lasting that long ,governments sooner or later are going to have to face up to the realities that countries cant just stop working and keep paying out , numbers will go down ,people will not accept the kind of restrictions they are forever ,within half a mile of me i know at least four or five bar and restaurant owners who are looking at financial ruin its going to have to try and get back to normal eventually

 

[Indian Dan]

You’re right there. When the lockdowns are lifted people won’t be sure if it’s for economic or health reasons. People have become paranoid. There will be thousands of people who are asymptomatic who will continue to spread the virus when lockdown is finished.

The tourist industry will be fucked for a long time.

 

[TimeyWimey]

I have noticed traffic on my drive to work in the last week increase significantly. People are already refusing to accept restrictions. It’s only been 11 days. C*nts.

 

[Greenacres]

I've just been out to the supermarket, perhaps a little earlier than I normally would on a Saturday morning, and there wasn't much traffic on the road round where I live...lots of people out running or cycling though!

 

[valefan16]

You’re right there. When the lockdowns are lifted people won’t be sure if it’s for economic or health reasons. People have become paranoid. There will be thousands of people who are asymptomatic who will continue to spread the virus when lockdown is finished.

The tourist industry will be fucked for a long time.

Problem is paranoia or not if your going to get it your going to get it once the lockdown is over anyway, kids at school etc... my kids are at school/nursery as we are both classed as key workers so only takes for a nurse to get the virus which passes to their kid who is at school with my kid and so on. Only total lockdown would really mitigate that risk but then you need key workers such as nurses etc, I work in plastics industry so working to get bits for PPE sorted and screens but take a total lock down and we can’t work then people are losing supply of that.

It’s a messy situation and guess this is why we need this mass testing to really be effective and get to some stage of normality.

Morale wise it is tough, yesterday I felt so flat so get good days and bad and can see why some people would crack and give in, this weekend is a huge test as it’s glorious out there, especially if you don’t have a garden for example. We’ve had to take the dog for a walk which in our village is fairly easy as you barely see anyone and can distance if you do like cross the road but imagine this weekend that would be much tougher as everyone will fancy a stroll for their one daily exercise in this!

 

[Super_horns]

Wel hopefully if these guidelines get followed correctly the lockdown will soon get eased and as time goes on the virus gets contained meaning normality of some sort reigns.

 

[TimeyWimey]

The children’s intensive care unit I work on this week shifted our kids out to clear the unit to admit and care for adults who are covid positive because there are now no critical care beds, or even makeshift critical care beds, in the adults hospital. “Unprecedented” doesn’t cut it. It is pure dystopian shit. Lockdown is not and should not go anywhere yet. If anything things should get tighter on anyone flouting it.

 

[hellogregory]

At Christmas time teams can play 4 games in 9 days or something like that. It’s not ideal but it’s possible to complete the regular season in 3 weeks. If the players are knackered fuck it, it’ll be the same for all teams. Squads will have to be used fully. Anything is better than cancelling the season completely.

Scrap the leasing shite next season to shorten the season.

 

[Chris FGR]

They should scrap the leasing shite full stop.

 

[Vanni]

I agree with almost everybody else that ideally the league should resume: the fairest way of them all to determine relegation and promotion issues. A number of fans are saying play those games in July or August, then the new season (won't be a 46 game season that's for sure, understandably so) can kick off after a two/three week 'pre-season break'. I'm ok with that.

But what I really want to know is whether clubs will be permitted to sign new players for those 8 or so games. If so, then I'm sure that most, if not all, clubs in with a good chance of going up will be bolstering their first teams. And how would that be fair exactly?

 

[Indian Dan]

It’s no different than when there were no transfer windows at all. If the teams in with a shout of promotion can afford - or want - to bolster their squads, so what. Everyone would have a choice.

 

[Laker]

Yeah as long as each team as adequate opportunity to add to their squad then no problem.

I think they’ll need to do away with the window next season and just let clubs have more short term loans to get themselves back on their feet.

 

[Indian Dan]

I wonder what football, in particular, and the world, in general, will look like when this is over.

An economic shit storm, undoubtedly. How are nations going to claw back the money thrown at this - bet it’s not the fucking big corporations. Joe Public will pick up the bill for decades to come. Austerity will seem a piece of cake compared to the aftermath of this.

 

[Valeite]

The children’s intensive care unit I work on this week shifted our kids out to clear the unit to admit and care for adults who are covid positive because there are now no critical care beds, or even makeshift critical care beds, in the adults hospital. “Unprecedented” doesn’t cut it. It is pure dystopian shit. Lockdown is not and should not go anywhere yet. If anything things should get tighter on anyone flouting it.

So TW what happens to the children who need intensive care?
Best wishes by the way, I hope you and your colleagues come through this ok and perhaps get better appreciated by the powers that be in the future.

 

[Valeite]

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with people sunbathing in a park whllst quite a distance apart? It seems to me to be a good way to strengthen their immune system.