BREAKING NEWS - EFL's 7 point plan to save this season

[Dick_Turpin]

9 minutes ago, Harrysgame said:

For what it's worth I would just void the season and move on and hopefully get back to football next season. Nothing has been one or lost at this point

 

And it’s a perfectly valid opinion. But to say football is somehow being immoral by keeping its options open when there is no need to rush to a decision given all the imponderables is, I think, over-egging it. 

 

It won’t make my situation any better if the EFL announce they are voiding the season just as them saying they’d like to finish it hasn’t made a blind bit of difference either. 

 

I got an email from my work today saying this is what we’d like to do if restrictions are lifted this summer. It’s a plan to restart making cash again, to try and get back to normality by resuming something that is currently parked. It probably won’t come to fruition but I’m not offended or upset that they have a tentative plan. 

[DJMortimer]

Just now, rickygoo said:

 

When has any business been driven solely  by moral standards? Football is reprehensible but in this it’s just acting like all other businesses. If they can’t play they won’t play - just like Atkinson’s won’t reopen and Wetherspoon pubs will stay shut. 

 

Your analogies regarding other companies are relevant when it comes to ethics, finance, forward planning and long term survival. All of them are clearly concerned at returning to something like normal as quickly as practically possible for many reasons that are entirely obvious. I'm not suggesting football is seeking to disregard government and scientific guidelines or that formulating future options is anything other than logical. It's actually informative and relevant to see how long they think they would need for the current season to be concluded.

 

But none of those other organisations mentioned are publicising models that are primarily dependent on artificial and unrealistic schedules for the sake of it's own convenience (outside of the pre-existing constrictions of the outbreak that apply to everybody), and potentially jeopardising the health of hundreds of people in the first instance; and growing exponentially. And many of these businesses are doing this knowing full well that their very future existence is at stake.

 

There is simply no answer to the football related problems that will be satisfactory or not cause widespread damage in one way or another and the authorities are in an unenviable position with so many ramifications for any decision they take. But putting this out there on the same day as the country experienced it's highest death rate from the virus yet and most projections are that social isolation in some form will probably be necessary for a period that extends beyond even the end of this optimistic timetable seems regrettable at best.

[Mr. Tom]

Bottom line is, football is the very definition of non-essential. It exists purely for our entertainment, because we invented it FOR FUN, and should be one of the very LAST areas of society being given any priority whatsoever in terms of financial support or logistical planning.

 

I appreciate that there are livelihoods involved for people other than just wealthy high-level playing staff, and to those people I am very sorry if I sound harsh or callous.

 

But some form of prioritisation is going to have to be the new reality as we reboot our economy and society after all this. We simply cannot justify putting spectator sports anywhere other than at the very bottom of the pile, along with other equally non-essential industries like fast fashion, indulgence foods and luxury goods.

 

The amount of waste, greed and utter frivolity that we’ve come to accept as normal across the board is absolutely shocking and I for one will be rethinking how I prioritise my own life and spending after this. Football plays a role in society that goes beyond the game itself, undoubtedly, and for that reason I will still gladly participate as a fan when the time is right to do so. But I could do that anywhere, for a lot less than £35 a time, and not have to be supporting grotesque wages at the upper echelons of a supposedly grassroots industry that’s lost its damn mind.

 

There will need to be a massive rethink of the whole thing after this. It cannot carry on the way it has been since the 1990s - this horrible worldwide situation has totally highlighted the utter visibility of the emperor’s dangly bits. Well, about time.

[Plonk]

A couple of things that are really important to this very interesting discussion.

 

FIFA have already announced changes to contracts, transfers and transfer deadlines, that negate much of the arguments around June30th. Personally I find it a legal minefield but they’ve done it.

 

it doesn’t matter a jot what the EFL say. They can set any dates they want, but until the government relax the rules nobody is going to be playing football. Their statement is possibly the biggest waste of paper since Neville Chamberlain returned from Germany. 

[fatzooma]

I’ll take a  7 point deduction if that’s what they mean?

[owler66]

10 hours ago, mogbad said:

So for the sake of fitting in 9 matches per club you would have us abandoning a whole season.  One or two clubs might go to the wall as it is but with that suggestion we'd lose dozens.

The problem is getting this season finished so we can start the 20-21 at a reasonable time,take that pressure off and we can finish this season when possible with out the panic of trying to cram it in over 56 days behind closed doors,so scrap next season and start again in August 21 any season tickets bought for 20-21 should be valid for that

[airborne_rat_of_s6]

17 hours ago, TrickyTrev said:

I’m guessing they’ll issue match by match Ifollow logins for season ticket holders.

Yep, you can watch the footage in September when the server has caught up.

[Mus]

At this moment in time I don't think I will ever feel the same about football as I used to.

 

Maybe when we get back to normal life I will feel different.

 

I couldn't care less if it's finished or not.

 

[Mus]

3 hours ago, Mr. Tom said:

Bottom line is, football is the very definition of non-essential. It exists purely for our entertainment, because we invented it FOR FUN, and should be one of the very LAST areas of society being given any priority whatsoever in terms of financial support or logistical planning.

 

I appreciate that there are livelihoods involved for people other than just wealthy high-level playing staff, and to those people I am very sorry if I sound harsh or callous.

 

But some form of prioritisation is going to have to be the new reality as we reboot our economy and society after all this. We simply cannot justify putting spectator sports anywhere other than at the very bottom of the pile, along with other equally non-essential industries like fast fashion, indulgence foods and luxury goods.

 

The amount of waste, greed and utter frivolity that we’ve come to accept as normal across the board is absolutely shocking and I for one will be rethinking how I prioritise my own life and spending after this. Football plays a role in society that goes beyond the game itself, undoubtedly, and for that reason I will still gladly participate as a fan when the time is right to do so. But I could do that anywhere, for a lot less than £35 a time, and not have to be supporting grotesque wages at the upper echelons of a supposedly grassroots industry that’s lost its damn mind.

 

There will need to be a massive rethink of the whole thing after this. It cannot carry on the way it has been since the 1990s - this horrible worldwide situation has totally highlighted the utter visibility of the emperor’s dangly bits. Well, about time.

 

Absolutely spot on mate, well said!

[Mus]

8 hours ago, Harrysgame said:

For what it's worth I would just void the season and move on and hopefully get back to football next season. Nothing has been one or lost at this point

 

 

Agree, sometimes things are beyond our control and there is no solution. In the grand scheme of things it's irrelevant anyway.

[Maddogbob]

14 hours ago, FARGATEOWL said:

 

We may lose a few clubs, so be it. 

 

Chuff me I didn't know Dominic Cummings was on Owlstalk.

Sad reality unfortunately. 

[doubleo]

There is another point to think about. At the moment we know very little about this virus. I have a fit and healthy 8 year old family member who has had it - now, thankfully, on the mend but absolutely no energy - the parents, who nursed him at home, and siblings, have shown no symptoms whatsoever. How the child contracted it is a mystery. Anyone fancy fighting their way to the loo at halftime ? As part of the vulnerable group it will take me sometime to build up confidence for things like that.

[Ever the pessimist]

9 hours ago, rickygoo said:

You don’t have to be a key worker to work. But that’s irrelevant- they explicitly say they’ll start up again when government restrictions are lifted. 

True. Although restrictions will be lifted in a phased manner - I wonder if they mean totally back to normal, or at the slightest relaxation, or somewhere in the middle.

[Guest Bulgaria]

17 hours ago, mogbad said:

. Cancel the 2019/20 season & expunge all results.

 

This is just not going to happen, and rightly so.

 

The season has to be completed.

[Guest Bulgaria]

12 hours ago, Mountain Owl said:

Wednesday ladies have just accepted it even though they were odds on to be promoted this season. They have just said we will do it again next season. This has to be the proper attitude.

With respect, one highly doubts they would have been so generous if 100 million pounds was at stake with numerous monetary windfalls coming their way.

[shandypants]

18 hours ago, beswetherick said:

I’ve got a 7 point plan to win the Euromillions but it doesn’t mean it’ll happen

Pray tell 

[horny owl]

14 minutes ago, Bulgaria said:

With respect, one highly doubts they would have been so generous if 100 million pounds was at stake with numerous monetary windfalls coming their way.

And that’s the problem in a nutshell 

 

Money before morals

 

The greedy phookers who run, and have been ruining football for years have got to finally realise this season is well and truly over

 

we’ll be lucky if next season even starts FFS

[Buxtongent]

It simply proves the point which everyone knows - Football is something completely outside NORMAL life.Does it consider itself above the normal run of life?  Are footballers doing 'essential' work?  Do they , even when playing behind closed doors, not have to observe the 'safe-distancing' that other people are having to do? Do they not have to keep washing their hands?  Are they forbidden from spitting?

 

It would be very interesting to see a game where the players keep 2mtrs apart, weren't allowed any more than the 1 Hr outside , and how many could go a full match without even spitting, very much a no-no at present.

And , were they to not observe the rules which we are having to abide by, essentially to reduce the rate of spread, so that it  can be contained, and not overload our  already stretched NHS, be treated at our hospitals before people who had observed the rules?

 

We are dealing with some completely unknown virus that, despite our efforts, is still spreading and KILLING people at a rate none of us has seen .Maybe the mood would change were any of the EFL were to contract this virus.   

[Dick_Turpin]

32 minutes ago, horny owl said:

Money before morals

 

Morals have got fizz all to do with it. 

[Dick_Turpin]

1 minute ago, Buxtongent said:

It simply proves the point which everyone knows - Football is something completely outside NORMAL life.Does it consider itself above the normal run of life?  Are footballers doing 'essential' work?  Do they , even when playing behind closed doors, not have to observe the 'safe-distancing' that other people are having to do? Do they not have to keep washing their hands?  Are they forbidden from spitting?

 

It would be very interesting to see a game where the players keep 2mtrs apart, weren't allowed any more than the 1 Hr outside , and how many could go a full match without even spitting, very much a no-no at present.

And , were they to not observe the rules which we are having to abide by, essentially to reduce the rate of spread, so that it  can be contained, and not overload our  already stretched NHS, be treated at our hospitals before people who had observed the rules?

 

We are dealing with some completely unknown virus that, despite our efforts, is still spreading and KILLING people at a rate none of us has seen .Maybe the mood would change were any of the EFL were to contract this virus.   

Some of the players did contract the virus. Thousands of non essential workers are working. Just go online and you’ll be able to buy a new sofa no bother.  They won’t play until the social distancing restrictions are gone. It’s a plan they’ll put into place if they can.