Nick De Marco "Legal action is inevitable"

[DJMortimer]

4 minutes ago, the third man said:

There isn't any club that is promoted yet, so how may teams could get promoted, impossible to say but there must be loads over the three leagues

 

same goes for relegation, if clubs are relegated based on current positions, again as no one is relegated yet they would have a claim as well

 

I know it's more complicated than just that given the relationship between all the teams which amounts to thousands of variables, but in the Championship, every single club could end up with more points than leaders West Brom have at the moment and only the top two are guaranteed to be safe from relegation.

[unkastav]

That blokes in for a quid or two the next few years

[darra]

Article I saw on FB about a leaked WhatsApp message today sorry if already mentioned said that to finish the season it's estimated that they would need 66k COVID tests as everybody involved in games would have to be tested before every game.

“They’d need 66,000 tests for us to finish the season. Given the NHS are struggling for tests and general people are struggling up to now for tests, from a PR point of view I don’t think any of the football bosses could sell footballers needing to finish a season with that many tests. Unless that changes drastically, they’re talking about us not getting the season finished and the season being decided on sporting merit.

 

Would think that the world cup starting in November 2022 doesn't help the situation either.

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by darra

[DJMortimer]

34 minutes ago, darra said:

Article I saw on FB about a leaked WhatsApp message today sorry if already mentioned said that to finish the season it's estimated that they would need 66k COVID tests as everybody involved in games would have to be tested before every game.

“They’d need 66,000 tests for us to finish the season. Given the NHS are struggling for tests and general people are struggling up to now for tests, from a PR point of view I don’t think any of the football bosses could sell footballers needing to finish a season with that many tests. Unless that changes drastically, they’re talking about us not getting the season finished and the season being decided on sporting merit.

 

Would think that the world cup starting in November 2022 doesn't help the situation either.

 

 

Has it been established yet that the tests are 100% reliable? Last time I heard about that there was still some doubt.

[Guest LondonOwl313]

3 minutes ago, DJMortimer said:

 

Has it been established yet that the tests are 100% reliable? Last time I heard about that there was still some doubt.

This is the issue isn’t it.. it takes 48 hours to get the results back say.. you could pick up the virus on a Wednesday, go for the test on the Thursday when your viral

load is still negligible, get the test results back Saturday morning as an all clear and you still don’t have symptoms so you play Saturday afternoon. Then wake up on the Sunday with a fever 4 days after infection. So you’d have been infectious on the Saturday when you were running around in close proximity to others  

[scram]

2 hours ago, rickygoo said:

 

According to the PL statement today - “The league and clubs are considering the first tentative moves forward and will only return to training and playing with government guidance, under expert medical advice and after consultation with players and managers. The league welcomed the creation of the government medical working group for a return of elite sport, which met for the first time this morning.” 

 

And from DCMS

The Government's medical working group also met on Friday and included medical representatives from a range of professional sports, as well as officials from DCMS and the Office of the Chief Medical Officer.

A DCMS spokersperson said: "We held an initial, constructive meeting with medical representatives from a number of professional and elite sports bodies, government and PHE to step up planning on what may need to be done so that athletes could return to training, when it is deemed safe to do so.

"This would be ahead of any return to competitive top-level sport which would only happen when medical experts advise that this can be done safely. Discussions with the sports bodies will continue on this."

 

 

You have to read between the lines of the wording there

 

Nobody is willing to take ownership of what at best is going to be a rushed decision with unknown risk - and at worst is a reckless gamble playing with the health of players and people in the game

 

The govt have not set up a medical committee to help advise on how to move forward - half of the people at least on those committees are from the sports themselves - the govt want to see the schedule and plans for a proposed return - that is the "committee's" purpose

 

Seems both the govt and football are leaving plenty of leeway for escape clauses if it goes belly up - not me guv...

 

There is plenty yet to come out and i'm sure that everybody involved realises this is a drifting vessel and its getting further from safety

 

And against that it will take just one case for it to be set back (i've seen the social isolation plans for a player affected) and god forbid just one really adverse incident involving the health of a player, staff member or official for football to be seen as absolute pariahs that cared nothing for health and only for money.

 

It is also why a lot of players are very uneasy about returning to play

 

This has a lot of distance to run yet - today was supposed to be the definitive day for the finalised plan - that will now be on hold for another 2 weeks at most - at which point they will either plough on ahead regardless - or have to shelve this season

Edited May 1, 2020 by scram

[darra]

There's been a few cases of people going to hospital feeling unwell but test negative then 24 hours later rushed back and test positive and end up in I C U.

[kobayashi]

2 hours ago, Jonboy27 said:

What would happen if they did restart the season, in whatever format, and someone gets Covid illness? 

The same as everywhere else, that person and their family would self isolate for 7 / 14 days whilst the rest of the players would continue to work/play.

[the third man]

41 minutes ago, kobayashi said:

The same as everywhere else, that person and their family would self isolate for 7 / 14 days whilst the rest of the players would continue to work/play.

No everyone they have been in contact with would have to isolate everyone in the ground at the time of the match, up to 300 people, and then anyone that they have been in contact with as well, would run in to thousands potentially, and not all of them would be young and fit

 

just for the sake of a football match, why are they bothering

[TrickyTrev]

2 hours ago, darra said:

There's been a few cases of people going to hospital feeling unwell but test negative then 24 hours later rushed back and test positive and end up in I C U.

I was led to believe that unless you were showing symptoms the tests were useless.

 

Happy to be corrected but if this is the case testing players will be a waste of time.

[Dick_Turpin]

2 hours ago, scram said:

 

 

You have to read between the lines of the wording there

 

Nobody is willing to take ownership of what at best is going to be a rushed decision with unknown risk - and at worst is a reckless gamble playing with the health of players and people in the game

 

The govt have not set up a medical committee to help advise on how to move forward - half of the people at least on those committees are from the sports themselves - the govt want to see the schedule and plans for a proposed return - that is the "committee's" purpose

 

Seems both the govt and football are leaving plenty of leeway for escape clauses if it goes belly up - not me guv...

 

There is plenty yet to come out and i'm sure that everybody involved realises this is a drifting vessel and its getting further from safety

 

And against that it will take just one case for it to be set back (i've seen the social isolation plans for a player affected) and god forbid just one really adverse incident involving the health of a player, staff member or official for football to be seen as absolute pariahs that cared nothing for health and only for money.

 

It is also why a lot of players are very uneasy about returning to play

 

This has a lot of distance to run yet - today was supposed to be the definitive day for the finalised plan - that will now be on hold for another 2 weeks at most - at which point they will either plough on ahead regardless - or have to shelve this season

Agree - at the moment though regardless of the make up of the committee the Government are actively claiming it’s their medical working group.

 

They are giving football - and other sports - cover. It’s a big call for the PL to cancel the season while the Government are engaged in talking about how to restart it - especially given the potential legal ramifications. 

[Guest Bulgaria]

Up until a week ago I was so sure that the season would finish at some point, I think I got that wrong.

 

There are just too many obstacles.

 

Not sure what to do about the outcome.

 

Penalty shootouts?

[scram]

13 minutes ago, rickygoo said:

Agree - at the moment though regardless of the make up of the committee the Government are actively claiming it’s their medical working group.

 

They are giving football - and other sports - cover. It’s a big call for the PL to cancel the season while the Government are engaged in talking about how to restart it - especially given the potential legal ramifications. 

 

 

One of the criteria for returning to training is repeat antigen testing  - this has already proved to be not too timely and not wholly reliable

 

training with social distancing - non-contact/tackling etc - no more than 5 to a pitch (max) - small groups in attendance at any time - minimal use of buildings (avoid if possible) and equipment

 

It's an utter farce

 

Yet the govt do not want to take the decision - as proved by their reluctance to ban mass gatherings initially - and the PL are pushing the govt to give the go ahead for a restart

 

Yet the PL do not want to make a position statement declaring they will take responsibility for any adverse events when football restarts

 

Its disgusting

 

maybe the players will take it out of their hands and refuse to compromise their own safety

 

I absolutely cannot see how the lower leagues have any chance of continuing tbh - the finances and resources needed are way beyond what they can stand

 

The PL do not care - they have pretty much cut the EFL adrift on this and its everyman for himself

 

I hate what football has become

[Animis]

10 hours ago, scram said:

 

 

One of the criteria for returning to training is repeat antigen testing  - this has already proved to be not too timely and not wholly reliable

 

training with social distancing - non-contact/tackling etc - no more than 5 to a pitch (max) - small groups in attendance at any time - minimal use of buildings (avoid if possible) and equipment

 

It's an utter farce

 

Yet the govt do not want to take the decision - as proved by their reluctance to ban mass gatherings initially - and the PL are pushing the govt to give the go ahead for a restart

 

Yet the PL do not want to make a position statement declaring they will take responsibility for any adverse events when football restarts

 

Its disgusting

 

maybe the players will take it out of their hands and refuse to compromise their own safety

 

I absolutely cannot see how the lower leagues have any chance of continuing tbh - the finances and resources needed are way beyond what they can stand

 

The PL do not care - they have pretty much cut the EFL adrift on this and its everyman for himself

 

I hate what football has become

 

From the BBC:

Neutral grounds and up to 40,000 tests for players and staff will be required if the English Premier League's plans to play the 92 outstanding games behind closed doors are pursued.

"Up to 10 stadiums" would be used to resume the 2019-20 campaign, which was halted in March because of the pandemic.

The advice came during a video conference on Friday which followed a separate meeting, hosted by culture secretary Oliver Dowden, involving medical experts from several sports organisations, government and Public Health England, about "stepping up planning" for sport's eventual return.

Clubs reiterated a commitment to resuming the season "when safe and appropriate to do so".

I wonder if all sectors of the economy manage to get a government minister chairing their return to work preparation plans?

 

[@owlstalk]

No matter what is planned for football's return I can't help but keep returning to the one single point that is if one player tests positive for Covid-19 then the whole of his club has to go into isolation for a couple of weeks

How do you get round that?

Plus, if a club goes on a bad run of results, they could just pull the Covid card and pull out of upcoming remaining games - then what?

 

 

[steelcityowlsfan]

It’s utterly disgusting how the powers that be seem determined to push for the return of football this season. 
 

How about ramping up corona testing kits for all and more PPE for health workers rather than pushing for the return of flipping sport. 
 

Shameful!

[Animis]

Interesting word cropped up in an interview with the CEO of Lancashire CCC - biosecure, which I'm sure we're going to hear a lot more of in relation to football games:

 

Emirates Old Trafford could be chosen as a key venue with its potential to act as a "biosecure" environment with the in-ground hotel.

But Gidney stresses relaxing the guidelines around mass gatherings will need to come before any date can be set for even behind-closed-doors cricket.

"You're going to need, I believe, at least 300 people to stage a game and for that to happen, that's quite a significant shift from where we are," he said.

"Cricket's been quite stoic about this," he said. "It's not really about commercial or home advantages but 'how do we holistically find a way that can support the continuation of broadcast revenues?' They're the bedrock of all governing bodies.

"Playing cricket behind closed doors protects those revenues.

"As long as we can get an environment that is proved to be medically and clinically safe, then there are jobs on the line here that broadcast revenues can continue to maintain and support."

 

[coopswfc76]

22 hours ago, Watto said:

 

We have been told to come to work , I'm a spark working inside a small factory unit , why are footballers anymore special or important than I am ?

 

What/who does the factory supply and how close to others do you work?

Footballers aren't more important than any of us but they can't work without physical contact and being in very close proximity to others for an extended period.

Surely everybody agrees that's not safe at the moment?

[scram]

5 hours ago, @owlstalk said:

No matter what is planned for football's return I can't help but keep returning to the one single point that is if one player tests positive for Covid-19 then the whole of his club has to go into isolation for a couple of weeks

How do you get round that?

Plus, if a club goes on a bad run of results, they could just pull the Covid card and pull out of upcoming remaining games - then what?

 

 

 

A new case of CV-19 will mean the player having to self isolate for a minimum of 7 days - whilst close contacts (ie most/all team mates and staff) have to self isolate for 14 days

 

Therefore just one new case will close a club down for 2 weeks minumum

[Dick_Turpin]

6 minutes ago, scram said:

 

A new case of CV-19 will mean the player having to self isolate for a minimum of 7 days - whilst close contacts (ie most/all team mates and staff) have to self isolate for 14 days

 

Therefore just one new case will close a club down for 2 weeks minumum

Do the Germans have different rules from us? Cologne have continued to train haven't they despite three players testing positive. Or was the testing before training started so they never trained with the others?