Championship 2025/26 Season

[Fox92]

10 hours ago, filbertway said:

Find it mad that seemingly 99% of people with an Internet connection have never seen a game abandoned before

We've seen games abandoned with wider scorelines than 1-0 but thankfully the internet wasn't as big then. 

[ClaphamFox]

20 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

We've seen games abandoned with wider scorelines than 1-0 but thankfully the internet wasn't as big then. 

Can you cite a previous example of a game being abandoned after 80mins with one side in the lead and with a numerical advantage, and the game being replayed in full? 

[FrankieADZ]

9 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

Can you cite a previous example of a game being abandoned after 80mins with one side in the lead and with a numerical advantage, and the game being replayed in full? 

thats a really good point, its not like there was still a half to play, there was around 12/13 mins to play(injury time included)

and the other factors too including the scoreline and the fact Ipswich were down to 10 men too, 

the way the EFL have come to this decision has frankly opened Pandora's box; they should have just played the remaining time at a neutral location(behind close doors) like they have done in other countries(as said in the thread already)

 

and fans blaming the pitch/blackburn, theyve got decent pitch infrastructure(drainage etc) but the amount of rain would have done the same to any teams pitch

 

imagine the uproar if Blackburn lose and they get relegated or denied a spot in the play offs because of decision

[Jazzy_Jeff]

Worth pointing out that Americans own Ipswich and Indians own Blackburn.

 

I’ve said for ages that the US are taking over English football. The American involvement in both ownership/investment is growing and some of the rules changes (past and future) are simply here to control the outcomes. The future of domestic football in this country is bleak.

[ClaphamFox]

33 minutes ago, FrankieADZ said:

thats a really good point, its not like there was still a half to play, there was around 12/13 mins to play(injury time included)

and the other factors too including the scoreline and the fact Ipswich were down to 10 men too, 

the way the EFL have come to this decision has frankly opened Pandora's box; they should have just played the remaining time at a neutral location(behind close doors) like they have done in other countries(as said in the thread already)

 

and fans blaming the pitch/blackburn, theyve got decent pitch infrastructure(drainage etc) but the amount of rain would have done the same to any teams pitch

 

imagine the uproar if Blackburn lose and they get relegated or denied a spot in the play offs because of decision

Exactly. The reason why this decision is so controversial has nothing to do with it occurring in the age of the internet, and everything to do with the particular circumstances of the fixture. As far as I can tell, there is no precedent in English professional football for a game being abandoned so late with one team having such an advantage and then being replayed in full. A few years ago a game between Rotherham and Cardiff was abandoned with Cardiff winning 1-0 and then replayed in full—but that was in the 47th minute when both teams still had eleven men, so not really comparable to the Blackburn v Ipswich game.

 

The point is that the EFL had three choices here: 1) replay the game in full; 2) let the 1-0 result stand with no further minutes played; or 3) replay the remaining 10mins plus whatever added minutes had accrued at that time. Of these, 3) seems by far the fairest option, followed by 2) and then 3). The reason they chose the least fair option is simply because it hasn't been done before in this country and they didn't want to break with precedent. My point is that given the circumstances of this abandonment were unprecedented, there was an opportunity to come up with an unprecedented solution that would seem fair to the large majority of people. Their failure to do so was cowardly.

Edited 26 September 2025 by ClaphamFox

[The Bear]

You can't replay the remaining time in any fair way though.

 

The physical condition of all the players will be different. The same lineups may not be available. And they would have had weeks to prepare a different game plan for it. 

[Jack1993]

41 minutes ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

Worth pointing out that Americans own Ipswich and Indians own Blackburn.

 

I’ve said for ages that the US are taking over English football. The American involvement in both ownership/investment is growing and some of the rules changes (past and future) are simply here to control the outcomes. The future of domestic football in this country is bleak.

Yep, that was absolutely worth pointing out - can't believe I missed it 

[LCFCJohn]

Given the decision made, the bare minimum should apply to the rearranged fixture.

 

1. Blackburn are given a 1-0 lead in the game

2. Jacob Greaves is removed from the match at 49 minutes and Ipswich play with 10. If Greaves doesn’t play (say he is injured), a different player is removed.

3. If any Blackburn players are injured in the rearranged fixture, Blackburn should be financially compensated.

[Chelmofox]

3 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

Given the decision made, the bare minimum should apply to the rearranged fixture.

 

1. Blackburn are given a 1-0 lead in the game

2. Jacob Greaves is removed from the match at 49 minutes and Ipswich play with 10. If Greaves doesn’t play (say he is injured), a different player is removed.

3. If any Blackburn players are injured in the rearranged fixture, Blackburn should be financially compensated.

I think they should forecast the game during another storm, and all stop behaving like pu55ies. 

[LCFCJohn]

58 minutes ago, Chelmofox said:

I think they should forecast the game during another storm, and all stop behaving like pu55ies. 

This would be the preference 

 

Hence me starting with given the decision made!

[RowlattsFox]

I've not really seen how bad the pitch was, but could they have just got on with it for another 10 minutes. Adapt and all that.

 

Blackburn should have invested more into the pitch drainage, Burnley managed to finished the game up the road 

 

 

[Jazzy_Jeff]

1 hour ago, Jack1993 said:

Yep, that was absolutely worth pointing out - can't believe I missed it 

Take the pi55 all you want, it’s happening 

[Fox92]

3 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

Can you cite a previous example of a game being abandoned after 80mins with one side in the lead and with a numerical advantage, and the game being replayed in full? 

Not sure about that late into the game but the one I point too, which I can recall, is that Barnsley were 4-1 up at Plymouth in 2009 and after 60 mins it was abandoned.

Clearly this was not 80 mins but only 20 mins previous and a 3 goal advantage instead of 1, and it was Barnsley who were away.

Replayed game, in full, ended 0-0.

[ealingfox]

It's Ipswich - if a triple deflection hadn't gone in off someone's arse by the 93rd minute, then the ref would have nicked the ball off a Blackburn player and smashed it into the top corner for them anyway.

[filbertway]

3 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

Can you cite a previous example of a game being abandoned after 80mins with one side in the lead and with a numerical advantage, and the game being replayed in full? 

What's your cut off of acceptable time? haha
 

Here's some where a team was trailing and down a man.

• Blackpool vs Huddersfield Town – April 2015 (Championship)

  • Abandoned at half-time (Blackpool 0–2 Huddersfield, Blackpool down to 10 men).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Torquay United vs Portsmouth – August 2013 (League Cup, 1st Round)

  • Abandoned in the 55th minute (Torquay 1–0 up, Portsmouth down to 10 men after a red).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Charlton vs Doncaster – December 2011 (League One)

  • Abandoned in the 54th minute due to floodlight failure (Charlton 1–0 up, Doncaster with a red card).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Barnsley v Plymouth Argyle, November 24, 2009 (Championship) is another good case.

  • Situation:

    • Plymouth were leading 4–1 at Oakwell.

    • Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men after Iain Hume was sent off (straight red).

    • Heavy rain caused the pitch to become waterlogged.

    • The referee abandoned the game in the 58th minute.

  • Solution:

    • As per EFL rules, the match was ordered to be replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both teams back to 11 players.

    • The rearranged fixture was played in March 2010 and finished Barnsley 0–0 Plymouth.

[filbertway]

45 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

I've not really seen how bad the pitch was, but could they have just got on with it for another 10 minutes. Adapt and all that.

 

Blackburn should have invested more into the pitch drainage, Burnley managed to finished the game up the road 

 

 

From what I've read it was barely playable from half time.

[Fox92]

1 minute ago, filbertway said:

 

• Barnsley v Plymouth Argyle, November 24, 2009 (Championship) is another good case.

  • Situation:

    • Plymouth were leading 4–1 at Oakwell.

    • Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men after Iain Hume was sent off (straight red).

    • Heavy rain caused the pitch to become waterlogged.

    • The referee abandoned the game in the 58th minute.

  • Solution:

    • As per EFL rules, the match was ordered to be replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both teams back to 11 players.

    • The rearranged fixture was played in March 2010 and finished Barnsley 0–0 Plymouth.

I just used this as an example but the game was actually at Home Park so Barnsley were 4-1 up away from home which makes it even worse.

[filbertway]

If they want to make some new arbitrary rules on then that's fine, do it in the off season and make it clear what the new rules are. Can imagine that document would be about 50 pages long with all the "if this scenario happens...then do this"

 

But will people need to stop whinging about a bad precedent being set from this decision, because it's following a precedent that has been set for ages.

[filbertway]

2 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

I just used this as an example but the game was actually at Home Park so Barnsley were 4-1 up away from home which makes it even worse.

Well there goes all my credibility

 

[ClaphamFox]

18 minutes ago, filbertway said:

What's your cut off of acceptable time? haha
 

Here's some where a team was trailing and down a man.

• Blackpool vs Huddersfield Town – April 2015 (Championship)

  • Abandoned at half-time (Blackpool 0–2 Huddersfield, Blackpool down to 10 men).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Torquay United vs Portsmouth – August 2013 (League Cup, 1st Round)

  • Abandoned in the 55th minute (Torquay 1–0 up, Portsmouth down to 10 men after a red).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Charlton vs Doncaster – December 2011 (League One)

  • Abandoned in the 54th minute due to floodlight failure (Charlton 1–0 up, Doncaster with a red card).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Barnsley v Plymouth Argyle, November 24, 2009 (Championship) is another good case.

  • Situation:

    • Plymouth were leading 4–1 at Oakwell.

    • Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men after Iain Hume was sent off (straight red).

    • Heavy rain caused the pitch to become waterlogged.

    • The referee abandoned the game in the 58th minute.

  • Solution:

    • As per EFL rules, the match was ordered to be replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both teams back to 11 players.

    • The rearranged fixture was played in March 2010 and finished Barnsley 0–0 Plymouth.

I think if a game is abandoned after 75mins they should either play the remaining minutes or (if it's close to the 90min mark) just let the result stand. All of the examples above were abandoned before 60mins, so I think a full replay was probably the right thing to do (though perhaps a little harsh on Plymouth).

 

 

[StonyFox]

3 hours ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

Worth pointing out that Americans own Ipswich and Indians own Blackburn.

 

I’ve said for ages that the US are taking over English football. The American involvement in both ownership/investment is growing and some of the rules changes (past and future) are simply here to control the outcomes. The future of domestic football in this country is bleak.

I thought the same when they announced they were considering extending the playoffs. Some of the more high profile owners have suddenly realised it's not going to be that easy to get into the prem, so want to give themselves more of a chance. 

 

I agree with you that it isn't going to be long until English football is ruled by America owners. I think over half of prem and championship teams now have some form of American investment. 

[Swarles Barkley]

44 minutes ago, filbertway said:

What's your cut off of acceptable time? haha
 

Here's some where a team was trailing and down a man.

• Blackpool vs Huddersfield Town – April 2015 (Championship)

  • Abandoned at half-time (Blackpool 0–2 Huddersfield, Blackpool down to 10 men).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Torquay United vs Portsmouth – August 2013 (League Cup, 1st Round)

  • Abandoned in the 55th minute (Torquay 1–0 up, Portsmouth down to 10 men after a red).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Charlton vs Doncaster – December 2011 (League One)

  • Abandoned in the 54th minute due to floodlight failure (Charlton 1–0 up, Doncaster with a red card).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Barnsley v Plymouth Argyle, November 24, 2009 (Championship) is another good case.

  • Situation:

    • Plymouth were leading 4–1 at Oakwell.

    • Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men after Iain Hume was sent off (straight red).

    • Heavy rain caused the pitch to become waterlogged.

    • The referee abandoned the game in the 58th minute.

  • Solution:

    • As per EFL rules, the match was ordered to be replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both teams back to 11 players.

    • The rearranged fixture was played in March 2010 and finished Barnsley 0–0 Plymouth.

So what you’re saying is we should lump on the rearranged fixture to be 0-0

Edited 26 September 2025 by Swarles Barkley

[FrankieADZ]

1 hour ago, filbertway said:

What's your cut off of acceptable time? haha
 

Here's some where a team was trailing and down a man.

• Blackpool vs Huddersfield Town – April 2015 (Championship)

  • Abandoned at half-time (Blackpool 0–2 Huddersfield, Blackpool down to 10 men).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Torquay United vs Portsmouth – August 2013 (League Cup, 1st Round)

  • Abandoned in the 55th minute (Torquay 1–0 up, Portsmouth down to 10 men after a red).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Charlton vs Doncaster – December 2011 (League One)

  • Abandoned in the 54th minute due to floodlight failure (Charlton 1–0 up, Doncaster with a red card).

  • Replay ordered from 0–0, full 90 minutes.

 

• Barnsley v Plymouth Argyle, November 24, 2009 (Championship) is another good case.

  • Situation:

    • Plymouth were leading 4–1 at Oakwell.

    • Barnsley had been reduced to 10 men after Iain Hume was sent off (straight red).

    • Heavy rain caused the pitch to become waterlogged.

    • The referee abandoned the game in the 58th minute.

  • Solution:

    • As per EFL rules, the match was ordered to be replayed in full, starting 0–0, with both teams back to 11 players.

    • The rearranged fixture was played in March 2010 and finished Barnsley 0–0 Plymouth.

for me it would be anywhere near the 80min, and other factors;

[Md9]

Ipswich luck will run out soon and they will go on one of the worst runs of results know to man and it will be hard for them to stop the rot because they used all their luck up on dodgy deflected last minute goals, sam

morsey committing 26 yellow card offences a game and not being sent off before being subbed off and the rain saving them from major whole down to ten men . And in for one can’t wait to see it happen 

[Sunbury Fox]

Surprised nobody has mentioned the Derby v Fulham abandonment in 1983. Fulham were vying with us for the final promotion place on the final day of the season. We drew at home to Burnley, meaning that if Fulham won at Derby they would finish 3rd ( no play offs in those days). However, the Fulham game was abandoned 78 seconds before the end of the game because Derby fans invaded the pitch, thinking the ref had blown the final whistle, to celebrate staying up. After waiting in vain for 15 minutes for the pitch to be cleared, the ref called the game off. Still feels odd that they didn’t wait longer to clear the pitch. Fulham subsequently submitted an appeal for a full replay but it was declined, the result stood and we were promoted!