How to complete the season

[Essexyellows]

Scottish Football League have ended their season, barring legal challenges, with a deadline for those of 10.00am today.
Champions of the respective leagues have been decided and they are looking at rearranging the league structure.

 

[Barbadosyellow]

Scottish Football League have ended their season, barring legal challenges, with a deadline for those of 10.00am today.
Champions of the respective leagues have been decided and they are looking at rearranging the league structure.

That's their choice of course, just like all the other foreign leagues!

 

[Ox4Eva]

Scottish Football League have ended their season, barring legal challenges, with a deadline for those of 10.00am today.
Champions of the respective leagues have been decided and they are looking at rearranging the league structure.

A corrupt shambles!

 

[werthersoriginal]

That's their choice of course, just like all the other foreign leagues!

The leagues all have to fit together due to European competitions so we’ll probably do the same. Congratulations to Liverpool and Celtic

 

[Essexyellows]

I`m guessing the "Scottish decision" had nothing to do with it releasing about £10 million in payments?

Anyway................. we`ll be next.

 

[WuTang]

I love football and would love it to finish, including our possible promotion, but football in general is starting to look borderline arrogant and disrespectful.

Live events, other sports, gigs, festivals have all had to cancel, yet we're hearing football "MUST" finish if possible. Why? There is more to life than football. Playing behind closed doors brings an added risk to footballers and their families for the sake of what?

Take the responsible decision and cancel the season, then just argue about how to sort promotions and relegations (which will take some time!).

The football season doesn't always pan out how you want it to, whether it finishes or not, that can be down to ability or just plain luck on the final day of the season. The best thing though is that you have a chance to fix that the following season. Life goes on, the football will return when other events can return as normal too.

 

[MalaysiaYellow]

The only truly fair way to decide on promotion and relegation is to finish playing the season, whenever that is possible. That's presumably why it seems to be the preferred option for the FA, EFL and clubs despite all the associated issues.

I don't know the answer. But what happens to a Motor Race when it rains and is black flagged or something? What about Cricket Matches when it rains?

 

[Sarge]

I don't know the answer. But what happens to a Motor Race when it rains and is black flagged or something? What about Cricket Matches when it rains?

risking a woosh ..... Cricket rained off = Duckworth Lewis, Motor Racing , Black Flag with racing number displayed = that rider/driver is excluded or penalised, Motor Racing , RED flag, riders/ drivers are not permitted to pass the red flag while displayed. Often displayed just beyond the entrance (from the race circuit) to the pits/ paddock area .... if 2/3 or 75% ( depending on the rules/ regulations of the authority overseeing said race)of a race has taken place and weather conditions prohibit a restart, placings on the last complete lap are deemed to be finishing positions

 

[werthersoriginal]

risking a woosh ..... Cricket rained off = Duckworth Lewis, Motor Racing , Black Flag with racing number displayed = that rider/driver is excluded or penalised, Motor Racing , RED flag, riders/ drivers are not permitted to pass the red flag while displayed. Often displayed just beyond the entrance (from the race circuit) to the pits/ paddock area .... if 2/3 or 75% ( depending on the rules/ regulations of the authority overseeing said race)of a race has taken place and weather conditions prohibit a restart, placings on the last complete lap are deemed to be finishing positions

Football - alphabetical order, like the table at the start of the season. Congratulations Accrington, goodbye Wycombe and Wimbledon! Mid table obscurity for Oxford again.

 

[MalaysiaYellow]

risking a woosh ..... Cricket rained off = Duckworth Lewis, Motor Racing , Black Flag with racing number displayed = that rider/driver is excluded or penalised, Motor Racing , RED flag, riders/ drivers are not permitted to pass the red flag while displayed. Often displayed just beyond the entrance (from the race circuit) to the pits/ paddock area .... if 2/3 or 75% ( depending on the rules/ regulations of the authority overseeing said race)of a race has taken place and weather conditions prohibit a restart, placings on the last complete lap are deemed to be finishing positions

So gives support to finish season now and PPG?

 

[Sarge]

So gives support to finish season now and PPG?

why complicate it with PPG ? - it would give rise to legal challenges, specifically in L1 - Wycombe played a weakened Bolton (twice) 6points that debatably shouldnt stand, as other l1 sides some did & some didnt play a weakened Bolton side for example ... PPG will caused a plethora of additional issues, also with Bury going bust, not all l1 sides have played the same amount of games, so again PPG doesnt help there either

 

[BigCrompy]

why complicate it with PPG ? - it would give rise to legal challenges, specifically in L1 - Wycombe played a weakened Bolton (twice) 6points that debatably shouldnt stand, as other l1 sides some did & some didnt play a weakened Bolton side for example ... PPG will caused a plethora of additional issues, also with Bury going bust, not all l1 sides have played the same amount of games, so again PPG doesnt help there either

Correct - and not only that, but (without checking) I would guess that some clubs have played two more home games than some others.

Unadulterated PPG is flawed and won't work; I've seen some sources on here suggest extrapolating PPG for both home and away games to give a corrected total for 44 games, which would be much better.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I am not convinced by PPG really. There is/was the best part of a quarter of the season to go. Which means that some teams will have avoided being away to some of the stronger teams as yet, others will have a load of weaker teams to play at home. We all know that over the years you can see that a certain team has an easier/harder run in than others - on paper. PPG just ignores that.

Is there a better way, though (if we can't finish the season)? It's not easy to think of one. The problem is that the rules are going to have to be formulated after the fact - which is undeniably going to be of much more advantage to some teams than others and thus will cause ructions. Whatever they do, they have to write a set of guidelines as to how this will be worked out in the future and do it BEFORE next season starts, because IMO it is all too likely that this horrible disease is going to flare up again and again until a vaccine is found and administered to us all.

 

[Oufcrealist]

With Politicians and Scientists saying there will have to be some form of lockdown for another 12-18 months its looking very bleak and doubtful for next season as well as this one.
Football can't survive for long without bums on seats but it's not looking likely that crowds or mass gatherings will be allowed for many months to come.

 

[Essexyellows]

I like the Black Flag analogy, Covid is the flag call the season as it stands, anyone who says "what if....." can whistle. Promote the top two and whoever is third and relegate anyone hopelessly adrift with no real chance of saving themselves.

Sorted - re-balance numbers next season.

 

[Barbadosyellow]

Perhaps ending the season with the tables as is (with PPG adjustment?) with just one up, one down for each division would at least give the season some meaning while limiting the level of disgruntlement or potential legal challenges?

 

[ttg17]

I love football and would love it to finish, including our possible promotion, but football in general is starting to look borderline arrogant and disrespectful.

Live events, other sports, gigs, festivals have all had to cancel, yet we're hearing football "MUST" finish if possible. Why? There is more to life than football. Playing behind closed doors brings an added risk to footballers and their families for the sake of what?

Take the responsible decision and cancel the season, then just argue about how to sort promotions and relegations (which will take some time!).

The football season doesn't always pan out how you want it to, whether it finishes or not, that can be down to ability or just plain luck on the final day of the season. The best thing though is that you have a chance to fix that the following season. Life goes on, the football will return when other events can return as normal too.

Not sure if I've misunderstood, but find this whole seam of observation irritating. Yes, there is more to life than football, and in the grand scheme of things it isn't particularly important. But there is nothing wrong with being concerned, and having a discussion, about how the season is going to finish, and how that will affect various clubs. We don't need to preface every comment with 'I appreciate there are more serious issues in the world at the moment than the completion of a football league season, but...'

On a separate note, I have always been in favour of finishing season now with current positions final. The current standings are not inherently 'unfair'. We are a far enough distance into the season for the positions not to be totally arbitrary - that is to say, the teams currently in the relegation places of L1 have so far been the three worst teams in the division. All will obviously argue that they could improve and save themselves, but given there have to be promotions/relegations (and FWIW I think there do), considering the three current worst teams to be the three teams most deserving of going down doesn't seem inherently unfair to me.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Even that isn't straightforward though. We are third, but Wycombe could quite persuasively argue that they have played a game less. However, they are 8th! Promoting them at the expense of any of the seven teams above them on PPG would be hugely bizarre but not taking that missing game into account would seem unfair. At the bottom, Tranmere are three points below Wimbledon but have a game in hand. Admittedly their goal difference is 11 goals worse though!

At the bottom of the Prem it's even less clear, with Villa having a game in hand but being two points behind three other teams.

BUT - in fact if you go through the divisions, most decisions (if the season were to finish now) would be relatively clear cut. I'll italicise the dubious ones.

Prem - Champions: Liverpool. Relegated: Norwich, Bournemouth and Villa (they've played a game less)
Champ - Promoted: Leeds, West Brom, Fulham. Relegated: Charlton, Luton, Barnsley - All teams in the division have played the same number of games. Current standings stand.
L1 - Promoted: Coventry, Rotherham, Oxford (Wycombe have a game in hand) Relegated: Bolton, Southend, Tranmere (they have a game in hand over Wimbledon)
L2 - Promoted: Crewe, Swindon, Plymouth, Exeter (Cheltenham have a game in hand) Relegated: Stevenage

So in fact out of the promotions and relegations (and there are 20 of them) - only four are arguable based on current standings. Tranmere haven't got much of an argument with their goal difference though, so only three contentious ones really. I'd suggest the big losers would be Villa and they'd fight it tooth and nail. For us and Exeter, then at least the teams that could potentially catch us would effectively just be left in the same positions they would be if the season was annulled.

 

[Sarge]

Even that isn't straightforward though. We are third, but Wycombe could quite persuasively argue that they have played a game less. However, they are 8th! Promoting them at the expense of any of the seven teams above them on PPG would be hugely bizarre but not taking that missing game into account would seem unfair. At the bottom, Tranmere are three points below Wimbledon but have a game in hand. Admittedly their goal difference is 11 goals worse though!

At the bottom of the Prem it's even less clear, with Villa having a game in hand but being two points behind three other teams.

BUT - in fact if you go through the divisions, most decisions (if the season were to finish now) would be relatively clear cut. I'll italicise the dubious ones.

Prem - Champions: Liverpool. Relegated: Norwich, Bournemouth and Villa (they've played a game less)
Champ - Promoted: Leeds, West Brom, Fulham. Relegated: Charlton, Luton, Barnsley - All teams in the division have played the same number of games. Current standings stand.
L1 - Promoted: Coventry, Rotherham, Oxford (Wycombe have a game in hand) Relegated: Bolton, Southend, Tranmere (they have a game in hand over Wimbledon)
L2 - Promoted: Crewe, Swindon, Plymouth, Exeter (Cheltenham have a game in hand) Relegated: Stevenage

So in fact out of the promotions and relegations (and there are 20 of them) - only four are arguable based on current standings. Tranmere haven't got much of an argument with their goal difference though, so only three contentious ones really. I'd suggest the big losers would be Villa and they'd fight it tooth and nail. For us and Exeter, then at least the teams that could potentially catch us would effectively just be left in the same positions they would be if the season was annulled.

re Wycombe - theres also the 'wins' they notched up against a very weak Bolton team, that has to be factored in, IMO

 

[ZeroTheHero]

re Wycombe - theres also the 'wins' they notched up against a very weak Bolton team, that has to be factored in, IMO

Well it should be, but won't. The league will take the view that it was a valid match - and (to play devils advocate) it's not Wycombe's fault they were effectively given three points by the league's spineless approach to the situation.