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***Official*** English Football Season 2019-20

duffer

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Rumours that Premier League clubs are targeting a June restart. All fixtures behind closed doors.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Still think it's pie in the sky tbh.

Henry Winter was saying the other day that he'd had discussions with contacts from several PL clubs, all of whom said that a behind closed doors game would require at least 250-300 people.

I anticipate lockdown rules being eased in the next couple of weeks over here, but I can't see gatherings of that size being permitted again for a very long time.
 
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sledger

Spanish_Vicente
France the latest country to declare that its current season is over and won't be restarted too. Though I don't think any resolution re: winners and relegation etc. have been confirmed.

The sheer amount of money involved in the Premiership will mean that certain stakeholders will be absolutely determined to get the season over the line, and for the longest possible time there will be rhetoric that this is still on the cards, but I just can't see it.
 

duffer

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I can't see it happening either. They'll try to drag this out as long as possible and exhaust all avenues because money talks but common sense should prevail.
 

duffer

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Ryan Fraser has agreed terms to join Arsenal on a free transfer this summer [@Kike_Marin_].

Like the guy, think he's a good player too.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
The Premier League would like to squeeze in a couple of rounds of matches so that Liverpool can mathematically be awarded the title. They would then quash relegation even if it means allowing two teams to be promoted and a bigger division for a couple of years. Then leave the ELF to clear up the mess in terms of their own promotion and relegation. FIFA is telling everyone to prepare for next season. But it's hard to see a new season starting in August and there's no guarantee that next season won't be interrupted as well barring a miracle vaccine.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
The Premier League would like to squeeze in a couple of rounds of matches so that Liverpool can mathematically be awarded the title. They would then quash relegation even if it means allowing two teams to be promoted and a bigger division for a couple of years. Then leave the ELF to clear up the mess in terms of their own promotion and relegation. FIFA is telling everyone to prepare for next season. But it's hard to see a new season starting in August and there's no guarantee that next season won't be interrupted as well barring a miracle vaccine.
This is actually not that unlikely imo. Still less likely to happen than it is likely to happen, I would say. But could definitely see some sort of fudge like this being attempted.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
I don't understand the rush to finish the season - the 2022 World Cup is going to play havoc with the football calendar anyway so I don't see why we can't take the rest of the calendar year to finish this season and then run the next 2 seasons on a calendar year basis.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Personally, that's the solution I want in Scotland because I think we should be playing summer football - football on a cold January or February night is ****ing ****e whereas end of season games or early season European games on a pleasant summer's evening are far better. But it's something that all leagues might need to look at IMO.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Personally, that's the solution I want in Scotland because I think we should be playing summer football - football on a cold January or February night is ****ing ****e whereas end of season games or early season European games on a pleasant summer's evening are far better. But it's something that all leagues might need to look at IMO.
what on earth are you talking about
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Ryan Fraser has agreed terms to join Arsenal on a free transfer this summer [@Kike_Marin_].

Like the guy, think he's a good player too.
Lol why are teams signing players as if next season is just going ahead as normal
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Feels inevitable that the whole thing will get called off but then you have Germany really pressing on.

Only really starting to sink in that we will not be able to go and watch football properly until next year or something.
 

Uppercut

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Assuming there'll be a very long delay, finishing this season in a year's time makes much more sense to me than cancelling this season and starting a new one in a year's time.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Assuming there'll be a very long delay, finishing this season in a year's time makes much more sense to me than cancelling this season and starting a new one in a year's time.
Yeah me too. But the financial/contractual/legal pressure to not do this is huge.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
But wouldn't determining promotion/relegation/European qualification based on assumptions be a legal disaster too?
Oh yeah definitely. But it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation really.

The TV deals the Prem has with Sky and BT Sport etc. will contain time-sensitive clauses relating to how many games are to be broadcast per-season within a time-specific period. If the games are not put on, the Prem will default on its obligations, and Sky and BT will not pay up millions and millions of pounds. The knock on effect for this would be massive, I should imagine. Similarly, the clubs will have similar time-sensitive deals with kit suppliers and sponsors and advertisers etc., many of whom will be looking for a way out of paying up what they owe, because they themselves are probably up **** creek as well. The Prem, and all the clubs in it, have a massive interest in getting the season over ASAP, and that's before we even think about promotion/relegation/continental qualification etc.

Then as you say, determining promotion/relegation without actually playing the remaining games would lead to an almighty legal ****show as well.

For all of these reasons, the pressure to get the season done, and to get it done soon, and to get the next season off to a vaguely normal start is absolutely huge. But for the reasons set out above I just really cannot see it happening. Best hope the Prem etc. has is to really lobby the government hard to declare football some sort of essential service and allow an exception to whatever lockdown/social distancing measures remain in place, and get the games done behind closed doors. Not sure how likely this is though, as the government will not want to look like it is cowing to these sorts of pressures, and like LT pointed out above, there are huge concerns RE: policing and so on.

Basically, it's going to get ugly imo.
 
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