Premier League officially postponed until 17th of June

[SpunkyBackpack]

Confirmed F1 will be travelling all over Europe again from July. Serie A teams begin training next week. Rumours horse racing back within a month... I told you all money talks and the plan for the Premier League announcement won't be far away.

And once that happens you can kiss goodbye to people following social distancing rules. "If the sports guys can travel everywhere and teams are playing games against each other why the fuck cant i have a bbq on the beach/visit my mates/go dogging again" is what they'll say, probably.

 

[Trotter]

They should just cancel the season. New season starts in August. Same teams qualifying for Europe as last year as this season is null and void. No relegations. No promotions. No champions.

However much you want it, not happening, and nor should it.
Best we could hope for if they cancel season is we finish 8th (current standings), rather than 9th (points per game), City's ban gets both heard and upheld before beginning September, and therefore we sneak the last Europa League place (and even that would mean 2 qualifying rounds before group stage of Europa League)

 

[vegassd]

And once that happens you can kiss goodbye to people following social distancing rules. "If the sports guys can travel everywhere and teams are playing games against each other why the fuck cant i have a bbq on the beach/visit my mates/go dogging again" is what they'll say, probably.

Totally agree, but I think that's just going to happen anyway. In fact there are probably lots of people breaking the rules already and that number is only going to rise.

I get the impression that the first step of "unlocking" will be to allow family members to visit each other which will feel like a huge weight lifted off us all. By that time it would reasonably safe to start televising BCD sports I think because there won't be such a "them and us" feeling in terms of who is allowed to move around.

 

[brasil_spur]

However much you want it, not happening, and nor should it.
Best we could hope for if they cancel season is we finish 8th (current standings), rather than 9th (points per game), City's ban gets both heard and upheld before beginning September, and therefore we sneak the last Europa League place (and even that would mean 2 qualifying rounds before group stage of Europa League)

To me this seems very unlikely. The only example we can look at of any meaningful league being cancelled is Eredivisie. and frankly when you look at the positions now and the end of last season there is basically no change apart from PSV and AZ Alkmaar switching around. Which when you look further they both have come out of this with a fair result.

The PL however is much more complicated, Sheff Utd being the obvious one where a "points per game" would still leave them out of the top 5, yet realistically they could have beaten us in that one game and been in 5th place, which if they City ban gets upheld means they would have qualified for CL. That alone makes the PL standings far more complex.

From what i've heard it seems like a June finish to the PL is the most likely scenario at this stage, it's not a fair and level playing field due to being behind closed doors, but i don't think there's anyway to take the standings as they are and make any fair result based on this.

 

[Locotoro]

However much you want it, not happening, and nor should it.
Best we could hope for if they cancel season is we finish 8th (current standings), rather than 9th (points per game), City's ban gets both heard and upheld before beginning September, and therefore we sneak the last Europa League place (and even that would mean 2 qualifying rounds before group stage of Europa League)

the best way i can see this working out giving everyone an equal chance is to cancel relegation and winners and deal with European qualification through a playoff. Every team is drawn against each other depending on the league position (1st v 20th, 2nd v 19th). That round of matches would leave 10 teams, against each other based on league position. the 5 winners are the European qualifiers. That basically two rounds of matches where everyone gets an equal chance to qualify but league positions are still taken into consideration

 

[Trotter]

To me this seems very unlikely. The only example we can look at of any meaningful league being cancelled is Eredivisie. and frankly when you look at the positions now and the end of last season there is basically no change apart from PSV and AZ Alkmaar switching around. Which when you look further they both have come out of this with a fair result.

The PL however is much more complicated, Sheff Utd being the obvious one where a "points per game" would still leave them out of the top 5, yet realistically they could have beaten us in that one game and been in 5th place, which if they City ban gets upheld means they would have qualified for CL. That alone makes the PL standings far more complex.

From what i've heard it seems like a June finish to the PL is the most likely scenario at this stage, it's not a fair and level playing field due to being behind closed doors, but i don't think there's anyway to take the standings as they are and make any fair result based on this.

Totally agree that finishing the season is by far the best, fairest and most likely scenario, with all the money involved, they will find a way, and have been constant in that since the beginning.

 

[brasil_spur]

I think it will come back behind closed doors, that it can be done relatively safely (especially if squad’s isolated for 30-40 days) and the entertainment & debate will be good for all of us stuck at home.

I don’t think we all need to keep saying saving lives is more important. Of course it is. But no-one would cross the road or drive a car if we were utterly risk averse. We need to manage risk and reduce it as far as possible.

And yes, this won’t be football as we knew it, or anything like the live experience. But it will be a damn sight better than no football.

Bring it on.

I agree with this.

Adding in that providing entertainment and resume "levels of normality" are now becoming a focus for the UK and Europe as a whole.

It's also clear that the NHS has not been overwhelmed and there is plenty of hospital space available, which again is key.

Also we're talking about this happening in June, which by all indications should be at a point where things are more relaxed and normality is closer than it is right now.

The other point here is that if we are allowing construction and potentially estate agents to resume by June then i think PL football is in a better place to put much better precautions in place than those two industries.

 

[Trotter]

the best way i can see this working out giving everyone an equal chance is to cancel relegation and winners and deal with European qualification through a playoff. Every team is drawn against each other depending on the league position (1st v 20th, 2nd v 19th). That round of matches would leave 10 teams, against each other based on league position. the 5 winners are the European qualifiers. That basically two rounds of matches where everyone gets an equal chance to qualify but league positions are still taken into consideration

With due respect, that is about the most ludicrous solution I have heard in this whole scenario.
Giving Norwich a chance to qualify, and making Liverpool have to win 2 back-to-back matches to qualify for a competition they have already mathematically qualified for.

 

[spids]

However much you want it, not happening, and nor should it.
Best we could hope for if they cancel season is we finish 8th (current standings), rather than 9th (points per game), City's ban gets both heard and upheld before beginning September, and therefore we sneak the last Europa League place (and even that would mean 2 qualifying rounds before group stage of Europa League)

Disagree. There is no clear way to settle relegation, so easiest thing is to null and void the whole thing IMO. Especially as there are so many games outstanding.

 

[brasil_spur]

And once that happens you can kiss goodbye to people following social distancing rules. "If the sports guys can travel everywhere and teams are playing games against each other why the fuck cant i have a bbq on the beach/visit my mates/go dogging again" is what they'll say, probably.

Agreed, but then you can't account for the idiots all the time.

What I would do is to make sure that the games provide a platform to help educate people about the risk and precautions being taken. Much like with the NHS "Stay home so we can go to work", you can ensure that PL games have a "stay home so we can be allowed to play games for you to watch" mentality. Make sure to have clear messaging about the amount of restrictions in place etc...

 

[Trotter]

Disagree. There is no clear way to settle relegation, so easiest thing is to null and void the whole thing IMO. Especially as there are so many games outstanding.

Whether there is relegation and who qualifies for Europe are 2 totally different things.

If season is stopped now, could easily see there being no relegation, but absolutely zero chance we get into Champions League (and UEFA would not allow us into it as would be deemed unfair and not earned), it will be done based on the 29 games already played, by a formula agreed by at least 14 of the teams, and that could only be current standings, or more likely points per game, or an adjusted formula taking home and away fixtures PPG into account.
It is how Belgium, Holland and Scotland have already determined who goes into Europe next year (irrelevant of whether they declare a champion, relegate teams or not), and all Leagues would follow that criteria, if they cannot complete.
But it is probably moot anyway, I fully expect the League to finish.

 

[coys200]

I’m actually amazed PL clubs are prepared to take the risk with players health. We’ve seen these tragic stories of young fit people passing away. There seems this unquestioned belief that footballers are some how immune. Imagine a worst case scenario, let alone the tragedy imagine the law suits.

 

[Phantom]

Can't wait until some bellend player pretends to cough on someone during a match in the heat of the moment.

Honestly such a ridiculous thing to be gearing up for when there is no way to get the season up and running again without:

1) Increasing the risk to players, coaches and the many other staff involved and every single one of those peoples families
2) The entirely unnecessary added burden on emergency services - security (even if behind closed doors) and on site paramedics
3) Expending valuable testing resources and presumably PPE
4) Increasing the perception for the tin foil hat brigade that there is nothing to really worry about

Football is so far away from what can be considered essential that it brings the whole lockdown situation in to question. If EPL starts up again and people are still being told to where possible to stay home, how many will?

At the end of the day we all know why there is pressure to get back on with it, money pure and simple.

 

[John48]

Looking at June 8th start it seems.

Can't see it myself if SD is still an issue.

 

[tototoner]

Premier League steps up restart plans

Plans to resume the Premier League season will step up this week in what has been labelled "Project Restart".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Doctor Dinkey]

What greedy, greedy fuckers the PL are. Desperate to get back to making wads of cash and screw the health of players, fans, or anyone else who suffers because of it. Sends out completely the wrong message at a time when 100s are dying every day.

 

[tototoner]

What greedy, greedy fuckers the PL are. Desperate to get back to making wads of cash and screw the health of players, fans, or anyone else who suffers because of it. Sends out completely the wrong message at a time when 100s are dying every day.

Should really be named Project Sky and not Project Restart.

It will not be football as we know it though, their will be no fans until there is a vaccine so that's 2021 at least and the games will have to be played at neutral venues quite far away from the 2 teams home grounds to stop fans congregating. So expect the NLD to be played at Old Trafford or Anfield

 

[Monkey boy]

Bundesliga's May restart faces increasing opposition from scientists

Professor Uwe G. Liebert has warned that the league's proposed hygiene measures are not sufficient to guarantee safety

www.independent.co.uk

Let’s hope the Germans are smart enough to listen to their top scientists. If the Bundesliga fails to start back up then the rest will follow suit.

 

[Donki]

All these “plans”, there will not be a ball kicked until June at the very earilest I’m guessing. It send out all the wrong messages to the public. “Stay at home and save lives” to “fuck social distancing and have 22 players all in close proximity of each other for 90 minutes”.

 

[Trix]

To me this seems very unlikely. The only example we can look at of any meaningful league being cancelled is Eredivisie. and frankly when you look at the positions now and the end of last season there is basically no change apart from PSV and AZ Alkmaar switching around. Which when you look further they both have come out of this with a fair result.

The PL however is much more complicated, Sheff Utd being the obvious one where a "points per game" would still leave them out of the top 5, yet realistically they could have beaten us in that one game and been in 5th place, which if they City ban gets upheld means they would have qualified for CL. That alone makes the PL standings far more complex.

From what i've heard it seems like a June finish to the PL is the most likely scenario at this stage, it's not a fair and level playing field due to being behind closed doors, but i don't think there's anyway to take the standings as they are and make any fair result based on this.

As I've said before it's not up to the EPL no matter what they want or say it's not their decision.