Premier League officially postponed until 17th of June

[Dov67]

GCSE's and A"levels were to take place in May and June. Cancelling them is a HUGE decision. The fact that the Govt took that decision now in March suggests that the chances of things being back to anything like normality by end June is pretty much zero. No games will be played before June and probably not July/August either.

I don't have a solution or an answer as to what we do with this season, as there is no solution that doesn't F**K someone over. Given the state of world and what we fear is to come, does it really matter anyway?

 

[weststandyid]

struggling to see how cancelling a league season 3/4 of the way through has more integrity than completing it? completing it presents more obstacles, but not less integrity.

 

[Wsussexspur]

When next season eventually starts wouldnt be totally shocked if the League cup is scraped for the season, and all FA cup replays are scrapped as well.

 

[SirHarryHotspur]

Virus cases in UK are increasing , deaths are rising , the curve is upwards , PM says 12 weeks (which takes us to middle of June) "to turn the tide" and that is probably optimistic unless a miracle cure is found , thousands of people being laid off, possible record numbers of businesses going bankrupt but we still have people clutching at straws that this football season can be completed , all a bit sad really.

 

[tototoner]

Will be no football in UK until Sept at the earliest

 

[weststandyid]

GCSE's and A"levels were to take place in May and June. Cancelling them is a HUGE decision. The fact that the Govt took that decision now in March suggests that the chances of things being back to anything like normality by end June is pretty much zero. No games will be played before June and probably not July/August either.

I don't have a solution or an answer as to what we do with this season, as there is no solution that doesn't F**K someone over. Given the state of world and what we fear is to come, does it really matter anyway?

I'm not sure that comparison is accurate, even if it (may well) turn out to be accurate. kids can't take exams with no school for 6 weeks before GCSEs/A levels, notionally footballers don't need such a long period to get up to speed and some teams, including us, are training still.

 

[jay2040]

QUOTE="VegasII, post: 6774003, member: 15000"]
Fucking hell ?

He really needs to start understanding life outside of the football bubble.
[/QUOTE]

Said on a football forum!

 

[jay2040]

Would not seem fair to call it a void season.

I think they should extend this season with maybe more games if required so it runs until next year.

Makes more sense to void next season as it has not started and complete this one.

 

[Chirpystheman]

Im not sure on the desperation to get this season completed. People seem happy to ruin the domestic game for the next 3/4 seasons to get this season completed. Saying cancel cup competitions this and next year etc just to complete 10 league games per team. People losing jobs left right and centre, industries potentially being decemated beyond repair, people losing homes due to high potential of being unable to pay mortgage, people going into negative equity due to pending housing market crash. Weddings potentially being cancelled friend cancelled his for next weekend. My stag do been cancelled and wedding in september might also bite the dust. People not being able to see loved ones for potentially months as they know seeing them could kill them, i cant see my mum or 90 year old nan as both have just come off chemo treatments and im living with my partners mum who has just finished intensive radiotherapy and chemo treatment and we are scared that any time one of us leaves the house to get food for us all that we could be potentially coming back and killing her. Im a contractor at a telecomms firm and not sure im going to have a job at the end of this. Partners firm have emailed her asking if she would take 3 months unpaid leave. I have friends whos businesses have had to shut and others who have been asked to take paycuts. There are people DYING all over the world with alot more said to die. Its going to get a lot worse here in the coming weeks, and we really have daily discussions on TV about completing the season. We need to get a grip in this country.

Other leagues seem far less concerned about finishing their seasons. And we will look a complete embarrassment if we insist on completing ours. A few weeks ago people were saying about city being stripped of titles which make those seasons pointless in reality.

The only scenario that should see the season finish is if this rumbles on until xmas. Then i could see it. But with the euros being next season. There is no way we could complete a season of 48 league games from september/October til may. Factoring in for a preseason and that also means the prem foregoing european football next season. And all so liverpool can win the prem and some teams can be relegated. Its a joke. The Broadcasters should take a long hard look at themselves too and come up with a better solution. Give them a bundle of games for free in the next round of selling them. Sky arent giving punters refunds only freezing it, so why should they get a refund. They would rather see clubs go under just so they claw some money back. Its a sad place we live on now where the FA and some clubs prioritise finishing a poxy football season over the well being of the nation. They should all be ashamed.

Priorities are all wrong

 

[Chirpystheman]

Would not seem fair to call it a void season.

I think they should extend this season with maybe more games if required so it runs until next year.

Makes more sense to void next season as it has not started and complete this one.

So you suggest finish this one and then play no football next season. Meaning a much bigger financial loss for clubs as no prize money or revenue for a whole season. Spurs had a turnover of £450+m that figure would become 0. The self isolation is really getting to some people. Im sure players would happily lose a season of their career just to finish this one

 

[wakefieldyid]

I'm not sure it's fair to take the piss out of Liverpool fans (Jamie Carragher excepted). Their team has had an amazing season, and after years of being also-rans in the second or third position, they finally do it - in a wonderful way I should add - now this has to happen. If it were Spurs, it would break my heart.

I see you've completely bought into the Liverpool FC myth. Despite what their fans and the media would have you believe, they've not had "years of being also-rans in second or third position". Since the end of the 2009/10 season, they've come 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th, 2nd, 6th, 8th, 4th 4th, and 2nd.
This is precisely the reason why it's been so funny to hear them claim at the start of each season that this time it's going to be their year!

 

[Lighty64]

some people saying the integrity of sport will be damaged if this season is null and voided, have a word and think of lives of those suffering this awful virus

sport doesn't have integrity when it comes to LIVES

yes if it's called null and void there will be teams totally gutted, some might even go to the wall (really hope something can be put in place to avoid it), but this virus is a killer, those 91 teams have players that have families, their lives are so much more important than the club they play for.

they can't start playing football until this clears up, which is going to be anyone's guess because this could so easily come back. next season could very much already be delayed, and no one knows when it will ever get back to normality, so playing this one out just so a quite a few teams are not going to upset, robbed, or lose a lot of money would be ridiculous. even when it slows down they can't even consider playing behind closed doors until the public services can get back on their feet, as medical staff need to be present at every game 45 matches most weekends for the top 4 divisions god knows how many there are played every week across the world.

I don't even care if they decided not to revert to last seasons qualifying teams for european comps, I don't care how they sort it out who plays in them, the only thing I care about is people staying alive

 

[ralvy]

Would not seem fair to call it a void season.

I think they should extend this season with maybe more games if required so it runs until next year.

Makes more sense to void next season as it has not started and complete this one.

If the season can't be finished within a reasonable time because of unforeseen reasons, then I don't see anything unfair about voiding it.

I think is very stupid, though, that neither UEFA, FIFA or the local leagues had any regulations in place in case something like this happened. Specially considering human history and how prone we are to global crisis.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

If the season can't be finished within a reasonable time because of unforeseen reasons, then I don't see anything unfair about voiding it.

I think is very stupid, though, that neither UEFA, FIFA or the local leagues had any regulations in place in case something like this happened. Specially considering human history and how prone we are to global crisis.

That's a bit unfair, this is something almost unprecedented in living memory, I wouldn't condemn anyone too much for not foreseeing something on this scale. You can bet it'll be covered from now on though. It's like not having rules for if there was a nuclear war and having a pop at them for that. Ish.

IMO of course

Also, on the subject of voiding the season and all that...........I'm with you and probably a lot of others.....void it and dodge all the issues an extension would bring.

Right now the noises coming from the powers that be are probably not too far from reasonable. As the situation evolves so will 'official' opinion. Right now they are saying they want to finish the season. That's prudent for now. In a few weeks or months time, if this gets as nasty as it could, I'd expect voiding to quite rightly become a much more realistic solution and one that gets very serious consideration. Again IMO.

We'll see.

 

[spursfan77]

I am not listening to anything anyone on Sky sports says. They will bang on about completing the season because that’s what suits them because of money. They want the season completed and will be pushing the Premier a League to complete it. Unfortunately they have the power over the league because they have the financial control.

 

[Trix]

That's a bit unfair, this is something almost unprecedented in living memory, I wouldn't condemn anyone too much for not foreseeing something on this scale. You can bet it'll be covered from now on though. It's like not having rules for if there was a nuclear war and having a pop at them for that. Ish.

IMO of course

Also, on the subject of voiding the season and all that...........I'm with you and probably a lot of others.....void it and dodge all the issues an extension would bring.

Right now the noises coming from the powers that be are probably not too far from reasonable. As the situation evolves so will 'official' opinion. Right now they are saying they want to finish the season. That's prudent for now. In a few weeks or months time, if this gets as nasty as it could, I'd expect voiding to quite rightly become a much more realistic solution and one that gets very serious consideration. Again IMO.

We'll see.

This. They won't void it until then have to, but that day is getting closer. I can certainly see reasons for wanting to complete(especially financially) but the reasons against are stacking up by the day. It will only help the clubs/leagues positions if they have done everything REASONABLY possible to finish the season. Which is why it's just another postponement with the intent to finish at this point.

Again I'd be amazed considering all the behind the scenes talk, if it does.

 

[Trix]

You are right regarding the financial power of sky, however....

They are no longer the monopoly on TV rights, and they are well aware of this. Far bigger fish will be entering the bidding process next time round, so it would certainly be in their interest to be accommodating to some degree.

On top of that the EPL are certainly exploring the options of creating their own worldwide streaming service, using the NBA model as a template.

 

[Gassin's finest]

 

[chrissivad]

If one or both cups are scrapped next year to try and compleat this season, what effect would this have on smaller clubs?

 

[mpickard2087]

It should come down to the timeframe as to if the season gets completed. If (though extremely unlikely) they were able to restart say in May and get the season finished by the end of June, shorter break + pre-season during July/early August and then start 20/21 football calendar as planned, then ok.

But I think we have to assume that the next 12 weeks (and maybe beyond...…) we're going to have stringent measures, isolation measures, and public events scrapped, etc. That's then into mid-late June before even getting the ok to resume. Considering the players aren't really training at the moment they will need to do some pitch work, so we're getting to July by that point. And then you've got to try and finish league and cup competitions. You'd then be backing up the new season, with potential knock on effects such as cancelling cup competitions (hindering lower league clubs even more) and affecting the Euro's yet again. At that point it is more sensible to just focus on 20/21.

Saying the integrity of football will be ruined is total bollocks. We've an extraordinary extreme worldwide event happening, cancelling the season would a) be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and b) it's not like it's something deliberately cooked up and engineered by the football authorities. They're as helpless as the rest of us and need to find the best way forward but any of them will cause disruption and knock on effects.

Personally I think shoehorning in the matches for the sake of it is more damaging. I saw what Neville had to say last night about rushing through the season, playing a game a day, 'festival of football' and so on, and thought that was dumb. That will just be a series of low quality matches between increasingly knackered players, be disproportionately in favour of bigger clubs with bigger squads, and if anything damaged integrity, in my opinion, it would be something like that.