Football and the Coronavirus

Journey · 22 Mar 2020 at 19:35

I could manage if Football (leagues as they stand) never ever came back, zero issues.

I prefer watching winter Olympic curling than which team that can spend the most money possible, and pay the stupidest wages, represent clubs name 'Tralj Utd' when none of the players have ever heard of Tralj the town or place or have even even been there (let alone grew up there), before being signed up to play for them and then over charge normal punters to pay the wages, and related nonsense.

Bring back the actual game of people from xxxx City vs yyyy Utd and I might give a crap.

BaZ87 · 22 Mar 2020 at 19:37

I'm not sure how it would be tainted rob but clearly this puts the importance of the outcome of those matters into perspective.

edit: and @Journey like it or not, the most likely change we'll see to football as a result of this will only see it go further in the direction that you don't like. It will be a case of only the strongest survive, with lower leagues/sides being hit the hardest and creating an ever widening gap between the top and bottom.

robfosters · 22 Mar 2020 at 19:40

BaZ87 said:
I'm not sure how it would be tainted rob but clearly this puts the importance of the outcome of those matters into perspective.

edit: and @Journey like it or not, the most likely change we'll see to football as a result of this will only see it go further in the direction that you don't like. It will be a case of only the strongest survive, with lower leagues/sides being hit the hardest and creating an ever widening gap between the top and bottom.

Yeah, that’s what I meant really, you just worded it better than me.

as to your other point, I pray this doesn’t become a bloodbath for lower league clubs.

BaZ87 · 22 Mar 2020 at 19:54

Even best case scenarios will massively hit lower league sides now. At best the season gets finished (entirely or mostly) behind closed doors in which case the PL can step in and provide some funding for lower league sides but this almost certainly wouldn't be enough to see everybody through. Worst case the season doesn't get completed and the PL cannot or won't provide that funding. Broadcast revenue accounts for between 70% and 90% of total revenue for all but 6 PL sides, with at least half the League generating less than £50m excess cash per season after the general running costs of running a football club (this is before transfer activity). Failure to finish this season will cost each PL club an average of around £50m. To all but a handful of PL clubs this would be a massive hit and in some cases, Bournemouth for example, they'd likely need outside funding just to survive themselves meaning there's little prospect of the PL bailing out lower league clubs.

Robbo · 22 Mar 2020 at 20:06

I think the prospect of trying to finish the league in June is fanciful at this stage. Of course it's not a priority anyway, but this public health emergency is going to get significantly worse before it gets better. The government is going to have to step in and keep various clubs going or they'll cease to be.

I thought of you earlier Rob when they mentioned the letters, this must be a particularly worrying time, all the best.

robfosters · 22 Mar 2020 at 20:10

Robbo said:
I think the prospect of trying to finish the league in June is fanciful at this stage. Of course it's not a priority anyway, but this public health emergency is going to get significantly worse before it gets better. The government is going to have to step in and keep various clubs going or they'll cease to be.

I thought of you earlier Rob when they mentioned the letters, this must be a particularly worrying time, all the best.

Thank you. Yes, very worrying times, but all I can do is stick myself away, hope for the best, and to escape this terrible disease.

Alex h · 22 Mar 2020 at 20:18

robfosters said:
Thank you. Yes, very worrying times, but all I can do is stick myself away, hope for the best, and to escape this terrible disease.

Good luck rob stay safe mate

BaZ87 · 22 Mar 2020 at 20:23

Robbo said:
The government is going to have to step in and keep various clubs going or they'll cease to be.

I'm not sure what the government can do over and above what they're doing for all businesses. I can't imagine it would be a popular decision to bail out football clubs when other businesses are going under. The pressure will be on the PL to do its part and it's by no means certain that they will if they're hit hard themselves which is why we're hearing that the PL want to do all that's possible to find a way to get it done - the Athletic reporting that Ed Woodward spoke at the PL meeting and said that the season must be finished, even if it went on until October.

Andybtsn · 22 Mar 2020 at 20:25

Yeah there is no way they will start a new season. This will just keep being postponed until it’s safe to play again, if that’s 2021 so be it!

The_One · 22 Mar 2020 at 21:21

This season will end up null and void

Andybtsn · 22 Mar 2020 at 21:24

The_One said:
This season will end up null and void

Not a chance but I'm sure you're doing it in an aim to wind up those who are doing well

BaZ87 · 22 Mar 2020 at 21:29

He is, you only have to look at his previous posts including posting misleading headlines and clickbait articles. A bit of banter is fine but lets try to keep this thread semi serious.

jonneymendoza · 23 Mar 2020 at 07:14

robfosters said:
Thank you. Yes, very worrying times, but all I can do is stick myself away, hope for the best, and to escape this terrible disease.

why whats wrong mate? do you have a pre existing condition?

Kenai · 23 Mar 2020 at 08:10

Southampton's CEO has hinted that the Government may encourage restart of football sooner rather than later in order to have some TV entertainment for people stuck at home.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51990101

Southampton's chief executive has suggested Premier League matches could be on television every day while people are still confined to their homes because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Martin Semmens says the return of the top flight - currently suspended until at least 30 April - would be "a sign that the country is coming back to normal" but it should not happen before it is safe.

"We have to do what is right and safe for the general public," he told BBC Radio Solent.

"When everybody is safe and we're not using up NHS and police resources, the government would like us to get back to playing because we are entertainment and a sign that the country is coming back to normal.

"If people are home for another month and Premier League football is on the TV every day that can only be a good thing. Not because we are more essential than the NHS but because we can give people entertainment and show that we're fighting back."

Semmens said teams are hopeful of completing the league by the end of June but did not yet know when play would resume.

Some players will be out of contract on 30 June, but Semmens believes players could be convinced to stay for longer should play continue beyond that point.

"We hope to get the league done by the end of June," Semmens added. "As soon as you go past that date, there are legal challenges.

"If we ended up playing until 15 July and you had to extend a player's contract by two weeks, convincing a player to play two more weeks of football and get paid nicely to do it - I don't believe that will be a substantial challenge.

"The challenge is making sure we don't have a knock-on effect to other seasons and make football compromised for years to come."

BaZ87 · 23 Mar 2020 at 10:26

If and when they've got on top of the spread and testing is readily available you could, in theory at least, bring squad's together into an isolated environment for 6 week period and hammer the games out every few days. Being behind closed doors there would be limited numbers of people at each game, you could test everybody on arrival at the stadium - maybe that would enable games to be played sooner than we think? Obviously I'm not sure how practical it would be to keep entire squads and backroom staff in isolation from their families for 6-8 weeks, not to mention officials, small teams of stadium workers and broadcasting staff.

rebel rebel · 23 Mar 2020 at 12:52

robfosters said:
I’ll get the letter, and maybe it will be good if it comes back, that remains to be seen, but I genuinely don’t really care about trophies, European places, promotions or relegations any more. Whatever happens, it’s all been tainted by this horrific global crisis.

I feel exactly the same. Also expecting a letter tomorrow, although I'll still have to go dialysis 3 times a week.

I know 5 people that have had transplants this year. They're are all petrified because of their lack of immune systems.

Lord-Jaffa · 24 Mar 2020 at 22:36

Should just hand the title to man city and draw a line under this season. All the simulations in the world can't show Liverpools unique ability to throw it all away as has been the case so often in recent seasons. Stands to reason they would do the same this year, the cracks were already opening.

jonneymendoza · 24 Mar 2020 at 22:56

Lord-Jaffa said:
Should just hand the title to man city and draw a line under this season. All the simulations in the world can't show Liverpools unique ability to throw it all away as has been the case so often in recent seasons. Stands to reason they would do the same this year, the cracks were already opening.

Liverpool hasn't looked convincing since Dec imo

Yas786 · 25 Mar 2020 at 10:19

robfosters said:
Thank you. Yes, very worrying times, but all I can do is stick myself away, hope for the best, and to escape this terrible disease.

Look after yourself bud, was thinking about you and your condition when this all kicked off.
Stay safe please

.

omnomnom · 25 Mar 2020 at 10:21

jonneymendoza said:
Liverpool hasn't looked convincing since Dec imo

Im assuming youre being sarcastic here.