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Premier Football to restart?

Weston Saint

By Weston Saint,
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Patrick Bateman

Patrick Bateman

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Posted
Stopped going last year and you very quickly realise that the vast majority of people really dont give a rats arse about football. When you go and you're in and out of pubs, meeting mates and travelling to games it seems football is a big thing but it really isn't.

 

Agree with you mate, totally - it's about meeting up and having a laugh, the football now is a very expensive and annoying side show. Don't miss football.

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

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Agree with you mate, totally - it's about meeting up and having a laugh, the football now is a very expensive and annoying side show. Don't miss football.

 

I remember under Adkins I used to drive for two hours plus, just to go to games on my own - both home and away as I was living in Bristol at the time.

 

These days I live in Southampton and I won’t go to a game unless my mates are all in the pub by noon at the latest and even then I don’t bother 75% of the time because of the hilarious ticket prices and appealing football.

 

Of all the things I honestly feel I’m missing right now, watching Saints isn’t one of them.

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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It's a fair point, but the finances available in football also allow them to pay substantial money to mitigate and lower the risks.

 

I'm imagining the details, but you could see the circumstances/legal requirements being as follows:

 

1. All those not practising social distancing must have been tested (at full market rate) three times in the previous fortnight - only those testing continually negative can play.

2. All those involved on "the fieled of play" must be aged under 40.

3. All those involved must be tested twice in the week after the match (at full market rate)

4. Any individual or group wishing to run an event or match represents a potential drain on NHS resources, to this end the organisers of the event must pay to secure a licence, the cost of which is £50,000 per event/match and earmarked directly for the NHS budget.

 

These rules could apply to anyone seeking special exemption, but I imagine it's unlikely that you would seek to clear these hurdles to play a small music venue or arrange a family BBQ. If you do, that's fine though. Football could, of course, easily meet the costs of complying.

Sorry, but I find this ridiculous. Anyone who thinks football is so important it justifies special treatment and risk-taking simply has lost all sense of proportion.

 

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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Whether its a hoax or not its the only way i can see it happening anytime relatively soon and it makes sense that all players and club staff are isolated.

 

The question is - Is football really worth all this ?

And the answer is no.

 

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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Premier League clubs set for summit with health v money top of agenda

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/30/premier-league-clubs-meet-medicine-v-money-top-agenda?

 

An interesting summary of the position of the Premier League.

This sums it up nicely. If it weren't for the money, no-one would even be thinking of getting the season finished.

 

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SFC Forever

SFC Forever

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I don't think we will be able to see much change in life by September. I really do fear that we have seen the best of football for a very long time. A lot of high profile clubs are going to suffer as they have contracted long term players at extortionate cost with no income. Plus I see lower level clubs having to let players go to ease their burden and some will go under.

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

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I don't think we will be able to see much change in life by September. I really do fear that we have seen the best of football for a very long time. A lot of high profile clubs are going to suffer as they have contracted long term players at extortionate cost with no income. Plus I see lower level clubs having to let players go to ease their burden and some will go under.

 

Why? The talent is still out there and they will be back playing before too long. What may well change is that clubs will stop offering utterly obscene amounts of money for mediocre players. It will probably transpire that nobody is willing or able to offer the likes of Charlie Austin £60kpw to waddle around the pitch, scoring five goals a season.

 

Before all of this agent for players like Hojbjerg would be phoning up Spurs and Everton saying, "he’s Southamptons best player, give him £90kpw." I think if he tried that kind of thing right now, he’d get laughed out if town.

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fanimal

fanimal

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I miss football, of course I do, I love the game thats why I am an out and out Saints fan; but I cannot imagine watching a game at St Marys on my own as thats what behind closed doors effectively means as the love of the game involves us the fans your family and friends, mates, people you see every fortnight but dont know their name or where they come from they are just Saints fans.

What we really need now is certainty not prevarication, games played right now would be like training games no tackles etc no atmosphere no point at all.

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OldNick

OldNick

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No , I am not missing professional football at al and im sure my blood pressure has been lowered due to none being played.

How can a team go to say Manchester to play , there are no hotels to stay at and if a team even go by plane they wont be ready to play the same day.

Its money only driving this.

I think they should stop the season now and give Liverpool the title ( or else we will have 30 years of moaning, never an apology for us missing Europe due to their fans at Heysel) promote the top 2 from each division and have 5 teams relegated from the PL next season. 4 more games played next season. Obviously the same for the leagues below. It would also give Pompey the chance towin the JPT next season as it means a lot to those 50k fans who wanted to go to wembley

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LGTL

LGTL

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It seems fashionable to not miss football on here, a football forum of all places.

 

So I’m going to go against the grain and say I miss it. But this re-start thing is a total farce.

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The Cat

The Cat

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I really miss going to games, seeing mates, having a few drinks etc.

 

This isn't just to do with Saints though. It's all football. Most weekends I'd be watching 3 games whether that be Saints, Sholing or my son playing for Schoolboys and his Tyro team.

 

I just want to be stood next to a football pitch watching a match.

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

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It seems fashionable to not miss football on here, a football forum of all places.

 

So I’m going to go against the grain and say I miss it. But this re-start thing is a total farce.

 

Not fashionable, I think a lot of people were just fed up of the vulgar amounts of money being required to watch such joyless, substandard football. I miss good football certainly but there’s been precious little of that for four years now.

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ringwood

ringwood

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Going to be interesting as tickets have been sold for games and now venues are going to change , that will lead to refunds not vouchers , think a lot of people will be mindful of finances and season tickets won't be a priority so many people will not be returning .

 

The clubs need to think this thru all the way, if clubs are going to get relegated from the Prem without fans there to support or encourage cn you image the fallout, yet the other leagues unable to play how does that work? If the Prem plays then so should ALL the other leagues, lets hope the GovT tell them no way

 

Players uncertain? what about the rest of the club staff ? seen plenty of people who are not convinced lockdown relaxation is the right thing yet

 

Football isnt a Bill Shankly saying , its become just money

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SaintBobby

SaintBobby

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Sorry, but I find this ridiculous. Anyone who thinks football is so important it justifies special treatment and risk-taking simply has lost all sense of proportion.

 

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no special treatment at all is suggested. If you can run football and give a major financial boost to our NHS though, why not do so? I’d apply the same to the hypothetical family BBQs and small music concerts. If these things will cost the NHS £x but raise £5x, then let’s do it.

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whelk

whelk

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Surely not beyond the wit of Adidas, Under Armour of to come up with a lightweight hazmat suit so they can play in them.

Could be a great spin off for the club merchandise as they would fly out the door.

 

Bleach the grass as a double precaution

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bpsaint

bpsaint

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Ex-FA bloke on telly saying St Mary’s might be one of the neutral grounds used,

Not in built up residential area being the criteria

 

I’m probably missing something really obvious here as I’ve just woken up, but if the team buses arrive separately and staff is at a minimum why does it matter where the ground is located? If all the entrances are closed to the public anyway there’s more threat from a supermarket in a built up area than a football ground.

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Whitey Grandad

Whitey Grandad

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I’m probably missing something really obvious here as I’ve just woken up, but if the team buses arrive separately and staff is at a minimum why does it matter where the ground is located? If all the entrances are closed to the public anyway there’s more threat from a supermarket in a built up area than a football ground.

 

Possibly a concern that fans will gather outside?

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Nordic Saint

Nordic Saint

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I’m probably missing something really obvious here as I’ve just woken up, but if the team buses arrive separately and staff is at a minimum why does it matter where the ground is located? If all the entrances are closed to the public anyway there’s more threat from a supermarket in a built up area than a football ground.

 

Because hordes of local kids will see it as a great opportunity to get close to the players. Imagine if it had been at the Dell, for example. Are you telling me that all those people in terraced houses would have stayed indoors when that was going on next door to them?

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Nordic Saint

Nordic Saint

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Perhaps, but it’s not exactly a challenge for fans to get to St Mary’s or any ground for that matter if they wanted to.

 

The police are not going to want to make it too easy though. A small stadium which is not hemmed in by residential areas will make their job a bit easier. Brighton would be an obvious choice.

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CB Fry

CB Fry

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If only we'd built Stoneham we would be in prime position to host a behind closed doors match between Chelsea and Bournemouth. Absolutely sickening that Rupert Lowe did not plan ahead.

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CB Fry

CB Fry

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Guessing there’s no reason Championship grounds can’t be used then if the EFL decide to void. Pride Park, the Madejski and Huddersfield all spring to mind.
Pride Park would be an excellent choice - a ground that would be pretty easy to isolate from any groups of fans as not particularly close to any residential areas.
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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

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Posted (edited)
Pride Park would be an excellent choice - a ground that would be pretty easy to isolate from any groups of fans as not particularly close to any residential areas.

 

If there're no fans it wouldn't even have to be a Championship ground. Places like Colchester and Bolton are literally right off the motorway junction and away from any residential areas.

 

Edit: I still think it's a completely daft idea trying to finish this season.

Edited by Lighthouse
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shurlock

shurlock

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Pride Park would be an excellent choice - a ground that would be pretty easy to isolate from any groups of fans as not particularly close to any residential areas.

 

Yep Pride Park has that depressing feel much like the Britannia Stadium or whatever it’s now called.

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CB Fry

CB Fry

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Yep Pride Park has that depressing feel much like the Britannia Stadium or whatever it’s now called.
Indeed. "Excellent for behind-closed-door matches during a global pandemic" is never the first thing on my list of requirements for a football stadium.

 

But Stoke is also good from a connectivity perspective - you could easily see the North west clubs playing there.

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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no special treatment at all is suggested. If you can run football and give a major financial boost to our NHS though, why not do so? I’d apply the same to the hypothetical family BBQs and small music concerts. If these things will cost the NHS £x but raise £5x, then let’s do it.
Exactly how will the restart of football put money directly in the NHS coffers?

 

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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Guessing there’s no reason Championship grounds can’t be used then if the EFL decide to void. Pride Park, the Madejski and Huddersfield all spring to mind.
They're committed to using VAR, and Championship grounds don't all have it.

 

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CB Fry

CB Fry

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Yep Pride Park has that depressing feel much like the Britannia Stadium or whatever it’s now called.
Indeed. "Excellent for behind-closed-door matches during a global pandemic" is never the first thing on my list of requirements for a football stadium. But the Bet365 stadium could yet have its finest hour.

 

But Stoke is also good from a connectivity perspective - you could easily see the North west clubs playing there.

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Shroppie

Shroppie

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What I find particularly stupid and hypocritical is the repeated claim that this is being done to "maintain the integrity of the league". Rubbish. It's being done in a desperate attempt to keep the TV money flowing in. Nothing else matters.

 

And isn't it obvious that arrangements necessary for resumption - closed doors, maybe face masks but especially playing at neutral grounds - makes the game a pastiche of what it should be and destroys integrity.

 

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bpsaint

bpsaint

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They're committed to using VAR, and Championship grounds don't all have it.

 

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Oh yeah VAR - for a blissful while there I forgot that it existed. Damn you Shroppie :lol:

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whelk

whelk

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What I find particularly stupid and hypocritical is the repeated claim that this is being done to "maintain the integrity of the league". Rubbish. It's being done in a desperate attempt to keep the TV money flowing in. Nothing else matters.

 

And isn't it obvious that arrangements necessary for resumption - closed doors, maybe face masks but especially playing at neutral grounds - makes the game a pastiche of what it should be and destroys integrity.

 

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So what it’s still football to watch.

Scheduled everyday like World Cup. Not perfect but better than fck all

Might even have some optimists on the match thread.

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