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

[Vanni]

I personally think use the FM simulation and promote top 4

https://www.skysports.com/football/...-2020-predicts-final-sky-bet-league-two-table

I trust you're not being serious? Some of the crap on that page is beyond belief. Like the final day results for instance.

Here's a good one -
Penniless and much much more Macc vs L2 title winners Swindon = 3-1

Here's another one -
Needing a win to make the po's Bradford vs nowt to play for aka let's play the kids Walsall = 1-2

LOL.

 

[valefan16]

I trust you're not being serious? Some of the crap on that page is beyond belief. Like the final day results for instance.

Here's a good one -
Penniless and much much more Macc vs L2 title winners Swindon = 3-1

Here's another one -
Needing a win to make the po's Bradford vs nowt to play for aka let's play the kids Walsall = 1-2

LOL.

Of course... although those results are possible...

Hopefully we just get to finish the thing as these suggestions are rendered pointless...

Interesting our CEO was quite positive and suggested clubs wanted to finish it after the meeting last week... the Grimsby one seemed to have a different view though so it’s all up in the air I guess.

 

[Camborne Gills]

I trust you're not being serious? Some of the crap on that page is beyond belief. Like the final day results for instance.

Here's a good one -
Penniless and much much more Macc vs L2 title winners Swindon = 3-1

Here's another one -
Needing a win to make the po's Bradford vs nowt to play for aka let's play the kids Walsall = 1-2

LOL.

Doesn't always work like that. We needed to beat Wrexham on the final day of the 99/00 season, they had nothing to play for, we had 4000+ there cheering us on. Lost 1-0!!

On the flip side we relegated Notts on the final day a few years back when we had nothing to play for.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Just seen Sky Sports say that an idea mooted was for playoffs including the top 8 sides in both Leagues 1 and 2. Given the tight situation between the L1 clubs it's obvious one of them has suggested it. Probably a club that'd lose out to PPG as well.

So 7th and 8th in League One and 8th in League Two get a bonus? There's a possibility where 1st might not go up but 8th will? This isn't franchised US sport, that's a complete mockery of the system.

Edit: Just seen Sunderland would miss out if any proposal for playoffs was approved barring this ridiculous one so it's obvious where that suggestion has come from.

 

[Super_horns]

Surely just be as easy to finish the season ?

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ontingency-plans-if-season-cannot-be-finished

 

[valefan16]

I’d take that... although surely better for top 2 up and the other 6 play a tournament for the last spots?

Vale v Exeter (assuming PPG here)
Cobblers v Colchester

Winners play Cheltenham and Argyle for last spots in two finals maybe?

Would be harsh is Vale, Cobblers and Colchester went up ahead of Swindon and Crewe.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I'm absolutely opposed to Americanising the league. But the only way a playoff system would even work is if it was heavily weighted so that 3 of the top 4 would essentially be guaranteed promotion.

1st vs 4th - winner up
2nd vs 3rd - winner up (losers of both these games play each other in the next round, winner goes up, loser plays the winner of the 5th-8th playoffs)

5th vs 8th - loser out
6th vs 7th - loser out (winners of both these games play each other in the next round, loser out, winner plays the loser of the top 4 playoffs)

I'm still opposed to any playoff system bar the traditional 3rd-6th or 4th-7th depending on which FL division you're in. The thought of us staying down but a side in 8th (a position never good enough for the playoffs) going up is absolutely wrong.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

I am in touch with my inner Gregory, and am feeling very pessimistic. I suspect we will be lucky to start the season in August, in fact I don’t expect us to. So talk of play offs is probably a waste of energy. Moreover, I am really not convinced that all the clubs playing in league one and two this season will be lining up next season.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Just seen Sky Sports say that an idea mooted was for playoffs including the top 8 sides in both Leagues 1 and 2. Given the tight situation between the L1 clubs it's obvious one of them has suggested it. Probably a club that'd lose out to PPG as well.

So 7th and 8th in League One and 8th in League Two get a bonus? There's a possibility where 1st might not go up but 8th will? This isn't franchised US sport, that's a complete mockery of the system.

Edit: Just seen Sunderland would miss out if any proposal for playoffs was approved barring this ridiculous one so it's obvious where that suggestion has come from.

I don’t have Sky, but would I be correct in assuming that they have the tv rights to the playoffs? If so, hmm. How transparent.

The consequence of this could well be that Swindon and Crewe who are 47 points ahead of Stevenage could be in the same league next year. On that basis, I am out.

 

[dedwardp]

I personally think use the FM simulation and promote top 4

https://www.skysports.com/football/...-2020-predicts-final-sky-bet-league-two-table

Finishing one place and one point outside the play-offs seems pretty accurate to me!

 

[valefan16]

I'm absolutely opposed to Americanising the league. But the only way a playoff system would even work is if it was heavily weighted so that 3 of the top 4 would essentially be guaranteed promotion.

1st vs 4th - winner up
2nd vs 3rd - winner up (losers of both these games play each other in the next round, winner goes up, loser plays the winner of the 5th-8th playoffs)

5th vs 8th - loser out
6th vs 7th - loser out (winners of both these games play each other in the next round, loser out, winner plays the loser of the top 4 playoffs)

I'm still opposed to any playoff system bar the traditional 3rd-6th or 4th-7th depending on which FL division you're in. The thought of us staying down but a side in 8th (a position never good enough for the playoffs) going up is absolutely wrong.

Yeah but the side in 8th currently could easily be top 7 if completed, form even suggests likely, how can you play any play off when sides who had a realistically decent chance like Vale and potentially Bradford miss out?

No team should be promoted or relegated unless all 46 games are played as too many variables especially in the tight leagues we are talking about... you finish the season whenever that may be ideally even if that takes a year with no transfers and players furloughed then onto rolling contracts if expired.

Pointless trying to make a full 2020/21 when this season is 80% through, would be better to lose 2020/21 that hasn’t started yet (at this stage it’s not clear 2020/21 could begin anyway on time)

 

[Spanishstag]

That is the most vile thing I've read on this forum to date.

We also call the bits 'scraps' FWIW

How can anyone be chip shop royalty ,when they use tinned peas ,they need to be dried peas soaked for hours with the tablet

 

[Vanni]

Doesn't always work like that. We needed to beat Wrexham on the final day of the 99/00 season, they had nothing to play for, we had 4000+ there cheering us on. Lost 1-0!!

On the flip side we relegated Notts on the final day a few years back when we had nothing to play for.

Sure , it's not always like that, but this simulator supposedly takes into account the home and away records as well as recent form. So I fail to see why it thinks Bradford - a side with only 2 home losses - will get beat on the final day. While Macc with just the 5 home wins this season and who were on a wretched run of form (no wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats in the last 10 games they played) will be beating the division winners 3-1. A bit far fetched me thinks.

 

[AdamStag]

Sure , it's not always like that, but this simulator supposedly takes into account the home and away records as well as recent form. So I fail to see why it thinks Bradford - a side with only 2 home losses - will get beat on the final day. While Macc with just the 5 home wins this season and who were on a wretched run of form (no wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats in the last 10 games they played) will be beating the division winners 3-1. A bit far fetched me thinks.

Bradford to 1-0 up but then 2 Bradford players get into a fight with each other and get sent off leaving them with 9 men. Macclesfield then take advantage

They did also beat Bradford at the moss rose

 

[saltpie]

Bradford to 1-0 up but then 2 Bradford players get into a fight with each other and get sent off leaving them with 9 men. Macclesfield then take advantage

They did also beat Bradford at the moss rose

I think that you have misunderstood Adam Stag Bradford were due to play Walsall whist Macc played Swindon.
Macc v Bradford was also a 1-1 draw

 

[Blue Lion]

Sure , it's not always like that, but this simulator supposedly takes into account the home and away records as well as recent form. So I fail to see why it thinks Bradford - a side with only 2 home losses - will get beat on the final day. While Macc with just the 5 home wins this season and who were on a wretched run of form (no wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats in the last 10 games they played) will be beating the division winners 3-1. A bit far fetched me thinks.

Tbf until recently we very rarely lost at home either.

 

[Vanni]

Bradford to 1-0 up but then 2 Bradford players get into a fight with each other and get sent off leaving them with 9 men. Macclesfield then take advantage

They did also beat Bradford at the moss rose

I was referring to the Bradford v Walsall match on the final day of the season. Anything can happen in football sure, but I thought that a simulator predicts games using criteria like home form etc. To predict a Bradford home defeat when their excellent home record is the sole reason they're up there doesn't make any sense at all.

Tbf until recently we very rarely lost at home either.

That's true as well, and I wasn't being disrespectful or anything. Only that a 3-1 win prediction over what is a very good side (Swindon have been the strongest side in L2 this year IMO) is certainly not based on stuff such as recent form and the like.

 

[Andy Proctor]

I think bradford weren't in the best of form that might be why. Pretty sure they have something like 10 away defeats in a row and have dropped from 3rd at christmas too 9th when we came to a halt.

 

[LS Bantam]

Two away wins all season for us, awful. The two home losses were both 90th minute jobs, the FGR one we even scored after but it was disallowed (offside but I think though they had a lad on the line).

 

[AdamStag]

Two away wins all season for us, awful. The two home losses were both 90th minute jobs, the FGR one we even scored after but it was disallowed (offside but I think though they had a lad on the line).

You were astonishingly poor at field mill, was really surprised (appreciate we were shit at yours but that’s why we’re 21st (or was). Your fans kept saying we’d win easily but we didn’t believe them

 

[LS Bantam]

You were astonishingly poor at field mill, was really surprised (appreciate we were shit at yours but that’s why we’re 21st (or was). Your fans kept saying we’d win easily but we didn’t believe them

Bowyer was sacked 10 days later, just 4 away wins in his entire reign, two of which were 1-0 thanks to own goals, (I think) already relegated Scunthorpe last season and Morecambe in October. We started relaying the pitch today so clearly no plans to play on it any time soon.

 

[Greenacres]

Our pitch needs some major work to sort out the drainage, particularly in one corner, hopefully they have started on it...lots of other clubs seem to have dug their pitches up already!

 

[AdamStag]

We certainly needed to do ours, was like a paddy field at one stage, though it apparently looked alright recently

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Would we all say that a side that

Our pitch needs some major work to sort out the drainage, particularly in one corner, hopefully they have started on it...lots of other clubs seem to have dug their pitches up already!

Yup, ours has been relaid, and there is work on our training ground. I believe it is six to eight weeks before any football could be played at Home Park.

 

[Greenacres]

Would we all say that a side that

Yup, ours has been relaid, and there is work on our training ground. I believe it is six to eight weeks before any football could be played at Home Park.

If it comes to playing football behind closed doors then it wouldn't really matter where they played games, as long as the pitch was up to the required standard, so clubs having dug their pitch up may not even matter. Our training ground is near Chippenham, on all the video clips I have seen from there the grass looks amazing, perhaps we could base our team there...if they are to play any games. I am sure that most teams will have access to a decent pitch, either where they train or elsewhere in their local area.

 

[shoddycollins]

If it comes to playing football behind closed doors then it wouldn't really matter where they played games, as long as the pitch was up to the required standard, so clubs having dug their pitch up may not even matter. Our training ground is near Chippenham, on all the video clips I have seen from there the grass looks amazing, perhaps we could base our team there...if they are to play any games. I am sure that most teams will have access to a decent pitch, either where they train or elsewhere in their local area.

They'd probably have to play it somewhere where closed doors can actually be enforced, a lot of training pitches at this level are open to public view and they'd struggle to prevent people gathering to watch. They'd also probably need a certain level of medical facilities on hand as well as separate home and away changing rooms and a referee's room and probably other facilities I can't think of right now which would make a training pitch and most other alternatives to stadia unsuitable.

 

[Greenacres]

They'd probably have to play it somewhere where closed doors can actually be enforced, a lot of training pitches at this level are open to public view and they'd struggle to prevent people gathering to watch. They'd also probably need a certain level of medical facilities on hand as well as separate home and away changing rooms and a referee's room and probably other facilities I can't think of right now which would make a training pitch and most other alternatives to stadia unsuitable.

I think most training pitches are on private locations...we aren't talking old days where the players literally trained on public parks...and most of the things you list as obstacles will be present at even the most modest of training grounds. I'm pretty sure that ours has most of them. OK, so few will have anything to the standard of St George's Park, which has been a suggestion for playing Premier League games. A little lateral thinking, or use of neutral venues where behind closed doors would actually mean that, might make this a goer.

 

[Railway Blue]

That’s my point about barrow though, as even if Stevenage are allowed to stop up - which I think would be gutting for everyone - there will still be a space left, so imagine that they’d come up anyway

I'm not particularly a Barrow fan but they must go up surely!

 

[saltpie]

I'm not particularly a Barrow fan but they must go up surely!

Why they are 4 points clear with 9 games to go , hardly unsurmountable

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Does make me laugh how some Notts fans think they should be awarded league status for next season purely because they finished 23rd last season and Bury were expelled.

I'd rather award successful teams that right even if they haven't mathematically secured league status than one that failed and got themselves into a non league mess on the pitch in the first place.