Club Statement: Coronavirus

[TheAlmightyFloater]

Just end the season now, give that lot a "probably would have but technically didn't" medal (but no title) and postpone that start of the next season so we can get a proper preseason and transfer window.

 

[MikeH72]

I can only assume judging by the posts in here that kieran is still hanging around

He is, it would appear the fact he was previously permanently banned on another account is of no consequence.

 

[catcherintherye]

What is clear is something is going to have to give next season & it wont be a conventional Aug - May calendar. Yesterday's UEFA meeting effectively ruled out the start of next season until September and before you consider the loss of those weeks, you need to add in the extra international fixtures which need to be added to the calendar; so you are probably talking 5 weeks lost - to date there also seems a commitment from the major european leagues to act collectively in continuing or voiding, when the next round of decisions is made...

My first post in this thread was widely ridiculed, when I said that I wouldn't be surprised if the Euros moves again to the same slot as the Qatar 2022 WC and we end up with two seasons from Jan - Oct, with a mid-summer break across Europe; I still wouldnt be shocked if this is where this all pans out

I don't think thats clear at all. To wreck a 2nd season would be absolutely disastrous, as would moving the Euro's being further delayed.

In all honesty I don't think the clubs in question are really considering what the implications mean. However wrecking next season will always be a cut off point I think for most teams. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest any club wants to do this.

For me, as this realisation dawns, it will become clearer the only solution is to cancel the season.

 

[Saint Domingo]

I don't think thats clear at all. To wreck a 2nd season would be absolutely disastrous, as would moving the Euro's being further delayed.

In all honesty I don't think the clubs in question are really considering what the implications mean. However wrecking next season will always be a cut off point I think for most teams. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest any club wants to do this.

For me, as this realisation dawns, it will become clearer the only solution is to cancel the season.

I think people underestimate just how much planning and coordination goes into a season. Sure they can cobble something together to get 9 games played in May or June behind closed doors. But if it goes on longer than that I don’t think there’s a scenario where the league just waits for normality to return, plays out 9 games then a few weeks later starts a new season up with a few tweaks to the calendar. Sponsors have to be lined up, contracts have to be in place, insurance, in some cases physical venues need to be booked (Olympic stadium for example), the support services such as police need to flex resources for it.

Unless the pandemic clears up in the next few weeks to the point that people are certain we will have football in summer and can therefore start next season in a delayed fashion then it’s probably too late to start organising it based on an unknown resume date. It wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a cut off date where they say sorry but we have to put plans in place for next season and hope we can keep to them rather than front loading these games. The only other option I can see is to plan next season then if they do want to play the remaining games of this one in September or whatever is to to then try and horse trade around the calendar which wouldn’t be a problem if they hadn’t packed it so full already and you didn’t have corporations like UEFA, the FA, FIFA who won’t want to cancel any fixtures next season in an attempt to claw back as much revenue as they can.

 

[Brisan123]

Well they are evidence. It's not an absence of evidence Sky have paid record fees for a season that begins in August and ends in May. The absence of evidence is to suggest that if you moved it, they would be happy to pay the same figures. They might do, but there's no evidence for it, it's a theory.

I don't think the sole reason, or even the main reason for the leagues that have the best commercial revenues operating to the schedule we have is because of said schedule, but it's clearly a factor. It's not just that they are much much bigger, but they continue to grow larger as well. It's not that even the Swedish league has been closing the gap.

As for broadcasters, all my point is, is if they are going to kick up a fuss about having to cancel a season due to an uncontrolled event, they are also likely to kick up a fuss about not being able to televise the games when they should do. If you have any experience of managing contracts, you will know that as soon as you veer off the contract you are in potential trouble. If my company provides an identical service, on a different day to the one we agreed, I anticipate some customers will complain.

As a final point, I do think you under estimate the global nature of the game. For most fans in England, sure the die hards keep going. The reality is, for TV exposure though, in markets such as America, where football is very much not the primary sport but has done very well to work its way up, changing the schedule is at the very least a very big risk. Nobody is voluntarily suggesting to do this, because we all know it's a bad idea.

As you rightly say though, we have a a hobson choice here. There are 2 bad options. We agree on that. What the point is, is you can't start trying to make out one option is actually not a bad option. I have given you multiple examples now (maybe as many as 10 different things) as to why changing the season dates wouldn't work. I've yet to see a single shred of evidence you have presented that states disrupting multiple seasons would be of benefit. If your view is, it's not damaging and a positive, show some evidence for that. Show me a football league that operates to the schedule you are proposing that performs in any way comparatively to the current PL. It doesn't exist.

And I mean, damaging seasons is really the tip of the ice berg in terms of problems. For that reason, the lesser evil is very much to cancel and void if it can't be completed.

@catcherintherye
Have you not got a big lump on your forehead from banging your head against a brick wall
The best you can hope for is that they push the wall over
After all they have got previous in that regard

 

[Brisan123]

I doubt there is a single poster in this thread who disagrees with you

I can think of two

 

[Brisan123]

depends on where it lands and if it was a tuesday / wednesday night. Weekend would probably be grand

With a bit of luck it would land on that cesspit across the park

 

[Brisan123]

BUT BUT BUT WAIT.....

i really really want your likes

You must do seeing as how you asked twice

 

[Brisan123]

Maybe you’re right, but there has been talk of Juve being given the title, and talk of them rejecting it.

Surely our not so loveable neighbours would do the same
How can any club with even an ounce of respectability and compassion accept a title in such circumstances
Surely every clubs fans would insist that their club reject such a tainted trophy

 

[Brisan123]

You actually think they’d be able to crow about getting handed a title out of sympathy after an unfinished season? Let’s get real here, they’re winning another title at some point in the future, so this is the sort of way I want them to get the first.

Not too sure about them winning a title any time soon
FSG are going to get financially devastated by the stock market and may have a fire sale of scum players to bolster their American franchises

 

[Brisan123]

Your issue is though, neither were really moved for the PL, particularly the Olympics. The Olympics will not be moving again to help the PL out.

But surely the IOC will be sympathetic when they are informed that
THIS MEANS MORE

 

[bcblue1878]

I can only assume judging by the posts in here that kieran is still hanging around

The ignore button can be a wonderful thing !

 

[catcherintherye]

But surely the IOC will be sympathetic when they are informed that
THIS MEANS MORE

I don't think I've ever heard anything so stupid, as to think the Olympics is going to move again, just to accommodate a PL football season's changes (of which I suspect most of it's teams won't even want) for a 2nd time, at huge financial cost. It's the epitome of confirmation bias.

 

[catcherintherye]

@catcherintherye
Have you not got a big lump on your forehead from banging your head against a brick wall
The best you can hope for is that they push the wall over
After all they have got previous in that regard

It's a bit frustrating, but you try to engage with the intellectual substance of the debate. The difficulty comes though, as there seems to be in inability to separate what they want, with what is objectively the reality. For example, he seems to think things are not good evidence, so they don't count as evidence at all. I mean I think some of the issues raised are not, subjectively good evidence, but they are still pieces of evidence. You end up going round in circles.

 

[orly]

I’ve just had an email that an apartment I had booked for the 19/20 June in town (quest) with me and my mrs it’s been cancelled and states why.

this season isn’t resuming whatsoever

It clearly is as UEFA et al. have all said so