Athletic Article: League One and Two Seasons to be abandoned next week

[Si Robin]

That will catch a few.

It definitely has - have to admit I think it's the funniest thing he's done.

Not sure on the FGR official account responding to some of the Tranmere fans though and taking it further than it needs to go. The initial dig is all well and good, but dragging it out looks a bit pathetic.

 

[GEORGE]

Well we won't be playing anymore ( Home ) games anyway this season -- Just dug our pitch up.

 

[Boletus Edulis]

Well we won't be playing anymore ( Home ) games anyway this season -- Just dug our pitch up.

Ours was replaced about two weeks ago.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Dave Artell has said he expects it to be no longer than 2 weeks until the season is fully resolved, even though there is appetite for Leagues 1 and 2 to end as soon as possible. Ties in with what journos were saying about the Premier League not being clear how they plan to relegate teams if Project Restart fails.

Interestingly though, Artell has said his personal view would be for the leagues to be decided on PPG (unsure if he meant weighted or not) and that a playoff competition must be held with one legged ties at a neutral venue for the semis and final. Perhaps the Exeter, Colchester and Northampton chairmen are lobbying for this option in the talks with the EFL board? I know League One Chairmen are pushing for this idea and it'd fall in line with the Championship's idea of holding playoffs should their season be abandoned.

I think a PPG league solution with a playoff competition and relegation would be approved by at least 20 clubs. Can only see Cheltenham (stand to be automatically promoted without playoffs), Vale and Bradford (just outside the playoffs but I don't think they'd have a legal case in this instance) and Stevenage (set to be relegated) being against it in fairness.

 

[dedwardp]

BBC trying to dress it up as an injustice and a tight call if Stevenage are relegated. I think Stevenage are good value for non league given how pitiful they've been this season. But I don't think Barrow would be robbed of a Football League place if they were reprieved.

Sky and The Athletic seem pretty confident Stevenage will be relegated, but the BBC are the only ones saying they might get a reprieve because of one reason or another...

Surely their logic is entirely flawed, and Macclesfield's points would only then be deducted AFTER having already calculated a PPG total for them?

At the bottom of League Two, Macclesfield have already had 11 points deducted for breaching EFL regulations, with a further two suspended to the end of the season, to be triggered if they break the rules again.

If they were taken off, and points-per-game applied, the gap to bottom-placed Stevenage would be less than half a point.

 

[chipmunx]

Surely their logic is entirely flawed, and Macclesfield's points would only then be deducted AFTER having already calculated a PPG total for them?

At the bottom of League Two, Macclesfield have already had 11 points deducted for breaching EFL regulations, with a further two suspended to the end of the season, to be triggered if they break the rules again.

If they were taken off, and points-per-game applied, the gap to bottom-placed Stevenage would be less than half a point.

yep - if that's what they've done then it's that same that Satanage fans have tried to do on Borochat - taking the points off before PPG effectively increases the points deduction.... totally the wrong way of doing it

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Stevenage really don't have a leg to stand on after this season, we were the last team to play them before the season was suspended and we comprehensively beat them despite not getting out of first gear. I'll be disappointed if they stayed up for the same reason I'll be very disappointed if Southend and Bolton were reprieved.

The funny thing is, unlike in recent seasons when you can tell clubs like Notts were gonna be boom or bust and clubs like Barnet, Yeovil and Hartlepool were sleepwalking towards relegation, it's actually surprised me how shite they've been. Start of the season their owner Wallace was talking about increased playing budgets, Burger King sponsorships, a brand new shiny stand and really talking them up, yet their season has been an unmitigated disaster. I wouldn't say he's a particularly bad owner either, it's just the players have completely failed him.

When you compare it to Macc who have barely been paid but made Moss Rose a very tough place to go and get three points this season, it's baffling. Macc lost 11 points and they're still not bottom!

 

[Trapdoor]

Definitely a possibility. For example Brentford looked odds on to be selling Ollie Watkins this Summer for around £20-£25 million (ludicrous for a second tier player) before Corona hit us and exposed what a ridiculous division the Championship is.

Watkins for 20 mil is still cheap if you're someone like Palace or West Ham tbh.

 

[The Terminator]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52651502

The Championship is likely to be played to a conclusion with the Premier League.

Leagues One and Two meeting on Friday, with it looking likely that both leagues will end due to the costs involved.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Watkins for 20 mil is still cheap if you're someone like Palace or West Ham tbh.

Not knocking his ability at all, been incredible for me on my FM save so I'm indebted to the man!

Just a sign of how mad the money has gone at that level though, we sold Dean Ashton when we were in the Championship for £3 million (think it was £4 million when Norwich sold him to West Ham if you allow for the sell on) when teams actually spent within their means at that level. The wages and daft fees need to be reined in at that level because nearly all the teams genuinely can't afford them.

Once this is over though, I do expect to see Watkins in the Prem. But whether he'll be sold for a fee previously considered before though is highly doubtful.

 

[CTFCfan99]

I think a PPG league solution with a playoff competition and relegation would be approved by at least 20 clubs. Can only see Cheltenham (stand to be automatically promoted without playoffs), Vale and Bradford (just outside the playoffs but I don't think they'd have a legal case in this instance) and Stevenage (set to be relegated) being against it in fairness.

To be honest I'd prefer that, would mean a couple of actual football matches to look forward to and gives us the chance to earn a proper promotion instead of going up by default on ppg.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

To be honest I'd prefer that, would mean a couple of actual football matches to look forward to and gives us the chance to earn a proper promotion instead of going up by default on ppg.

Going off what Dave Artell said to a local journalist I know this week, and also going off Darragh MacAnthony's renewed optimism this morning about a League One meeting tomorrow when before he was threatening to pursue legal action, I think this proposal is going to be put forward to the board. And I think it'll almost obliterate the legal risk from a select group of clubs who would now get one shot at promotion.

Although the hilarious scenario if they choose weighted PPG in League One will see Portsmouth drop from 4th to 7th and Sunderland will drop from 7th to 8th. And we all know big clubs and their fans like to cry the loudest. I can't wait for the Twitter campaigns to demand null and void from those two cities should this be realised in the coming days or weeks. But Sunderland wouldn't finish in the playoffs in any scenario unless the season was played to a 44 game conclusion, so it'd only really be Portsmouth having a grievance for a spot in a competition where there's a 75% chance they'd fail anyway. So it'd be laughed out of Court anyway.

Another pro of this method is that it'd also mean clubs have to pay less money back to Sky as Sky could broadcast all three playoff tournaments live, to which they'll get a lot of viewership given how they're often deemed the most exciting games of the domestic lower league season.

Artell also hinted that Stevenage would be reprieved (which many fans would be against I'm sure) but additionally hinted that Barrow would be invited to the league next season and League One's bottom 3 would still be relegated. If Artell is correct, then that would imply the National League and its sides may favour a complete null and voiding of the regular season rather than finishing on PPG, thus freezing all its sides in each of the three divisions.

However, the EFL would reserve the right to invite Barrow to become a member, being the top club in the non league game before suspension, into the league system to fill the gap left by Bury. Barrow would no doubt accept this, and it may cause fume in the Notts County camp especially, given some of their fans have a warped idea that, by finishing 23rd in League Two the season before, that place in the league is rightfully theirs. But there'd be no grounds for legal action. The NL will have voided the season and the EFL would've exercised a right to invite a member of their choice. So they'd have to lump it.

 

[Devon_Lad]

Another ridiculous and unfair proposal? Imagine my shock. I'd hope we would vote against it and given this new scenario also isn't in the charter then Sunderland and Portsmouth would win in court on day one in court. It would be that one sided I doubt the EFL would even put up a defence. Null and void is the only fair way to go. No top 3 should go up, and nobody in the play offs should go into a lottery for promotion when the standings are neither true nor accurate. Not everyone has played everyone ffs.

 

[Indian Dan]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!

 

[redjed]

I wonder what universe Devon lad lives in !?

 

[chipmunx]

I wonder what universe Devon lad lives in !?

Until I googled where Jurassic Coast was I thought he lived in one of Steven Spielberg's Worlds.....

 

[Camborne Gills]

I wonder what universe Devon lad lives in !?

Obviously a parallel one! Arguing for the sake of argument.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

I'm sure most Exeter fans would snap your arms off for a chance of a playoff over null and void if it meant potentially being in a higher division next season.

But we all know null and void isn't happening. Quite what Sunderland could be compensated for also remains unclear too. They would be the losers of a democratic vote, no scenario would've got them in the playoffs let alone promoted and the season can't be completed. So what case would they even have?

 

[Indian Dan]

They’re massive and, therefore, deserve it more than the likes of Rovrum or Poxford.

 

[Camborne Gills]

They don't deserve to go up. Couldn't beat us in 4 attempts this season.

 

[chipmunx]

They don't deserve to go up. Couldn't beat us in 4 attempts this season.

by that logic as you haven't beaten us for at least 48 years does that mean we can come up?

 

[Devon_Lad]

I'm sure most Exeter fans would snap your arms off for a chance of a playoff over null and void if it meant potentially being in a higher division next season.

But we all know null and void isn't happening. Quite what Sunderland could be compensated for also remains unclear too. They would be the losers of a democratic vote, no scenario would've got them in the playoffs let alone promoted and the season can't be completed. So what case would they even have?

Most football fans prefer voiding it because it's the fairest thing to do - The courts will back this up when challenged anyway, so it doesn't matter what you say or the EFL say.

 

[Devon_Lad]

Ppg looking more and more unlikely. Thankfully.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1260994668331962375

 

[Indian Dan]

Equally, they don’t want voiding either.

L2 can vote independently of the other 2 EFL leagues. Either way there will be 4 teams going up from L2. I don’t give a stuff who goes up/down from L1.

 

[valefan16]

The play offs would be a tough one, we would feel we had a good chance especially considering Northampton’s run in and form compared to our form and run in but its one of those things. Couldn’t guarantee we would of made it and in essence we were a year ahead of the plan anyway so isn’t the end of the world.

We’ve confirmed we will be voting to finish the season on the field but so understand teams who won’t and have admitted we probably would of voted to end the season now had we been mid table

 

[chipmunx]

so what's the vote going to be like - is it a straight 50% or more to win? and what is the actual question?

 

[T.A]

"Who do you want to piss off the most?"

 

[chipmunx]

"Who do you want to piss off the most?"

In that case in L2 it would be Exeter cos their fans on here are a touchy bunch....

 

[Camborne Gills]

by that logic as you haven't beaten us for at least 48 years does that mean we can come up?

Absolutely, proper club and all that.

 

[Camborne Gills]

Most football fans prefer voiding it because it's the fairest thing to do - The courts will back this up when challenged anyway, so it doesn't matter what you say or the EFL say.

When you say most, what you actually mean is you took a straw poll of about err..............1, when you looked in the mirror this morning?