Decision on finishing the season

[RHYLRED]

Originally Posted by subbuteorob

Maybe start a new season but with the points accumulated to date.

I suggested that too, but got shot down.

[davewilli]

Like I said last week, it will be the legal advisers who will now decide the outcome of this season. I guess the league committee will buy a bit of time to see what happens with any challenges from teams below NL level.

Obviously NL options will be dependant on the FL decision regarding promotions & relegations, which probably won't be coming any time soon by which time I guess the vast majority of NL teams will not be in a position to extend player contracts without any income.

However in the scheme of things football is unimportant, despite what the great Bill Shankly would say and when it does become an issue, I think the importance will be whether the smaller towns still have a professional club not which league they are in.

[Wiltshire_Red]

Sad indictment of the greed of some Premier League clubs

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52120578

I don’t agree with Sadiq Khan on many things, but on his comments here I do.

Hopefully, today’s meeting on salary deferral between Premiership and EFL restores some sanity in these unusual times.

[subbuteorob]

Originally Posted by RHYLRED

I suggested that too, but got shot down.

I just get ignored as I'm not in the RP clique so thanks for responding

[Sandgrounder]

Originally Posted by Ddraigoch

Before anyone accuses me of scaremongering this is my take on it

We will be in lockdown (as of now) until some point in June.
We wouldn't be creating all of these field hospitals for 2 weeks of action.
So I firmly believe we will be in lockdown until beginning of June at the earliest.

In terms of football (which is so low down the list of priorities) I believe the Associations and Leagues are aware of this and are now hoping to launch the next season in late August.

With that in mind, the logical thing to do is to close down the current season and find a solution to how they resolve promotion and relegation. You are not going to please everyone so some will disappointed.

Keeping yourself healthy and virus free has to be more of a priority than watching football anyway.

Completely agree with everything but especially the emboldened bit.

I think we're all basically spinning our wheels on this one now, we've all got our entrenched positions and no one is persuading anyone to change; and if there are any swing or floating voters reading this thread, then they're not owning up to it.

In summary, though, there do seem to be the 4 options:

#1 Abandon the season: the argument seems to be that these are unprecedented times and require an unprecedented solution (which, maybe, is also the one in the rule book: I've not checked whether that's actually true, though and I somehow doubt it is that specific); the additional argument put forward that this is somehow the most fair solution just baffles me, though.

#2 Decide based on PPG: clearly involves the very substantial assumption that the PPG at the point the leagues stopped would also be the PPG at the end of a normal season; I would personally turn #1's argument on its head and argue that the unprecedented solution should be to ignore the rule book (even assuming this situation is addressed), to recognise the fact that players and fans have committed 8 or 9 months to something which did really happen, and to observe the spirit of a competition where the purpose is to move up or down the leagues.

#3 Carry on where we left off once it is safe to resume: this has been growing on me and I can see its merits but I do personally feel that it has too many downsides including the fact that season 20/21 will definitely be compromised (whereas that is still only a potential outcome for options #1 and #2), the fact that a season with a 3 or 4 or 5 or who knows how many months break is for all effects and purposes a new season and a weak team could suddenly be a strong team and vice versa, and the fact that players will have moved on so the teams themselves won't be the same.

#4 (least mentioned) start a new season and run it in full (hopefully) but with everybody carrying over their point totals: this, I think, has the same disadvantages as #3 but magnified. Wrexham (and lots of other clubs) had a shit 19/20 and starting where they left off effectively ruins 20/21 for everybody too.

[moynkeepthefaith]

Originally Posted by RHYLRED

I suggested that too, but got shot down.

Not by me man - i think it is a realistic option.

[Glossopred]

I am expanding on my post of last week especially now that the National League have virtually stated that there will be no more games, and I feel that it is too late in the day void this season.
The league positions must therefore be decided by PPG with the following conclusions
Premiership - Champions -Liverpool (undisputable) Relegated -Norwich and Bournemouth
Championship - Promoted -Leeds and West Brom Relegated -Luton and Barnsley
League 1 - Promoted - Coventry and Rotherham Relegated -Southend and Bolton
League 2 - Promoted - Crewe Swindon and Plymouth
Stevenage not relegated due to need to make up the loss of Bury
National League - Barrow promoted (due to the need to replace Bury). Chorley to be relegated and replaced by Kings Lynn from N.L.North and Wealdstone from N.L.South
The situation is not ideal but I feel this is the fairest way to address the situation.
Most of the teams to be relegated, with a couple of exceptions, are already in perilous positions and would find it hard to recover.
This method should be extended to all the lower leagues especially when you consider Jersey Bulls who have won all 27 league games and have to travel to the mainland for all of their away games at great cost will have no reward whatsoever.
The F.A.Cup, F.A.Trophy and F.A.Vase could be played as curtain raisers for the new season either at Wembley or more geographically viable for the two lesser cups.
With this conclusion, players contracts can be honoured to their due date and retained lists drawn up with tentative preparations being mad for an August/September new season.

[Cymro]

This is one of the best debates of recent seasons , free from the usual rancour. There are so many variables though that nobody yet can provide an answer. The longer this shutdown goes on the less likely it is we will ever finish this season. I think we have to face the fact that it is over. Completely over. Finishing it in six or seven months time would mean finishing with teams totally unlike the teams who last played and possibly without some of the clubs. Points per game only reflects the history, not the completeness of the season while carrying points over to the new season would pretty much destroy the interest of many clubs in the new season. While I appreciate that Barrow have a moral reason for wanting to gain promotion given the story of how they lost their league status, four points ahead with nine games to go is nowhere near enough to assume an unchallenged right to claim the championship. Accepting that the season is over is the only option now. Let's concentrate our energies on the bigger task in hand and look forward to a new season, whenever that will be.

[Prodigal Dragon]

Originally Posted by Glossopred

I am expanding on my post of last week especially now that the National League have virtually stated that there will be no more games, and I feel that it is too late in the day void this season.
The league positions must therefore be decided by PPG with the following conclusions
Premiership - Champions -Liverpool (undisputable) Relegated -Norwich and Bournemouth
Championship - Promoted -Leeds and West Brom Relegated -Luton and Barnsley
League 1 - Promoted - Coventry and Rotherham Relegated -Southend and Bolton
League 2 - Promoted - Crewe Swindon and Plymouth
Stevenage not relegated due to need to make up the loss of Bury
National League - Barrow promoted (due to the need to replace Bury). Chorley to be relegated and replaced by Kings Lynn from N.L.North and Wealdstone from N.L.South
The situation is not ideal but I feel this is the fairest way to address the situation.
Most of the teams to be relegated, with a couple of exceptions, are already in perilous positions and would find it hard to recover.
This method should be extended to all the lower leagues especially when you consider Jersey Bulls who have won all 27 league games and have to travel to the mainland for all of their away games at great cost will have no reward whatsoever.
The F.A.Cup, F.A.Trophy and F.A.Vase could be played as curtain raisers for the new season either at Wembley or more geographically viable for the two lesser cups.
With this conclusion, players contracts can be honoured to their due date and retained lists drawn up with tentative preparations being mad for an August/September new season.

Seems a sensible solution.