Football and the Coronavirus

adam cool dude · 27 Mar 2020 at 17:10

rebel rebel said:
When did the FA Cup lose all its credibility?

It is not its credibility but it leads to nothing. The Europe spot can be given to a place in the league. If the season has to finish in the summer and a new season is say started in late September/October. Removing all domestic cup competitions will make the season easier to finish. Do not forget you will have Euro 2021 as well at the end of it!

You also have a possibility of Coronavirus rearing its head next winter again when all done and dusted over here.

nicktay2605 · 27 Mar 2020 at 17:13

rebel rebel said:
Why promote Leeds and West Brom when all the teams down to 13th have a reasonable chance of reaching the playoffs?

Because first and second are the only guaranteed promotion places and at this rate the playoffs wouldn't happen anyway. I think it's fairer to look at a team's form over 37 matches (28/29 in the case of the PL) than it is to null and void everything and tell teams that you're doing next season based on last year's standings.

BaZ87 said:
On a separate note. Something nobody really talks about is the potential for the virus to rear its head again at some point during 'next season', whenever that might be. Until there's a vaccine there's a very real possibility that this issue is going to be with us (on and off) for over 12 months meaning, hypothetically, we could end this season early and get half way through next season and be back in the same position.

This is a genuine concern. Organisations are just starting clinical testing of several different Coronavirus vaccines, which in itself will take some time, then if they do indeed find a successful one this would take time to mass produce. I think most estimates are 12-24 months for a vaccine, so there's every chance we'll have to deal with Coronavirus popping back up for the foreseeable future.

HangTime said:
One slightly weird thing to come out of this is that I've found that I'm not really missing football that much. Last game I attended was the last-gasp loss to Olympiacos aka Coronavirus love-in :/. Maybe it is just because lots else has changed, not going into the office so not in a position for football chat/banter anyway.

It's the opposite for me, I think not having football there will make me appreciate it more when it does resume. Also, as a United fan football stopping came at a bad time, because it felt like we were getting back on the right track and after a period of not enjoying or looking forward to watching United I was back to being excited about our games.

Ayahuasca · 27 Mar 2020 at 19:28

I can’t say I’ve missed it a great deal either and that’s coming from someone who watches multiple games every weekend and through the week when they’re on.

VAR has had a lot to do with that though, it was making it tedious but it should improve the longer we have it.

Raymond Lin · 28 Mar 2020 at 16:38

We could.....have all the remaining fixtures to be decided by penalty shootouts behind closed doors.

You will comply with the 2m distance rule. You can even do the entire season in 1 single day so it finishes on time before June.

probably won’t happen but it’s one way to conclude the season.

adam cool dude · 28 Mar 2020 at 16:55

Raymond Lin said:
We could.....have all the remaining fixtures to be decided by penalty shootouts behind closed doors.

You will comply with the 2m distance rule. You can even do the entire season in 1 single day so it finishes on time before June.

probably won’t happen but it’s one way to conclude the season.

Norwich City would win all their games if that were the case

Kelt · 28 Mar 2020 at 20:30

If I was a betting man, right now, giving what the UK and the world is going under with this horrible virus, I would have to say I can't see football continuing this season.

More likely leagues will be cancelled this season.

I hope I'm wrong.

Colonel_Klinck · 28 Mar 2020 at 21:41

Season could be lost, says Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52079717

Raymond Lin · 28 Mar 2020 at 22:32

Kelt said:
If I was a betting man, right now, giving what the UK and the world is going under with this horrible virus, I would have to say I can't see football continuing this season.

More likely leagues will be cancelled this season.

I hope I'm wrong.

Penalty shoot out!!!

omnomnom · 29 Mar 2020 at 07:41

As has been said 100 times. Why start a new season if you cant finish this one.

robfosters · 29 Mar 2020 at 10:32

omnomnom said:
As has been said 100 times. Why start a new season if you cant finish this one.

You’ll have to if it goes on too long. If there’s no football by the end of June, seasons over, null and void.

BaZ87 · 29 Mar 2020 at 10:37

robfosters said:
You’ll have to if it goes on too long. If there’s no football by the end of June, seasons over, null and void.

I doubt that. UEFA have already moved from being finished by the end of June to saying start by the end of June to saying possibly delaying the start of next season and playing even later.

They want this season finished as soon as possible and will push for the earliest finish but it's clear that the majority view is to finish this season whenever they can. I'd suggest it's also highly unlikely they'd void the season if they couldn't.

robfosters · 29 Mar 2020 at 10:41

BaZ87 said:
I doubt that. UEFA have already moved from being finished by the end of June to saying to start by the end of June to saying its possible to delaying the start of next season and playing even later.

They want this season finished as soon as possible and will push for the earliest finish but it's clear that the majority view is to finish this season whenever they can. I'd suggest it's also highly unlikely they'd void the season if they couldn't.

The worst option they mooted was starting again in August and then the following season the year after. That would lead to nearly a year without football until August 2021. That would send so many clubs under.

BaZ87 · 29 Mar 2020 at 10:47

robfosters said:
The worst option they mooted was starting again in August and then the following season the year after. That would lead to nearly a year without football until August 2021. That would send so many clubs under.

They haven't given a date for the worst option as far as I'm aware. UEFA initially said end of June completion with a little wiggle room if needed, now the UEFA president has said we need to start playing again by the end of June but again with the caveat of 'but maybe we could delay next season and play later'. Theres no set date because the situation is too fluid, involving too many clubs, leagues, broadcasters and so on. The only thing we know is they will do all that is possible to complete this season because anything other than that will be a disaster. It might prove impossible but right now nobody knows when that time will come. Equally it's possible that if this suspension lasts even longer than we fear, next season might be impossible to be completed too, then what do they do?

robfosters · 29 Mar 2020 at 11:03

BaZ87 said:
They haven't given a date for the worst option as far as I'm aware. UEFA initially said end of June completion with a little wiggle room if needed, now the UEFA president has said we need to start playing again by the end of June but again with the caveat of 'but maybe we could delay next season and play later'. Theres no set date because the situation is too fluid, involving too many clubs, leagues, broadcasters and so on. The only thing we know is they will do all that is possible to complete this season because anything other than that will be a disaster. It might prove impossible but right now nobody knows when that time will come. Equally it's possible that if this suspension lasts even longer than we fear, next season might be impossible to be completed too, then what do they do?

If we started again August, then the summer transfer window would obviously have to be moved too, and that will lead to problems with contracts and player values. Bloody hell, what a mess.

BaZ87 · 29 Mar 2020 at 11:13

robfosters said:
If we started again August, then the summer transfer window would obviously have to be moved too, and that will lead to problems with contracts and player values. Bloody hell, what a mess.

Contracts and transfer windows are such a small issue. As soon as players are presented with the option of having to sign a short extension or having no club to join 'next season' then it will be an easy decision. Equally transfer windows are still a relatively new thing - football survived for decades without transfer windows and some still argue that the old free for all system should be brought back regardless of this situation.

Tombstone · 29 Mar 2020 at 20:48

omnomnom said:
As has been said 100 times. Why start a new season if you cant finish this one.

Thats why imo, they should null and void next season and finish this season whenever they can. That way the 2019-20 season can complete, those who get promoted/relegated do so correctly and we simply scrap the 2020-21 season, use the 2020-21 season to recover, build up for the olympics/euros in 2021 etc.

robfosters · 29 Mar 2020 at 20:54

Tombstone said:
Thats why imo, they should null and void next season and finish this season whenever they can. That way the 2019-20 season can complete, those who get promoted/relegated do so correctly and we simply scrap the 2020-21 season, use the 2020-21 season to recover, build up for the olympics/euros in 2021 etc.

A year without football will kill too many clubs.

Imagine if they scrap this season though, every match that’s been played has been nothing more than a friendly lol

BaZ87 · 29 Mar 2020 at 21:30

Tombstone said:
Thats why imo, they should null and void next season and finish this season whenever they can. That way the 2019-20 season can complete, those who get promoted/relegated do so correctly and we simply scrap the 2020-21 season, use the 2020-21 season to recover, build up for the olympics/euros in 2021 etc.

robfosters said:
A year without football will kill too many clubs.

Imagine if they scrap this season though, every match that’s been played has been nothing more than a friendly lol

There won't be a year without football, not unless it's not safe to play of course. As the Times are reporting tonight, UEFA are making plans to complete this season and shorten next seasons competitions if this season ends up eating into next seasons calendar. It's the most logical way of minimising the impact of the virus.

We don't know how much time we'll have to play football. We might restart in June but then again we might not restart until October and until there's a vaccine who is to say that there won't be another issue again in 10-12 months time? Imagine if they ended this season with 9-10 games to go and then half way through next season we had to stop playing again and couldn't complete next season before the Euros. We'd have then not completed two seasons.

The end of season break will be shortened or scrapped as will winter breaks and domestic cups and we'll just cram in as much League and European football as possible in whatever time we have.

robfosters · 29 Mar 2020 at 21:37

BaZ87 said:
There won't be a year without football, not unless it's not safe to play of course. As the Times are reporting tonight, UEFA are making plans to complete this season and shorten next seasons competitions if this season ends up eating into next seasons calendar. It's the most logical way of minimising the impact of the virus.

We don't know how much time we'll have to play football. We might restart in June but then again we might not restart until October and until there's a vaccine who is to say that there won't be another issue again in 10-12 months time? Imagine if they ended this season with 9-10 games to go and then half way through next season we had to stop playing again and couldn't complete next season before the Euros. We'd have then not completed two seasons.

The end of season break will be shortened or scrapped as will winter breaks and domestic cups and we'll just cram in as much League and European football as possible in whatever time we have.

Here’s a radical idea, to shorten the season and give us more leeway with fixtures, why don’t we split the leagues? Top 10 and bottom 10 as they stand. That will reduce the fixtures to 19, but we’ll still get the same amount of games over the season. That way, there is much more scope to cope with any enforced breaks.

BaZ87 · 29 Mar 2020 at 21:42

And the latest Independent report on how the PL are planning to finish the league:

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...ixtures-dates-suspension-latest-a9432961.html

Teams will be quarantined in hotels based in the midlands and london with games played at neutral venues in these regions, possibly including matches played on training pitches. TV crews and officials will also have to be quarantined. Government are said to be supportive of the idea however the plan relies on testing to be readily available and it not taking up too much medical resources, with the possibility of the League having it's own private hospital to deal with injuries etc.

robfosters said:
Here’s a radical idea, to shorten the season and give us more leeway with fixtures, why don’t we split the leagues? Top 10 and bottom 10 as they stand. That will reduce the fixtures to 19, but we’ll still get the same amount of games over the season. That way, there is much more scope to cope with any enforced breaks.

If we're playing 19 games instead of 38 then how would it be the same amount of games over the season? :confused:

I'm not sure how you can shorten the League season. You can scrap winter breaks and domestic cups, you can reduce or cancel International friendlies and European competitions could be straight knockout comps instead of groups. That would create a few extra months worth of football.