League Suspended.

[Reg Vardy]

It will make its own decision. UEFA won’t care one bit about the Premier League, they have the 2021 Euros starting in June, just work back from that. Champions league final May 2021, Europa same, so qualifiers for Champions league 2021 this July......now try and predict when this season could restart...30th April, not happening, 16th May unlikely 30th May possibly...leaving 6 weeks for potentially 9 premiership games, 3 FA cup games, Europa and Champions league 5 games each....Man City could have 17 games in 5-6 weeks.....and that is if all goes well....just saying UEFA won’t allow the Premier league to interfere with three major 2021 tournaments.....and it will if the league hasn’t restarted by mid-May.....can’t see it....sad as it will be for us....

[Ricey]

49 minutes ago, FoxFossil said:

Finish the season with double points games, counting towards this season and towards the start of next thereby shortening next year's, as well as avoiding voiding this year.

Not seen this suggested; is there anything seriously wrong with it as an idea?

Or play the games in hand and 1 round of fixtures, so everyone has 8 matches left. Then split the league into 4 groups (1st - 5th and so on). Everyone plays a team from each group (so it’s balanced and fair) for double points (so that teams still have a chance to claw back deficits).

 

That would be 6 rounds of fixtures to play rather than 10, yet the same amount of points are up for grabs.

[Leeds Fox]

57 minutes ago, FoxFossil said:

Finish the season with double points games, counting towards this season and towards the start of next thereby shortening next year's, as well as avoiding voiding this year.

Not seen this suggested; is there anything seriously wrong with it as an idea?

Yeah it’s an absolutely ridiculous idea to play ‘double points games’. 
 

If we’re going to reduce next season, just play a 19 game season. 

[NaijaFox]

As wacky as it might sound, the person who suggest simply picking up next year might be on to something.

 

Basically call it the 2019/21 season, freeze the idea of any more competitive games this year and then pick up next year. Start off the year 2021 with preseason (or actually 'mid-season') friendlies and thereafter restart the season from where the season was suspended in 2020 - for all competitions (EPL, UEFA, FA Cup, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, etc.). Perhaps even start a little earlier in the year (than the dates on which football was suspended this year), so that there's some more time between the end of the season and Euro 2021. 

 

The BIGGEST issues with this suggestion would be of course FINANCIAL - contracts, sponsorships, TV rights, etc. 

 

 

[NaijaFox]

59 minutes ago, Leeds Fox said:

Yeah it’s an absolutely ridiculous idea to play ‘double points games’. 
 

If we’re going to reduce next season, just play a 19 game season. 

Presumably all home games for us... 

[foxinsocks]

My guess  is football behind closed doors may start in mid July.  Season finished at end of August   then we can start next season in sept and cancel intl breaks yo complete it by june 21

[Brainy]

People are deluded if they think there's gonna be no international football until summer 2021

[Sublime_Coatsworth]

I too think they’ll finish this season with games played behind closed doors, televised live. It’s the only way they can reasonably protect the integrity of the game, and reduce the likelihood of legal action from disgruntled teams.

 

They then need to look at how they schedule 20/21 given the distinct possibility the virus could re-emerge or otherwise  next season too, with a reduced number of games a likely option.

[Guest Lcfc82]

There’s talk of the restrictions being in place for up to a year, so would make more sense to conclude this season when safe to do so as there is no guarantee that we would have enough time to fit a full season in before Euro 2021.

even if it means carrying on with this season in February/March next year.

players out of contract would just have to sign extensions for a year.

[NaijaFox]

10 hours ago, foxinsocks said:

My guess  is football behind closed doors may start in mid July.  Season finished at end of August   then we can start next season in sept and cancel intl breaks yo complete it by june 21

The international breaks are when the South and North Americans, Asians and Africans play their WC and continental cup qualifiers.

[stripeyfox]

The behind closed doors thing can't happen at the moment, or in the foreseeable future. Even with no fans, how many people would be required to stage a PL game? Probably 20 - 30 players and staff per team (minimum), Match officials TV technicians, cameramen, commentators. Stadium staff, coach drivers etc etc. There is no way it can be argued that football is essential so gathering these people together is madness

 

 

[foxinsocks]

29 minutes ago, NaijaFox said:

The international breaks are when the South and North Americans, Asians and Africans play their WC and continental cup qualifiers.

I am fed up with Intl breaks... I have no I interest in eng and southgate the puppet of the blazers

[Ricey]

11 minutes ago, stripeyfox said:

The behind closed doors thing can't happen at the moment, or in the foreseeable future. Even with no fans, how many people would be required to stage a PL game? Probably 20 - 30 players and staff per team (minimum), Match officials TV technicians, cameramen, commentators. Stadium staff, coach drivers etc etc. There is no way it can be argued that football is essential so gathering these people together is madness

 

 

No one is suggesting it happens at the moment. The suggestions relate to when the restrictions are eased, i.e when the lockdown comes to an end. They’ll still be restrictions, such as no mass gatherings, but playing it behind closed doors would be do different to recording a TV show for example.

[Ricey]

If need be scrap both cup competitions next season. Better to scrap two less important competitions before they’ve began than cancel an entire season that is 75% of the way through.

[Super_horns]

11 hours ago, Walkers said:

People are deluded if they think there's gonna be no international football until summer 2021

They will have to play those European play offs with Scotland and the Irish teams in.

 

As if people in Scotland need more things to get depressed about!

 

I agree seems daft to cancel the season in the hope they might start the new one in August.

 

 

[foxinsocks]

2 hours ago, Ricey said:

If need be scrap both cup competitions next season. Better to scrap two less important competitions before they’ve began than cancel an entire season that is 75% of the way through.

Problem is the fa makes money from fa cup.... like UEFA makes money from euro cups!

[st albans fox]

Some chat that July will be targeted for the season to be completed behind closed doors

 

would have thought this is very doable but surprised they would go this late as a target at this point unless they’ve decided that this can actually be planned for. 

[inckley fox]

I saw a proposal that a play-off system could be used to decide European, relegation, promotion places in just 3-4 games per team involved. I've given myself a headache thinking of ways that that could work, but it's an interesting one. It'd be exciting.

[Fox92]

Just now, inckley fox said:

I saw a proposal that a play-off system could be used to decide European, relegation, promotion places in just 3-4 games per team involved. I've given myself a headache thinking of ways that that could work, but it's an interesting one. It'd be exciting.

It'd be exciting, as play offs are, but harsh to decide it that way. The whole point of a 30+ game league is that it determines the best and worse teams. One off games like Cup games and play off games don't establish this.

[inckley fox]

1 minute ago, Fox92 said:

It'd be exciting, as play offs are, but harsh to decide it that way. The whole point of a 30+ game league is that it determines the best and worse teams. One off games like Cup games and play off games don't establish this.

Yes, I agree totally. I just thought the logistics of the idea would be interesting. And, depending on how it was structured, I suppose you could argue that it'd be fairer than either null-and-voiding the season or simply judging promotion and relegation from where things stand now (or even after games in hand are played).

[NaijaFox]

8 hours ago, foxinsocks said:

I am fed up with Intl breaks... I have no I interest in eng and southgate the puppet of the blazers

Unfortunately, you’re not shelling the sort of cash sponsors of continental and global competitions are.
 

Seriously, though, a large percentage of the players we are fortunate to watch at City and the EPL would not be here without international football. While I similarly share little interest in Southgate’s team, international football is the only time that many folks around the globe get to see their heroes live, and it continues to constitute a channel for the supply of talent to the England, Europe and City. Sometimes, you just have to take the gain with the pain.

[MrSpaM]

42 minutes ago, inckley fox said:

Yes, I agree totally. I just thought the logistics of the idea would be interesting. And, depending on how it was structured, I suppose you could argue that it'd be fairer than either null-and-voiding the season or simply judging promotion and relegation from where things stand now (or even after games in hand are played).

I don't really understand why ending the season now and giving the places to the current position holders isn't the fairest option. If teams wanted to get into europe or not get relegated they should have played better at the start of the season, not left it with ten games to go and scraping a position on the last day of the season

 

Teams have got noone to blame apart from themselves if they don't like the position they are in

[Kitchandro]

Hearing some people (allegedly at some clubs) are warming to the idea of not finishing the season. I can't see how it's an option.

 

The backlash from some clubs (Liverpool, Leeds, us) would last a long time and I can see serious protests about it, and rightly so. What they did in the non-league was a disgrace, especially when you consider we have no idea when we can restart football anyway. It's next season which should be affected, not this one.

 

But it's the TV companies who call the shots in professional football. I have a feeling it is they who are pushing for the season to be finished ASAP or cancelled, as if there is no 2020/21 season I imagine they will lose money. I don't see why anyone else in football would be desperate for it to resume, this June 30th deadline is ludicrous and disrespectful. I can see why some struggling teams would be happy for it to be cancelled, but even they can't come up with a reasoned argument to support those feelings.

 

[Vince Vega]

6 minutes ago, MrSpaM said:

I don't really understand why ending the season now and giving the places to the current position holders isn't the fairest option. If teams wanted to get into europe or not get relegated they should have played better at the start of the season, not left it with ten games to go and scraping a position on the last day of the season

 

Teams have got noone to blame apart from themselves if they don't like the position they are in

Yes, because it's not possible to win something like 7 of your remaining 9 games is it? 

[Kitchandro]

16 minutes ago, MrSpaM said:

I don't really understand why ending the season now and giving the places to the current position holders isn't the fairest option. If teams wanted to get into europe or not get relegated they should have played better at the start of the season, not left it with ten games to go and scraping a position on the last day of the season

 

Teams have got noone to blame apart from themselves if they don't like the position they are in

All joking aside, the fairest option is to complete the season. It's as simple as that.

 

All it comes down to is whether people have the will to decide that football should win. If they care about football and football clubs, the authorities will make sure the season is completed no matter what.

 

Yes it would take some rejigging and they might actually have to think outside the box, but there have been plenty of reasonable suggestions about either shortening or cancelling the 2020/21 season to accomodate it, whilst also ensuring there is enough football for smaller clubs to live on.

 

These so-called professionals have been whinging about having too many fixtures for years. Now, in my opinion, this is the perfect opportunity for the authorities to solve that problem for a couple of seasons. And all it would take is for people to be patient and cancel the 2020/21 league season.