How to complete the season

[dickwalton1964]

We have had a really mild winter with hardly any postponed matches so if this break is just until 4th April it should be relatively straightforward to complete the season on schedule. May be a bit of fixture congestion but players should be as fresh as daisies having had nearly 25 days off. Saturday/Tuesday until the end of May, if need be, really shouldn’t be a problem given the unprecedented break they will have had and a break at probably the most needy time for tiring footballers.

 

[tonto]

Lets just finish the season in the summer whenever to preserve the integrity and tweak the next season to fit in with a voted on plan

 

[BigCrompy]

But letting teams go up who had an extra game over one who hadn't would simply not be fair. And they won't do it* -

*although they quite happily WILL let one of the teams involved play the Bolton under-15s for three league points and more goals than they'd normally score in a calendar month.

 

[BigCrompy]

Remember we are in uncharted territory, for the sake of the GAME i am sure the clubs would agree to extend contracts to the end of the season rather than one or two greedy players risking the fair play of the GAME we all love.

And if our new player signed on a contract to play for Oxford from 1 July 2020 suffered a career-threatening injury playing for his old club e.g. Doncaster, in a league game in an extended deadline in July, what then?

Too many ramifications. Cannot possibly happen, except with skeleton and/or potentially vastly differing squads and teams of players unaffected by contract and loan expiries this season.

Which is also the argument against continuing this season into summer, for the game's "integrity".

 

[bert]

With player contracts expiring, the Euros and next seasons leagues to consider I don't think there's any way the league will be finished IMO.

After April 3rd I don't think much is going to have changed. Fans will still be at risk because of the delay phase that government are now enforcing. Therefore, group gatherings will probably still be banned. Some players will have had the virus and some won't which could mean teams might not have enough fit players to play games even behind closed doors.

I wouldn't want to be in charge of deciding how the season was finalised (well I would as things stand), but I do think the FA need to act to deal with it. If they have to decide on a way of finishing the league now, they're going to face legal action whatever they decide. Even cancelling the season entirely would mean that teams sat at the top of their leagues would sue them for lost income, especially the teams who currently occupy the top of The Championship.

 

[LondonRoader]

Remember we are in uncharted territory, for the sake of the GAME i am sure the clubs would agree to extend contracts to the end of the season rather than one or two greedy players risking the fair play of the GAME we all love. While i would love to go up in our current position, we should explore every avenue to complete the season and alter next season to suit. This way both seasons are played on level ground!

By extending the season, you are also extending debt levels for clubs.
Most teams lose money each week anyway, extending the season by say 8 weeks of more loses, that and also 8 more weeks wages for players and staff etc on top of the money clubs are losing now.
You might be able to start the season up again but probably behind closed doors as the virus will still be around, that will be no gate receipts and all the other commercial stuff clubs will lose, heart says play the season out, head says how.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I somehow think at present that all this talk of how we might finish the season is urinating in to the gale somewhat.

With peak still projected to be 10-12 weeks away (ie exponentially more cases than we currently have) can anyone realistically see any football being played within the next 20 weeks...until the predicted peak is well passed?

The reality is likely to be that many many fans could be lucky to still have a professional club to support when the dust settles.

 

[Oxt1]

Could there not be a mandate that 1st team squads and staff to be put into lock down for a 14 days in a hotel (paid for by the FA, would help at least a few hotels for a bit too) and then have the remaining games done behind closed doors, over a reduced period, no cups no play offs, top 3 directly promoted etc. and draw a line under the whole season.

Logistically a nightmare... but whatever route is taken will be!

 

[Essexyellows]

To put it in perspective the NHS is "preparing" for this situation to last for at least 6 weeks, and probably nearer 12 weeks, so mid-June before any semblance of "normality" returns.
I can see the season being scrapped and the PL/FA having to spread some of that money pot around the whole pyramid to enable clubs to survive, let alone function.

 

[TailsWeWin]

I think anyone who believes we will be watching any football before SEPTEMBER needs to look at the virus peak (June) to see that there’s no way the leagues will resume/start again within the next five months. Get used to the idea now, and wait and see how the EFL decide to end this season.

 

[chuckbert]

... so if this break is just until 4th April ...

If it is, maybe we can all get together to watch Goldilocks Town vs Three Bears United

 

[SteMerritt]

If it is, maybe we can all get together to watch Goldilocks Town vs Three Bears United

I'll be cheering on 'The Bears', I could never support a team with the word 'Town' in their name.

 

[horseman]

I'll be cheering on 'The Bears', I could never support a team with the word 'Town' in their name.

With Andy Pandy doing VAR

 

[SteMerritt]

With Andy Pandy doing VAR

I think he's been doing it all season...

 

[chuckbert]

And Bungle refereeing.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

Zippy as manager...getting sent to the stands for persistent verbals...

 

[Witneyoldfella]

Not Zippy but the new character Gobby/Gobbo . He would be my hero !!!

 

[Yellow River]

The chuckle brothers running the lines.

 

[horseman]

With Bill and Ben in the crowd and with a flashback to the sixties heard among the crowd is "weed"

 

[mooro]

With the latest projections, I think it is highly unlikely that this season will be able to be completed without massively impacting on the ability to get NEXT season completed in any meaningful fashion.

It is not unreasonable to suggest that playing the rest of the games of this season could take up to Christmas by the time any all clear is given, which would only leave 4-5 months for the next season, presuming of course that there's no second phase of infection next winter as some are predicting.

At this stage I can see only two routes:
1) cancel next season outright and just finish this one when safe to do so between now and spring/summer 2021, and resume normality from August next year, fitting in the Euros if possible.
2) call this season as it is (with the extra promotions for auto placed teams but no relegation, as discussed elsewhere) which leaves authorities ready to start afresh with next season how they see fitonce the picture clears.