No football at Hillsborough until 2021?

[ChapSmurf]

Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer) alluded to something in todays daily press conference. I'm paraphrasing as I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was along the lines of "it will be a long time before things go back to how they used to be" (regarding social distancing and a move away from the current lockdown regulations). The first thing that popped in to my head was that mass gatherings will likey still be banned for some time. Maybe pubs closed too, or limited on numbers - but that's just my thinking.

 

It's a crazy time we are living in at the moment, and we have to ensure that peoples lives are affected more by this new corona virus. If that means no crowds at football, but lives are saved, then that's the most important thing.

 

I'm way too young to remember Bill Shankly, but I do know he made a quote "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.". No Bill, it's not.

[the third man]

1 hour ago, Avon barksdale said:

I keep reading this and whilst not disagreeing with you I cannot for the life of me understand why fans would try to gather around the stadium if the match was behind closed doors. Obviously the scousers would but surely the everyday fan would just sit at home an watch on tv. 

Thousands turned up for the PSG CL match in Paris which was played behind closed doors, cant see it being different here

[Avon barksdale]

9 minutes ago, the third man said:

Thousands turned up for the PSG CL match in Paris which was played behind closed doors, cant see it being different here

Crazy . Well I for one won’t be turning up for a match I can’t get in to watch . Just the thought of that conversation with my missus makes me laugh. I’m just off to the match love to stand outside and constantly refresh LiveScores 

[Nero]

1 hour ago, ChapSmurf said:

Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer) alluded to something in todays daily press conference. I'm paraphrasing as I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was along the lines of "it will be a long time before things go back to how they used to be" (regarding social distancing and a move away from the current lockdown regulations). The first thing that popped in to my head was that mass gatherings will likey still be banned for some time. Maybe pubs closed too, or limited on numbers - but that's just my thinking.

 

It's a crazy time we are living in at the moment, and we have to ensure that peoples lives are affected more by this new corona virus. If that means no crowds at football, but lives are saved, then that's the most important thing.

 

I'm way too young to remember Bill Shankly, but I do know he made a quote "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.". No Bill, it's not.

I know not everyone reads all the thread but bloody hell. This thread is only 3 pages and I quoted prof whitty on page 2.

Edited April 22, 2020 by Nero

[ChapSmurf]

18 minutes ago, Nero said:

I know not everyone reads all the thread but bloody hell. This thread is only 3 pages and I quoted prof whitty on page 2.

 

Well, that's both of the viewers of today's press conference on one forum. What are the odds of that?

 

FFS!

[toppOwl]

Its going to be closed doors or nothing I'm afraid for a good while, football needed a reset button as the grotesque Premier League was swallowing up the rest, I didn't expect something quite so dramatic as this to cause it. The PL and EFL both need eradicating and a new approach taken.

[markg]

Will tango still be banned? 

[S36 OWL]

11 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

EFL chairman Rick Parry believes that fans will not be allowed to attend matches until 2021.

 

That is according to Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson.

 

Robinson confirmed that during a meeting with EFL clubs on Tuesday, Parry admitted he doesn't believe fans will be allowed back in stadiums until 2021.

 

"There is a lot of uncertainty. We don't know when the season will be concluded, if it is," Robinson told Sky Sports' The Football Show.

 

"An even bigger concern is about next season.

 

"In the meeting yesterday, Rick Parry, the EFL chairman, said that he thought the season might not start until next year when the games are played with fans attending.

 

"You can imagine the financial implications of that are considerable.

 

"He didn't think crowds would be in stadiums until 2021, that was his personal view. It could take as long as that to get gate receipts flowing back into clubs."

 

Cant they make it 2027 at Hillsbro .

[Guest ka58]

1 hour ago, toppOwl said:

Its going to be closed doors or nothing I'm afraid for a good while, football needed a reset button as the grotesque Premier League was swallowing up the rest, I didn't expect something quite so dramatic as this to cause it. The PL and EFL both need eradicating and a new approach taken.

agree with the reset analogy to be honest.

 

been shybo football for a good few years maybe the new incarnation will be better.

 

miss watching a live game now and again but can’t say I’ve missed it like I thought I would.

[Guest]

I don’t know why people seem to think this behind closed doors idea is sustainable for any length of time ?   It’s really not is it , let’s be honest 

 

If there’s no fans going through turnstiles until next year there will be clubs ceasing to exist, am sorry but I just don’t see any other scenario 

[DJMortimer]

7 hours ago, Nero said:

From Prof Chris Whitty at the daily coronavirus conference: 

 

In the long run, the exit from this is going to be one of two things, ideally. A vaccine, and there are a variety of ways they can be deployed ... or, and/or, highly effective drugs so that people stop dying of this disease even if they catch it, or which can prevent this disease in vulnerable people.

Until we have those, and the probability of having those any time in the next calendar year are incredibly small and I think we should be realistic about that.

We’re going to have to rely on other social measures, which of course are very socially disruptive as everyone is finding at the moment.

But until that point, that is what we will have to do but it will be the best combination that maximises the outlooks but it’s going to take a long time and I think we need to be aware of that.

 

That means no fans at games for 12 months.

 

Till April next year. 

 

No way football can sustain that with current business models even with behind closed doors games.

 

Scary times.

 

This is the reality that it seems some people just cannot comprehend. The Government is being pushed by the self-righteous, second-guessing and sanctimonious media for exit strategies with no thought for the consequences. Talking as if the end of this is in sight is misleading at best and dangerously irresponsible at worst.

 

Think about how many people would be necessary to stage just one professional game. Even if everything is kept to a minimum, from the players, coaches, equipment staff, medical personnel, stadium facilities, security, broadcasting, transport, catering and accommodation, how many are involved directly; 80-100? More?

 

That's just one of the 46 professional games scheduled for each weekend; so about 4,000 individuals overall across almost the entire country. Just to complete the league season, you need to do all of that 9 times. I've no idea what the plans are for the FA Cup or league play-offs either. It's just not realistic to expect supporters not to show up in considerable numbers too, especially when major issues are at stake. And then how many will all of these people come into contact with indirectly? Meanwhile, as all this is going on, everyone involved with other major events is happy to sit in their garden with a beer and watch the games on TV without any comment?

 

What are the odds of doing all of that without significant numbers of new cases? And when the inevitable starts to happen, then what?

[mcmigo]

4 hours ago, DJMortimer said:

 

This is the reality that it seems some people just cannot comprehend. The Government is being pushed by the self-righteous, second-guessing and sanctimonious media for exit strategies with no thought for the consequences. Talking as if the end of this is in sight is misleading at best and dangerously irresponsible at worst.

 

Think about how many people would be necessary to stage just one professional game. Even if everything is kept to a minimum, from the players, coaches, equipment staff, medical personnel, stadium facilities, security, broadcasting, transport, catering and accommodation, how many are involved directly; 80-100? More?

 

That's just one of the 46 professional games scheduled for each weekend; so about 4,000 individuals overall across almost the entire country. Just to complete the league season, you need to do all of that 9 times. I've no idea what the plans are for the FA Cup or league play-offs either. It's just not realistic to expect supporters not to show up in considerable numbers too, especially when major issues are at stake. And then how many will all of these people come into contact with indirectly? Meanwhile, as all this is going on, everyone involved with other major events is happy to sit in their garden with a beer and watch the games on TV without any comment?

 

What are the odds of doing all of that without significant numbers of new cases? And when the inevitable starts to happen, then what?

Of course some good points here but ultimately I don’t agree.

there is little chance of a vaccine being developed for COVID-19. The governments strategy is about managing nhs capacity , not getting rid of this or curing it. We will all be going back to work at some point, I suspect in June, in smaller groups and footballers will be included. Will some footballers and coaches get COVID19 as a result ? Yes. Is that a risk they will take and the govt will accept ? Yes.  Same as rest of us with jobs who don’t have chronic illness.

behind closed doors, on tv, will be coming soon enough .

[MrsHall]

IMO no football until a vaccine is available, or self immunity of all concerned can be proved....and the lack of these things will make all aspects of life like Russian roulette if social distancing doesn’t continue. UTO.

[handworth52]

17 hours ago, Dizzys Dad said:

The EFL is finished. Most of the clubs will have folded, and the rest of them will have made all their players redundant, before this crisis is over.

Football will never be the same. It will have to start all over again.If we ever get through this. 

your right I doubt there will be hardly any clubs left in 12 months plus ,along with millions of jobs and businesses all folded .it seems that nothing else matters but keeping the numbers to say 400 rather than 500 even though many tens of thousands of lives will end early through suicide ,not going to hospital for other reasons ,or just neglect where some elderly lonely person just gives up. this is way overboard whats happening and been planned . the other part of this will kill a lot more. 

[gurujuan]

All football abandoned below National League Level, now National League clubs have voted to curtail the season, so it seems the inevitable has moved a step closer.

[casbahowl]

1 hour ago, mcmigo said:

Of course some good points here but ultimately I don’t agree.

there is little chance of a vaccine being developed for COVID-19. The governments strategy is about managing nhs capacity , not getting rid of this or curing it. We will all be going back to work at some point, I suspect in June, in smaller groups and footballers will be included. Will some footballers and coaches get COVID19 as a result ? Yes. Is that a risk they will take and the govt will accept ? Yes.  Same as rest of us with jobs who don’t have chronic illness.

behind closed doors, on tv, will be coming soon enough .

The purist in me stamps his feet and screams "you can't play games without the fans"!

The realist in me rolls his eyes and thinks ...….. you're bang on the money!

[NorthernOwl]

17 hours ago, Magic Rat said:

 

Totally agree with you matt.

 

However given the need of clubs at all levels to generate income I expect to see fans as usual put way down the priority order.

 

Worldwide television rights, pitch side advertising and the international gambling industry will all come into play which will mean that  games will restart as soon as possible, presumably behind closed doors.

 

Why is behind closed doors football putting fans down the priority list? It will be essential in stopping clubs folding on mass.

 

No benefit in saying we should only resume in front of fans if theres no clubs left to go back too.

[nbupperthongowl]

20 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

 

EFL chairman Rick Parry believes that fans will not be allowed to attend matches until 2021.

 

That is according to Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson.

 

Robinson confirmed that during a meeting with EFL clubs on Tuesday, Parry admitted he doesn't believe fans will be allowed back in stadiums until 2021.

 

"There is a lot of uncertainty. We don't know when the season will be concluded, if it is," Robinson told Sky Sports' The Football Show.

 

"An even bigger concern is about next season.

 

"In the meeting yesterday, Rick Parry, the EFL chairman, said that he thought the season might not start until next year when the games are played with fans attending.

 

"You can imagine the financial implications of that are considerable.

 

"He didn't think crowds would be in stadiums until 2021, that was his personal view. It could take as long as that to get gate receipts flowing back into clubs."

So what is Parry's master plan to save the clubs who have no income for 12 months but still have running costs and wages to pay. How is he going to stop clubs going bust

 

This is actually far more important than this season, which is an irrelevance Inthe scheme of things....do they not see the bigger picture and the EFL responsibility to their members and the cliff the clubs are about to disappear over?

[Nero]

In the EFL basically 'the money' flows from owners, fans and TV to the players. 

 

If there is no revenue from fans, either owners or TV revenue fills the gap or the club goes bust as it can't pay the players.

 

It really is that simple.

 

Ironically we are one of the clubs that could cope for a year on this model.

 

The other way is to dismiss the players and offer new contracts.

[Plonk]

The premier league and half the championship can survive without fans. Not sure the rest can. The inevitable from this is premier leagues one and two. The remainder will go semi pro regionalised football. The league cup will be left in a corner to die quietly.