Premier Football to restart?

[Lighthouse]

Are you perpetually livid at all the other thousands of unfair deaths that happen around the world on a daily basis?

 

This lockdown has made people mental.

 

If one happened to someone I love, then yes I would.

 

Clearly we have a different definition of mental. I sort of value lives a bit higher than a game of football.

 

That’s a bullsh!t reason, there are many jobs of ordinary people that rely on professional sport.

 

Yes and if the PL clubs make a few cut backs, like say, for example; not spending ONE BILLION POUNDS on transfer fees this summer, they will all be able to keep their jobs ready for next season.

[Lighthouse]

Earlier up this thread you were complaining about other people making "false equivalences" and getting jolly upset.

 

But yeah, well done on a really good point about, er, a Polo tournament at Eton.

 

I think we all get it. You're absolutely hysterical.

 

You know it's such a shame Fry. You clearly have the brain to engage in a well reasoned debate but as soon as you're presented with an argument you disagree with, it's straight in with the patronising insults and sarcasm.

 

The fairly obvious point was that a large number of people don't care at all about football. In other words, how would you feel about these risks being taken for a sport you don't give a sh*t about. Never mind. I'm done, have a lovely day.

[CB Fry]

You know it's such a shame Fry. You clearly have the brain to engage in a well reasoned debate but as soon as you're presented with an argument you disagree with, it's straight in with the patronising insults and sarcasm.

 

The fairly obvious point was that a large number of people don't care at all about football. In other words, how would you feel about these risks being taken for a sport you don't give a sh*t about. Never mind. I'm done, have a lovely day.

 

But the only person showing an emotional reaction is you.

 

I don't think football is going to restart because I "give a sh it" about football, its because it would be an appropriate thing to do in the correct stage of a reduction of lockdown. Personally I I don't give a sh it about hairdressers.

 

You are the only person making emotional, personal subjective judgements about who is allowed to be responsible for Covid deaths: someone connected to one of the 40,000 hairdressers fine, someone connected to professional sport not fine. Clear.

 

But you realise that the opposite it also true in the boundaries you have drawn up. Single parent hairdresser has your permission to work to put food their table but the children of local journalist in Newcastle writing about Newcastle United, or a social media exec working for Burnley can fu ck off and starve.

 

Clear.

[Baird of the land]

The latest BBC headline that some clubs would be more open to neutral venues if relegation was removed..

If there's not going to be relegation the restart would be even more of a joke notion.

[Window Cleaner]

The latest BBC headline that some clubs would be more open to neutral venues if relegation was removed..

If there's not going to be relegation the restart would be even more of a joke notion.

 

Oh I think there'll still be relegation alright, I mean the PL will want Leeds and even West Brom back in the top flight rather than say Norwich or Bournemouth. Unless there's a 22 team PL next season and say no League Cup or something.

[skintsaint]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/perth-suggested-as-epl-base-as-clubs-air-doubts-about-neutral-venues-20200503-p54pbg.html

 

April 1st today?

[Lighthouse]

But the only person showing an emotional reaction is you.

 

I don't think football is going to restart because I "give a sh it" about football, its because it would be an appropriate thing to do in the correct stage of a reduction of lockdown. Personally I I don't give a sh it about hairdressers.

 

You are the only person making emotional, personal subjective judgements about who is allowed to be responsible for Covid deaths: someone connected to one of the 40,000 hairdressers fine, someone connected to professional sport not fine. Clear.

 

But you realise that the opposite it also true in the boundaries you have drawn up. Single parent hairdresser has your permission to work to put food their table but the children of local journalist in Newcastle writing about Newcastle United, or a social media exec working for Burnley can fu ck off and starve.

 

Clear.

 

Any emotion is inferred purely by yourself, all I have done is put forward a rational argument based on my beliefs. If you like to believe you've wound me up with your superior intellect that I'm now sat at home crying hysterically then carry on.

 

I don't care about hairdressers as such. I'm going bald, I give it the #1 all over in my bathroom mirror anyway. You mentioned them as an example, I empathise with how tough their situation is. If I was being selfish then yes, f**k the hairdressers - I wanna watch football. Seriously, if it's all about me put some games on tomorrow and close all the hairdressers forever, I don't need them. It's not about me though, it's about what I think is right.

 

A local journalist can be reassigned onto other projects if needs be. F**k knows there's enough news going around, we're not short of stories to report on. We're not even short of sports news either, the transfer window is about to kick in and it'll be chaos. Nobody knows what's going to happen, when the season will start, what transfer fees and wages are going to look like.

 

Anyway, this time I am actually done. Ciao.

[Window Cleaner]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/perth-suggested-as-epl-base-as-clubs-air-doubts-about-neutral-venues-20200503-p54pbg.html

 

April 1st today?

 

 

Wouldn't be much different for the players than a World Cup campaign really, a month living and playing elsewhere. But as no foreigners (or at least non-resident foreigners) are permitted to enter Oz at the moment it's probably a non-starter. They've almost wiped out Covid 19 there and certainly won't be keen on it starting up again.

[skintsaint]

Wouldn't be much different for the players than a World Cup campaign really, a month living and playing elsewhere. But as no foreigners (or at least non-resident foreigners) are permitted to enter Oz at the moment it's probably a non-starter. They've almost wiped out Covid 19 there and certainly won't be keen on it starting up again.

 

Yep 14 days quarantine straight away landing here and have to be aus residents anyway. Not sure how this has made the news tbh.

[bpsaint]

The latest BBC headline that some clubs would be more open to neutral venues if relegation was removed..

If there's not going to be relegation the restart would be even more of a joke notion.

 

These suggestions get sillier by the day.

 

How much effort would they expect players in the bottom 6-8 teams actually put in if they don’t have to worry about getting relegated - the top 6 however will all be jostling for Euro places though so they’ll be trying their damned hardest still, makes all this talk of trying to maintain integrity a complete joke.

[Lord Duckhunter]

1. It's not okay, it is necessary. The country would literally cease to function if the motorway speed limit was 20mph. It's a stupid straw man and I'm not willing to discuss it further.

 

 

What, and you think the Country is function now?

 

 

The country will have to accept deaths to start function again, just as it accepts deaths to keep it moving. It’s no more abhorrent that football is played again than hairdressers or coffee shops reopening. Nobody will blame some bird giving blow drys or serving coffee if the numbers spike, why should footballers be different.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CB Fry]

Any emotion is inferred purely by yourself, all I have done is put forward a rational argument based on my beliefs. If you like to believe you've wound me up with your superior intellect that I'm now sat at home crying hysterically then carry on.

 

I don't care about hairdressers as such. I'm going bald, I give it the #1 all over in my bathroom mirror anyway. You mentioned them as an example, I empathise with how tough their situation is. If I was being selfish then yes, f**k the hairdressers - I wanna watch football. Seriously, if it's all about me put some games on tomorrow and close all the hairdressers forever, I don't need them. It's not about me though, it's about what I think is right.

 

A local journalist can be reassigned onto other projects if needs be. F**k knows there's enough news going around, we're not short of stories to report on. We're not even short of sports news either, the transfer window is about to kick in and it'll be chaos. Nobody knows what's going to happen, when the season will start, what transfer fees and wages are going to look like.

 

Anyway, this time I am actually done. Ciao.

Just to recap, you described a few behind closed doors football matches as "the most high risk activity you can think of" in the context of this crisis and then said you were fine with 40,000 hairdressers opening up serving millions of people in villages towns and cities all over the country.

 

You don't understand anything about what is happening. Don't worry about it.

[stknowle]

What, and you think the Country is function now?

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The return of Bearsy?

[Dark Munster]

So Brighton are objecting to remaining matches being held at neutral venues, because they would lose home advantage against the likes of Liverpool. If the league is to be played out, it would be behind closed doors anyway. So who gives a **** if the matches aren't at home?

 

And restarting only if there's no relegation would be joke. If that would be the case virtually every player would do a Vestergaard, keeping social distance for the entire match.

[SaintBobby]

Scrapping relegation would be ridiculous. Might as well just arrnage a handful of play-off matches to resolve the Euro slots somehow.

 

I guess a compromise might be to reduce relegation to two slots rather than three (and have one extra team in the top flight next year)?

[MarkSFC]

The idea of having no relegation is ridiculous. Those advocating for that are obviously those at risk, and as per usual its all about the money to them as opposed to sporting integrity. My admittedly very simplistic viewpoint is either scrap the whole lot and start again - definitely not what I would like to happen or think should do - or complete the season in anyway possible over however long it takes.

 

Of course there then comes the issues with contracts. I think what the governing bodies and players need to agree is that because there has been this pause in their work (ignore any argument about theyve still been "working" by training at home nonesense) that when football starts again in each country, then everyones contracts (where neccesary) are automatically extended by the time frame where there has been no football or until the seaosn in their country ends (whichever is sooner).

 

From the point the season actually ends the transfer window is open and extended beyond whatever original closing date was planeed by the time "lost" from the date it was due to open until the date the season restarts to finish.

 

Then once timescales are known about restart and then probable finish of this season, decisions can be made for the 2020/21 season and what happens. I doubt much would need to change other than probably a few more midweek games or dropping the League Cup for one year whichseems to be the least worst option.

 

Seems straight forward to me....but bound to have missed something!!!

[skintsaint]

Shorter halves now been mentioned....lol joke really. Although means we might not concede as many goals in the last minutes of each half..

[Shroppie]

More and more artificial ideas are being thrown out in a desperate attempt to artificially "finish" the season, each of which undermines the integrity of the game and the PL.

 

All to preserve integrity? Make that preserve income for the elite.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[bangkoksaint]

Football and footballers at PL level appear to be wanting to have their cake and eat it. This is personified by Gordon Taylor with his demands and the suggestions he has been making. There are people losing their lives and businesses going to the wall but they appear to not get it. It’s a real crossroads for the PL and if they’re not careful they’ll lose a percentage of the supporter base. I know some on here aren’t lovers of TalkSPORT but this morning on the Jim White show some real sense was spoken by Simon Jordan.

[SW5 SAINT]

Shorter halves now been mentioned....lol joke really. Although means we might not concede as many goals in the last minutes of each half..

 

Lol, it’s no longer the same competition. It now seems like a complete change of the rules half way through. Void the competition and hopefully start again when safe to do so.....

[aintforever]

So Brighton are objecting to remaining matches being held at neutral venues, because they would lose home advantage against the likes of Liverpool. If the league is to be played out, it would be behind closed doors anyway. So who gives a **** if the matches aren't at home?

 

And restarting only if there's no relegation would be joke. If that would be the case virtually every player would do a Vestergaard, keeping social distance for the entire match.

 

Agree. You get the impression West Ham and Brighton amusing the virus as a relegation get out of jail card. Will probably ruin it for everyone as I expect it won't go ahead unless all clubs agree.

[Dellman]

The seasson has become null and void and the sooner this is admitted the better. So sorry for Liverpool and Leeds haha

[East Kent Saint]

Legally it has been said that if the season is abandoned due to the Corona virus then the players contracts can be declared void . That would free up the clubs to stay afloat rather than furlough , lay off everyone but players. They couldn't claim the cash for the remainder of their fixed contracts as the contract is null and void , a bit of realisim would be introduced to the football business .

[Shroppie]

Legally it has been said that if the season is abandoned due to the Corona virus then the players contracts can be declared void . That would free up the clubs to stay afloat rather than furlough , lay off everyone but players. They couldn't claim the cash for the remainder of their fixed contracts as the contract is null and void , a bit of realisim would be introduced to the football business .

Would that make all players free agents available with no transfer fees?

 

That might upset agents.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[Window Cleaner]

Legally it has been said that if the season is abandoned due to the Corona virus then the players contracts can be declared void . That would free up the clubs to stay afloat rather than furlough , lay off everyone but players. They couldn't claim the cash for the remainder of their fixed contracts as the contract is null and void , a bit of realisim would be introduced to the football business .

 

On what basis would that be then ? A fixed term contract is fixed term unless there's some sort of stipulation for lack of competitve football in it.

[Matthew Le God]

Legally it has been said that if the season is abandoned due to the Corona virus then the players contracts can be declared void . That would free up the clubs to stay afloat rather than furlough , lay off everyone but players. They couldn't claim the cash for the remainder of their fixed contracts as the contract is null and void , a bit of realisim would be introduced to the football business .

 

Said where? On what grounds does it make them void?

[East Kent Saint]

Only by Mark Palios in the Guardian . He says " I believe there is very strong arguement that the exceptional circumstances of a pandemic and prohibition on all football activities mean players contracts have been frustrated in law . If this is correct , they are void and the clubs don't have to honour them . "

[Window Cleaner]

Only by Mark Palios in the Guardian . He says " I believe there is very strong arguement that the exceptional circumstances of a pandemic and prohibition on all football activities mean players contracts have been frustrated in law . If this is correct , they are void and the clubs don't have to honour them . "

 

I've seen this article. Seems to be referring to EFL clubs more than anything else. Also seems to say that it's what he believes without any sort of justification as why that would be so. Also says that the problem isn't being adressed at all.

 

Anyway here's the article.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/05/player-wages-and-contracts-will-bankrupt-efl-clubs-its-time-for-the-pfa-to-act

[waylander]

I think the whole thing is f##ked. There is no consensus over moving forward. It is all going to dissolve in a blizzard of lawsuits and a lot of clubs are going to go out of business. Some PL clubs included.

[Matthew Le God]

I think the whole thing is f##ked. There is no consensus over moving forward. It is all going to dissolve in a blizzard of lawsuits and a lot of clubs are going to go out of business. Some PL clubs included.

 

How have you come to that conclusion?

[aintforever]

How have you come to that conclusion?

 

Until there is a vaccine the whole industry is ****ed.

[waylander]

How have you come to that conclusion?

 

Liabilities to sponsors, advertisers, broadcasters, players and agents will all have to be met. If there is no resumption they will sue for breach of contract and will win.

[Matthew Le God]

Liabilities to sponsors, advertisers, broadcasters, players and agents will all have to be met. If there is no resumption they will sue for breach of contract and will win.

 

It is not in their interests for football clubs to fold. If football clubs fold, they don't get their money.

[so22saint]

It is not in their interests for football clubs to fold. If football clubs fold, they don't get their money.

 

The lawyers won't care though, they'll still get paid - see every business that gets taken down by HMRC for non tax payment. Not that it might matter in football if Portsmyth Football Club 2016 (but really we won the league, honest) is anything to go by

[MarkSFC]

I think the whole thing is f##ked. There is no consensus over moving forward. It is all going to dissolve in a blizzard of lawsuits and a lot of clubs are going to go out of business. Some PL clubs included.

 

How have you come to that conclusion?

 

Its not difficult to concude ffs....ALL business regardless of level of tunrnover requires "cash flow" to operate. Football and other sports will very likely be the last business to get back to normality with no limit on customer attendance, hence they are very much at risk of administration / bankruptcy. It doesnt matter whether they have hughe assets, loads of creditors on the balance sheet, without the cash to pay the weekly bills you are fooked.

[Window Cleaner]

Its not difficult to concude ffs....ALL business regardless of level of tunrnover requires "cash flow" to operate. Football and other sports will very likely be the last business to get back to normality with no limit on customer attendance, hence they are very much at risk of administration / bankruptcy. It doesnt matter whether they have hughe assets, loads of creditors on the balance sheet, without the cash to pay the weekly bills you are fooked.

 

Which is the basic problem of football (other sports as well perhaps). The main body of the salary mass is the player's pay. It's on fixed term contracts and you can't just offload them when the going is rough. Look at the airlines, Rolls Royce etc, they're actually laying people off, not furloughing, just simply reducing staff numbers. EFL clubs will never make up the loss, their last games will never be played and apart from hand-outs from the FA, the EFL and the odd dob of TV money they'll have very little revenue until they can start selling tickets again. Now the French Football League have realised this and taken out a loan to help the clubs along until they start playing again.

[whelk]

Until there is a vaccine the whole industry is ****ed.

 

Rubbish we’ll have the app!

[Window Cleaner]

Rubbish we’ll have the app!

 

And maybe one of the treatments you read about every day might even work on a large scale. Today's it's llama serum and some drug that they give to nutters for schizophrenia.

[Weston Saint]

Premier league is back in June. I am told from someone (I wont say where he works or what he does but has contact with Spurs, City, Wolves, Newcastle, to name a few) to organise for 8 weeks event starting mid May.

 

All premier league teams will play their remaining games at St Georges Park behind closed doors and for TV only. The complex will host 2/3 games a day that will be streamed live.

 

The players will go into isolation mid May at select hotels in the vicinity of St Georges and will train at local clubs grounds. They will not be able to see family and friends during the period of games. Each player will be tested regulary to ensure safety and hotels will be locked down for players only.

 

Could be a hoax but seems plausible. I do not know the above informant personally.

 

Well that proved to be crap. Sky have said St Georges Park is not being considered. The original lead was from someone who works for a sport travel agency that manages logistics for some top teams (spurs, city, wolves, newcastle, rangers to name a few). The company has been tasked to arrange hotels and travel for 8 weeks starting mid may. Still set up a good discussion thread

[bangkoksaint]

We now have the most deaths in the world bar the USA. Football is not coming back anytime soon

[Window Cleaner]

We now have the most deaths in the world bar the USA. Football is not coming back anytime soon

 

 

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possiibiity of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

Edited 5 May, 2020 by Window Cleaner

[Whitey Grandad]

Said where? On what grounds does it make them void?

 

Force majeure

[ooh it's a corner]

In amongst all this mayhem, I wonder how many fans will simply "fall out of the habit" of going to football.

 

It has been made a middle-class sport and the absence of football may make the heart grow fonder or it may fall out of sight and out of mind.

 

I would love to crack a beer and watch a game on the telly tonight, but the thought of heading to St Marys tonight wouldn't fill me with the same enthusiasm.

[Noodles34]

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possiibiity of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

 

I’m finding that your average fan is not desperate for it at all. In fact the general census of opinion seems that most want the season capped as void.

[Noodles34]

In amongst all this mayhem, I wonder how many fans will simply "fall out of the habit" of going to football.

 

It has been made a middle-class sport and the absence of football may make the heart grow fonder or it may fall out of sight and out of mind.

 

I would love to crack a beer and watch a game on the telly tonight, but the thought of heading to St Marys tonight wouldn't fill me with the same enthusiasm.

 

thats a good point that I have been thinking about.

A lot of casual fans and some very supportive ones will realise that it’s not their game anymore and they can do without it. Let’s face it, the PL clubs and players have hardly covered themselves with glory, furloughing staff using tax payers money whilst paying average payers 70k a week, no pay cuts or simply deferring wages. Think a lot of people are rightly ****ed off with football and won’t be coming back or even renewing their sky sports subscriptions.

We were all wondering when the bubble was going to burst, think this virus has possibly ripped open hat bubble good and proper.

[Lighthouse]

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possibility of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

 

The average Brit doesn't watch PL football at all. The highest ever viewership for a PL game was just over four million for the Manchester derby in 2012.

[Shroppie]

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possiibiity of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

That's not true at all. There's an inevitability that after this desperation of trying to manipulate ridiculous scenarios to get matches started again, the season will be abandoned. Every other option is too artificial, too dangerous and destroys the integrity of the leagues.

 

I simply don't believe the average fan gives a toss about Project Restart: I certainly don't and think it's stupid. Much better to abandon then start again when we can.

 

But, of course, the only factor that is driving this is money. There's real panic that the cash cow could dry up.

 

Below the PL, there's a growing hope that this episode will cause the collapse of the hugely biased current funding and I agree.

 

This is going to go one of two ways. Either a complete breakaway of the "elite", maybe into a Euro league but more likely a protected smaller PL with no relegation or promotion. Or a rational reassessment and redistribution of money across the leagues to sustain football as a whole. But I doubt that as there's far too much greed around.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

[stknowle]

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possiibiity of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

 

I'm not sure your average Brit is desperate to see sterile behind-closed-doors football tbh. I'm not even sure your average Brit football fan is. As for playing it out abroad - just fecking ludicrous.

[stknowle]

That's not true at all. There's an inevitability that after this desperation of trying to manipulate ridiculous scenarios to get matches started again, the season will be abandoned. Every other option is too artificial, too dangerous and destroys the integrity of the leagues.

 

I simply don't believe the average fan gives a toss about Project Restart: I certainly don't and think it's stupid. Much better to abandon then start again when we can.

 

But, of course, the only factor that is driving this is money. There's real panic that the cash cow could dry up.

 

Below the PL, there's a growing hope that this episode will cause the collapse of the hugely biased current funding and I agree.

 

This is going to go one of two ways. Either a complete breakaway of the "elite", maybe into a Euro league but more likely a protected smaller PL with no relegation or promotion. Or a rational reassessment and redistribution of money across the leagues to sustain football as a whole. But I doubt that as there's far too much greed around.

 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

 

If that happens I am officially done with it and will not pay to watch it. I don't think it will and even if it does we won't be in it. The Euro League is more likely imho and I say bring it on. Would love to be competing in a league without the big six. It would still be entertaining, would be more competitive and we might even actually end up winning something.

[Nordic Saint]

Who knows, your average Brit is desperate for it and the government may well cave in. We'll see when they start testing players and finding cases as in Germany. Best thing would probably be to move it abroad somewhere and eliminate any possiibiity of fans hanging around grounds. Now Poland, that would be a good sort of place for it.

 

It's the government that's driving it as they see it as a positive propaganda exercise, which is why it's probably going to happen whether we like it or not.

 

"The Premier League has been encouraged by government to do all that it can to try and get the season completed, and feels duty-bound to do so." BBC News

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52500593