No one can have any complains if the season can be eventually completed in front of fans. The other alternative is to finish behind closed doors.
I wonder if playing behind closed doors is sustainable/profitable for league one. Don't most clubs rely on match day income?
If not, I'd say it's best to call the season and and take a vote on what happens next, because if fans can't go to games for the foreseeable future, and these clubs are relying on income from fans, then there's no point in even selling season tickets tbh.
There's no point in even starting a new season if fans cant go to games unless there's another source of income, like a bailout perhaps. Football clubs can forget about match day income for the next few months at least.
No easy answers Doggie Dog! Are you related to Rovers' mascot Donny Dog?
It's looking more than likely the clubs are going to call an end to the season. Then play next season as they did years ago, league one with a north south divide. 12 teams in each league, winners go up, 2nd place in both north n south play each other to see who goes up in the 3rd spot. 22 games played, no going to Pompey on a Tuesday night, instead all games played on Saturday. Except the Christmas n Easter fixtures, start in September, finish in April.
Personally I like the idea, just wondering if it'll get the go ahead.
I have already paid for my season ticket for 2020/21.
Will you be seeking a refund? Are they still on sale?
Not sure but I think they are still on sale.
I won’t be seeking a refund.
They need to Give the premiership to L.pool if only for £££ European reasons and draw a line under the rest of this season and hopefully start a fresh at some point.
Especially in championship.
The most recent indications have pointed to a closed-doors finish and the number of days that it would take with play-offs is 56. If training starts mid May early June could see the start and the season would finish just as the "normal" 20/21 one would start.
You might say that players have had their break and just like everyone else there will not be much "holiday" this year anyway, so they could re-start straight away.
Clubs won't have the income to fund another break and may have to endure more closed-doors football up to the end of the year. Inevitably players will have to live with the financial consequences, just as the rest of the working population will have to.
Yes, there could be legal battles and much dissatisfaction from players, but all those in what might be categorised as the entertainment industry will surely have to recognise that in the overall scheme of things what they provide is a luxury.
Like many of us, I've been looking at many ways the season could finish. Unfortunately, it now seems more likely it is finished now. How are winners and losers calculated?
As many have said, no answer will please everyone. The current favorite seems to be points per game with promotion and relegation, but no play-offs - with ppg calculated to weight home and away games. Forget the Premier League at the moment as determining who plays in Europe is another issue.
Take our League; the only team almost assured automatic promotion is Coventry - 7 points clear with a game in hand and only 9 games for the other teams. The lucky winner would be Oxford because of their recent good run. At the other end of the table, Bolton and Southend were almost "gone", but Tranmere would feel hard done by with their recent good run.
I've looked at all leagues, but you can all do that if you want. I almost prefer declaring league winners, but no promotion or relegation. Obviously, in the Championship, the Weeds and West Brom would feel hard done by, and the Dingles would get a lucky escape. In our League, Bolton and Southend would get "get out of jail" cards. In League 2, no-one has rights to automatic promotion now, but either Stevenage or Macclesfield would be getting a "get out of jail" card.
While I have little love for the Dingles (except Pauline's late sister-in-law came from there, and she was a lovely person - and was called Pauline as well, which at times caused family confusion!), I tend to favour the no promotion or relegation. The only thing we have to do is declare Liverpool and Premier League winners after all their heartbreaks.
Like many others I had no idea that when the PL was set up the FA retained a veto on any potential changes. Not only that, but the mood music from the FA is that they are not minded to allow relegation to be abandoned in the PL. I suspect that the veto would also apply to any changes proposed by the EFL, even if it was feasible for them to abandon relegation and have a 26 team Championship next year. There will be tears before bed-time.
The wider the field of speculation, the more that can be written, so I have not engaged really closely with anything but the EFL.
As I said in my first post, financial losses are inevitable in the EFL without the gate money and focussed on that, clubs with no realistic hope of promotion or a play-off place will surely vote to end the season. Those in fear of relegation, but currently occupying positions above the bottom 2 or 3 automatic places will be of similar mind. I agree that Tranmere might well want to play the season out, but they and clubs in what might be termed the “lesser” play-off positions will be in the minority. The likes of Rovers, Fleetwood etc., are more likely to be sitting on the fence, but will not create a majority against the end-it-now brigade.
Legal action might well be taken by those clubs with an interest in the play-offs and if it is proposed that Fulham, Oxford and the League 2 equivalent or equivalents do get advanced without further games being played, it would certainly throw up arguments of principle which clubs like Peterborough might well take to Law.
As time has gone on, so I suspect will the desire of clubs like Rovers, whose interest in the play-offs is realistically fairly remote, to finish the programme. Assuming that their finances are not under immediate threat one assumes that they will have to compensate season ticket holders.
If the PL resumes you would hope that some money will be passed down the chain to the EFL to help them in that respect.
Some good comments, Donaldo. I am beginning to think the season will be cancelled, supported by the fact more teams would agree than object. Deciding promotion and relegation is another issue. In League One, it will be difficult to avoid lawsuits if Oxford is given promotion without playoffs - and Tranmere might want to join at the other end of the division.
According to the DFP, there is thought to be a decision by the EFL by Thursday.
Good to hear from everyone.
Life will never be the same again and both short and long term football will reflect it. With money such a dominant factor there had to be a check point. Let us hope that it will not lead to the elimination of lower league football.
I wait for Monday's meeting of League One Clubs with bated breath for a decision - or may be I should not!
We have seen many adverse retrospective comments about the “Experiment”, but Chris Brown’s description (/www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/nostalgia/phone-call-destiny-comedy-show-and-career-saving-discovery-chris-brown-talks-his-first-two-seasons-back-doncaster-rovers-2857433) shows how close to reality most of us were in imagining what it was like and how it would all end. No one ever apologised to the fans for such a shocking misjudgment and the fact that the directors thought it was viable points to their complete incompetence as a Board. Although the sacking of SOD was probably premature too Saunders did prove his capability when his hands were untied with the winning of League 1, but by being persuaded by JR to go along with Dickov’s appointment without running a proper recruitment process, they made another crucial misjudgment effectively engineering two relegations in 3 years. Fortunately they are now more measured in their decision-making.
The Peterborough proposal of ending the season with multi-team play-offs is an excellent one because then, only teams with something to gain would be involved and in a knockout system the commitment would be limited and continue only when your club had something to gain. I think a case could be made to include the current top 2 who might well have faded under the pressure of the run-in and are incredibly lucky to have been where they were when everything stopped.
It is very very, difficult, to find a system to please everyone, but I'm with Donaldo about the expanded play-off formula, and I think the top two should be included.
What about relegation? Tranmere were on a role, and I think we were concerned about them for our up-coming game; it would be an injustice to relegate them on their current position.
How does one solve this?
It seems that the EFL has decided that its Regulations must be followed as regards promotion and relegation irrespective of the current exceptional circumstances. Those rules are surely predicated on the assumption that the fixture programme would be completed, carrying with it the fact that all clubs will have played each other twice.
It would not be unreasonable to argue that this principle is the primary objective of the Regulations and cannot be arbitrary overriden with little or no supporting rationale.
When an utterly unexpected event like we have now happens, surely the aim should be to achieve that objective fairly. Terminating now on a ppg basis meets none of the fundamental principled objectives. Points-per-game is not likely to be within their Regulations in anyway.
I think a good case could be mounted against the EFL on this basis.
https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/cost-playing-financial-implications-doncaster-rovers-complete-201920-season-including-pricing-covid-19-testing-2861983
The above article sets out the estimated cost of Rovers playing out the whole of the season's fixtures. When placed against the odds of making the play-offs and then achieving promotion it would surely not be sensible to vote for that option. Participating in an expanded play-off competition though would still seem a viable option and rather more exciting too.
Donaldo, I agree - the extended play-offs would have been fun! However, to the EFL, rules are rules. However, when the rules were written, nobody could have imagined a situation such as today. They just sound like certain politicians.
I liked the analysis in the DFP on whether each club would prefer to curtail now on an un-weighted PPG basis with play-offs to happen, or resume. I basically agreed with the conclusions, and agree that Tranmere would be very upset as they have a very good chance of escaping relegation.
As many have said, no solution will please everyone.
I was amazed at the cost of testing, and agree for the Rovers it would be a waste of money without some very good fortune.
What ever happens, we now have the difficulty of players out of contract - will the "fun" never end?
On the cost of testing, this just reflects what has been happening in the public sector under "austerity", why the death rate in the UK is so high. Testing in general has not been one of the success stories and much reliance in the health sector is now placed on the private sector (who are obviously going to "sell" and profit from testing) whereas in times gone by this would have been free under the NHS.
The UK's poor Corona virus stats compared with the rest of Europe reflect the run-down state of the NHS where facilities have been cut to the bone and infrastructure to implement the various measures to deal with it is non-existent. Their only option is appeal for volunteers and call in the Army!
Needless to say the Government is having a hard time of it at the moment. They dropped making comparisons with the rest of the world once the UK stats became the worst in Europe, telling us that such comparisons were misleading.
I wonder how many Rovers fans agree with Liam Holden's DFP article https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/its-not-fair-its-not-ideal-it-what-it-and-its-time-league-ones-mardy-bums-accept-liam-hoden-column-2869911
I do not think it is fair to label those who would like to see a more widely competitive end to the season as effectively selfish.
When any group of individuals or teams come together to compete, the very essence of the contest is that they will all play each other in order to decide which is the best, second best etc., for the reward of promotion; and equally for the least successful to be excluded to a lower level by relegation.
It is not "selfish" to strive for a fair outcome. The ultimate goal of every team and every fan is to see his or her team promoted and if the process envisaged at the outset is not fulfilled there is a clear injustice and immense frustration. How many times do football commentators including journalists talk about it "not being just about one match, but the entire season"? How many of us would really enjoy professional football if there were not the ultimate goal of promotion or in the case of the PL, the Title?
It makes you question whether those who favour the current direction of travel have either the hearts, or the minds of the true supporter.
It's all fizzled out then. Economics and the institutionalists won the day. Perhaps those with a genuine interest in proper competition should have marched to the EFL headquarters and demonstrated.
But then, perhaps decisions relating to sport should exclude all reference to the principle of true competition. Rules which were devised without the slightest notion of the current circumstances are immutable and must be followed... a ragged end with every sporting principle sacrificed to suit vested interests.
The miserable alliance of the current top two, desperate to hold on to what the fixtures have fortuitously delivered for them thus far and those fearing the competition which lies ahead which might inflict their relegation solidified. Perhaps those in the nothing-to-play-for middle whose complacency provided the majority have no sporting principles; otherwise they would have gone along with a credible play-off competition. It would have cost them absolutely nothing. In this context I do not admire DRFC's apparent ambivalence.
On a happier note here are the results of the 2019-20 DPL. Perhaps forecasting the results of the play-off competition might be a suitable finale, but for all the reasons given above I do not really want to be associated with anything so arbitrary. Possibly I should also make some reference to PPG or points-per-forecast and do some marking up or down.
In fact Nookie whose wit is matched by his predictive abilities is well in front and in any case the DPL is not quite the same as the EFL League 1 itself. So congratulations to him for his convincing win. I feel that I should also credit those who scored bonuses which originally were agreed to be scored at 5. These are Nookie, Yorkshire Lad and Crazy. I erroneously awarded Crazy 10 points instead of the 5 agreed at the beginning of the season, so have adjusted that. PDXMickyB scored well too. I scored the second most points, but the achievement is rather like the Sunday School Attendance Prizes I used to win. I am obliged to participate, but the pressure is a probably more genuinely devotional than that which propelled me out of the door on a Sunday afternoon to St Mary's Wentworth Road Church Hall.
I look forward to next season and not missing Ipswich (A), possibly Colchester (A) et al, but sadly not Southend who need to re-group seriously, and perhaps even Charlton who I see have sunk rather low recently. Oh where might we have been had things turned out differently?
Here are the numbers:
MK Dons 0 : Rovers 1 (Ramsey)
>>>>>>> Scorer > Score > Result Bonus > Total > Pts B/F > O/all
Donaldo>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 81 >>>> 81
PDXMickey> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 80 >>>> 80
Yorks Lad>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>> 3 >>>>> 72 >>>> 75
BVZ>>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 37 >>>> 37
Crazy>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 69 >>>> 69
Uthred>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 57 >>>> 57
Mooligan>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 4 >>>>> 63 >>>> 67
King Chmprr 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>>> 3 >>>>> 3
Small Azza> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>>> 52 >>>> 55
Azza>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 11 >>>> 11
Cheltenham 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0
Nookie>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 94 >>>>> 94
Selby>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0
Lanza>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 62 >>>> 62
>>>>>>>>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>> 6 >>>>> 0 >>>> 10 >>>> 686 >>> 691
Donaldo, while I would have liked the season to be played out as in the Premier League and Championship, especially as deciding teams' fates is ridiculous with nine games to go, honestly I'm glad a decision has been made.
It is obvious that financial aspects won the day, and as we want a financially stable group of teams next season, it is somewhat understandable.
While several teams have good reasons to be angry and unhappy, I can't help feeling sorry for Tranmere and Peterborough who had very good chances to avoid relegation and achieve the play-offs respectively. My cousin, an Oxford supporter, must be happy! Have they ever been higher than the third tier?
Looking at the Championship table today, if they had gone the L1/L2 route, the three teams relegated would have been the three promoted last season. Has that happened before? Grant McCann at Hull now must remain very nervous!
Thanks for doing the DPL - I nearly caught you up!
I agree with you about liking Nookie's humour - and yours, or may be some of yours is sarcasm!
Micky: I always look forward to reading your observations.
Oxford got into the top tier in the mid eighties, but sunk back to the Conference before their more recent revival under the talented Mr Robinson.
It would have been nice to have something to distract us just a little from all the bad news here and in the USA. I think both countries are in the relegation zone with the managers’ jobs on the line!
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Drifting away...
Page 1 of 2
posted on 23/4/20
No one can have any complains if the season can be eventually completed in front of fans. The other alternative is to finish behind closed doors.
I wonder if playing behind closed doors is sustainable/profitable for league one. Don't most clubs rely on match day income?
If not, I'd say it's best to call the season and and take a vote on what happens next, because if fans can't go to games for the foreseeable future, and these clubs are relying on income from fans, then there's no point in even selling season tickets tbh.
There's no point in even starting a new season if fans cant go to games unless there's another source of income, like a bailout perhaps. Football clubs can forget about match day income for the next few months at least.
posted on 23/4/20
No easy answers Doggie Dog! Are you related to Rovers' mascot Donny Dog?
posted on 23/4/20
No relation sir.
posted on 23/4/20
It's looking more than likely the clubs are going to call an end to the season. Then play next season as they did years ago, league one with a north south divide. 12 teams in each league, winners go up, 2nd place in both north n south play each other to see who goes up in the 3rd spot. 22 games played, no going to Pompey on a Tuesday night, instead all games played on Saturday. Except the Christmas n Easter fixtures, start in September, finish in April.
Personally I like the idea, just wondering if it'll get the go ahead.
posted on 23/4/20
I have already paid for my season ticket for 2020/21.
posted on 24/4/20
Will you be seeking a refund? Are they still on sale?
posted on 24/4/20
Not sure but I think they are still on sale.
I won’t be seeking a refund.
posted on 4/5/20
They need to Give the premiership to L.pool if only for £££ European reasons and draw a line under the rest of this season and hopefully start a fresh at some point.
Especially in championship.
posted on 4/5/20
The most recent indications have pointed to a closed-doors finish and the number of days that it would take with play-offs is 56. If training starts mid May early June could see the start and the season would finish just as the "normal" 20/21 one would start.
You might say that players have had their break and just like everyone else there will not be much "holiday" this year anyway, so they could re-start straight away.
Clubs won't have the income to fund another break and may have to endure more closed-doors football up to the end of the year. Inevitably players will have to live with the financial consequences, just as the rest of the working population will have to.
Yes, there could be legal battles and much dissatisfaction from players, but all those in what might be categorised as the entertainment industry will surely have to recognise that in the overall scheme of things what they provide is a luxury.
posted on 9/5/20
Like many of us, I've been looking at many ways the season could finish. Unfortunately, it now seems more likely it is finished now. How are winners and losers calculated?
As many have said, no answer will please everyone. The current favorite seems to be points per game with promotion and relegation, but no play-offs - with ppg calculated to weight home and away games. Forget the Premier League at the moment as determining who plays in Europe is another issue.
Take our League; the only team almost assured automatic promotion is Coventry - 7 points clear with a game in hand and only 9 games for the other teams. The lucky winner would be Oxford because of their recent good run. At the other end of the table, Bolton and Southend were almost "gone", but Tranmere would feel hard done by with their recent good run.
I've looked at all leagues, but you can all do that if you want. I almost prefer declaring league winners, but no promotion or relegation. Obviously, in the Championship, the Weeds and West Brom would feel hard done by, and the Dingles would get a lucky escape. In our League, Bolton and Southend would get "get out of jail" cards. In League 2, no-one has rights to automatic promotion now, but either Stevenage or Macclesfield would be getting a "get out of jail" card.
While I have little love for the Dingles (except Pauline's late sister-in-law came from there, and she was a lovely person - and was called Pauline as well, which at times caused family confusion!), I tend to favour the no promotion or relegation. The only thing we have to do is declare Liverpool and Premier League winners after all their heartbreaks.
posted on 10/5/20
Like many others I had no idea that when the PL was set up the FA retained a veto on any potential changes. Not only that, but the mood music from the FA is that they are not minded to allow relegation to be abandoned in the PL. I suspect that the veto would also apply to any changes proposed by the EFL, even if it was feasible for them to abandon relegation and have a 26 team Championship next year. There will be tears before bed-time.
posted on 11/5/20
The wider the field of speculation, the more that can be written, so I have not engaged really closely with anything but the EFL.
As I said in my first post, financial losses are inevitable in the EFL without the gate money and focussed on that, clubs with no realistic hope of promotion or a play-off place will surely vote to end the season. Those in fear of relegation, but currently occupying positions above the bottom 2 or 3 automatic places will be of similar mind. I agree that Tranmere might well want to play the season out, but they and clubs in what might be termed the “lesser” play-off positions will be in the minority. The likes of Rovers, Fleetwood etc., are more likely to be sitting on the fence, but will not create a majority against the end-it-now brigade.
Legal action might well be taken by those clubs with an interest in the play-offs and if it is proposed that Fulham, Oxford and the League 2 equivalent or equivalents do get advanced without further games being played, it would certainly throw up arguments of principle which clubs like Peterborough might well take to Law.
As time has gone on, so I suspect will the desire of clubs like Rovers, whose interest in the play-offs is realistically fairly remote, to finish the programme. Assuming that their finances are not under immediate threat one assumes that they will have to compensate season ticket holders.
If the PL resumes you would hope that some money will be passed down the chain to the EFL to help them in that respect.
posted on 11/5/20
Some good comments, Donaldo. I am beginning to think the season will be cancelled, supported by the fact more teams would agree than object. Deciding promotion and relegation is another issue. In League One, it will be difficult to avoid lawsuits if Oxford is given promotion without playoffs - and Tranmere might want to join at the other end of the division.
According to the DFP, there is thought to be a decision by the EFL by Thursday.
posted on 12/5/20
Good to hear from everyone.
Life will never be the same again and both short and long term football will reflect it. With money such a dominant factor there had to be a check point. Let us hope that it will not lead to the elimination of lower league football.
posted on 18/5/20
I wait for Monday's meeting of League One Clubs with bated breath for a decision - or may be I should not!
posted on 19/5/20
We have seen many adverse retrospective comments about the “Experiment”, but Chris Brown’s description (/www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/nostalgia/phone-call-destiny-comedy-show-and-career-saving-discovery-chris-brown-talks-his-first-two-seasons-back-doncaster-rovers-2857433) shows how close to reality most of us were in imagining what it was like and how it would all end. No one ever apologised to the fans for such a shocking misjudgment and the fact that the directors thought it was viable points to their complete incompetence as a Board. Although the sacking of SOD was probably premature too Saunders did prove his capability when his hands were untied with the winning of League 1, but by being persuaded by JR to go along with Dickov’s appointment without running a proper recruitment process, they made another crucial misjudgment effectively engineering two relegations in 3 years. Fortunately they are now more measured in their decision-making.
The Peterborough proposal of ending the season with multi-team play-offs is an excellent one because then, only teams with something to gain would be involved and in a knockout system the commitment would be limited and continue only when your club had something to gain. I think a case could be made to include the current top 2 who might well have faded under the pressure of the run-in and are incredibly lucky to have been where they were when everything stopped.
posted on 21/5/20
It is very very, difficult, to find a system to please everyone, but I'm with Donaldo about the expanded play-off formula, and I think the top two should be included.
What about relegation? Tranmere were on a role, and I think we were concerned about them for our up-coming game; it would be an injustice to relegate them on their current position.
How does one solve this?
posted on 22/5/20
It seems that the EFL has decided that its Regulations must be followed as regards promotion and relegation irrespective of the current exceptional circumstances. Those rules are surely predicated on the assumption that the fixture programme would be completed, carrying with it the fact that all clubs will have played each other twice.
It would not be unreasonable to argue that this principle is the primary objective of the Regulations and cannot be arbitrary overriden with little or no supporting rationale.
When an utterly unexpected event like we have now happens, surely the aim should be to achieve that objective fairly. Terminating now on a ppg basis meets none of the fundamental principled objectives. Points-per-game is not likely to be within their Regulations in anyway.
I think a good case could be mounted against the EFL on this basis.
posted on 23/5/20
https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/cost-playing-financial-implications-doncaster-rovers-complete-201920-season-including-pricing-covid-19-testing-2861983
The above article sets out the estimated cost of Rovers playing out the whole of the season's fixtures. When placed against the odds of making the play-offs and then achieving promotion it would surely not be sensible to vote for that option. Participating in an expanded play-off competition though would still seem a viable option and rather more exciting too.
posted on 24/5/20
Donaldo, I agree - the extended play-offs would have been fun! However, to the EFL, rules are rules. However, when the rules were written, nobody could have imagined a situation such as today. They just sound like certain politicians.
I liked the analysis in the DFP on whether each club would prefer to curtail now on an un-weighted PPG basis with play-offs to happen, or resume. I basically agreed with the conclusions, and agree that Tranmere would be very upset as they have a very good chance of escaping relegation.
As many have said, no solution will please everyone.
I was amazed at the cost of testing, and agree for the Rovers it would be a waste of money without some very good fortune.
What ever happens, we now have the difficulty of players out of contract - will the "fun" never end?
posted on 24/5/20
On the cost of testing, this just reflects what has been happening in the public sector under "austerity", why the death rate in the UK is so high. Testing in general has not been one of the success stories and much reliance in the health sector is now placed on the private sector (who are obviously going to "sell" and profit from testing) whereas in times gone by this would have been free under the NHS.
The UK's poor Corona virus stats compared with the rest of Europe reflect the run-down state of the NHS where facilities have been cut to the bone and infrastructure to implement the various measures to deal with it is non-existent. Their only option is appeal for volunteers and call in the Army!
Needless to say the Government is having a hard time of it at the moment. They dropped making comparisons with the rest of the world once the UK stats became the worst in Europe, telling us that such comparisons were misleading.
posted on 2/6/20
I wonder how many Rovers fans agree with Liam Holden's DFP article https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/sport/football/its-not-fair-its-not-ideal-it-what-it-and-its-time-league-ones-mardy-bums-accept-liam-hoden-column-2869911
I do not think it is fair to label those who would like to see a more widely competitive end to the season as effectively selfish.
When any group of individuals or teams come together to compete, the very essence of the contest is that they will all play each other in order to decide which is the best, second best etc., for the reward of promotion; and equally for the least successful to be excluded to a lower level by relegation.
It is not "selfish" to strive for a fair outcome. The ultimate goal of every team and every fan is to see his or her team promoted and if the process envisaged at the outset is not fulfilled there is a clear injustice and immense frustration. How many times do football commentators including journalists talk about it "not being just about one match, but the entire season"? How many of us would really enjoy professional football if there were not the ultimate goal of promotion or in the case of the PL, the Title?
It makes you question whether those who favour the current direction of travel have either the hearts, or the minds of the true supporter.
posted on 10/6/20
It's all fizzled out then. Economics and the institutionalists won the day. Perhaps those with a genuine interest in proper competition should have marched to the EFL headquarters and demonstrated.
But then, perhaps decisions relating to sport should exclude all reference to the principle of true competition. Rules which were devised without the slightest notion of the current circumstances are immutable and must be followed... a ragged end with every sporting principle sacrificed to suit vested interests.
The miserable alliance of the current top two, desperate to hold on to what the fixtures have fortuitously delivered for them thus far and those fearing the competition which lies ahead which might inflict their relegation solidified. Perhaps those in the nothing-to-play-for middle whose complacency provided the majority have no sporting principles; otherwise they would have gone along with a credible play-off competition. It would have cost them absolutely nothing. In this context I do not admire DRFC's apparent ambivalence.
On a happier note here are the results of the 2019-20 DPL. Perhaps forecasting the results of the play-off competition might be a suitable finale, but for all the reasons given above I do not really want to be associated with anything so arbitrary. Possibly I should also make some reference to PPG or points-per-forecast and do some marking up or down.
In fact Nookie whose wit is matched by his predictive abilities is well in front and in any case the DPL is not quite the same as the EFL League 1 itself. So congratulations to him for his convincing win. I feel that I should also credit those who scored bonuses which originally were agreed to be scored at 5. These are Nookie, Yorkshire Lad and Crazy. I erroneously awarded Crazy 10 points instead of the 5 agreed at the beginning of the season, so have adjusted that. PDXMickyB scored well too. I scored the second most points, but the achievement is rather like the Sunday School Attendance Prizes I used to win. I am obliged to participate, but the pressure is a probably more genuinely devotional than that which propelled me out of the door on a Sunday afternoon to St Mary's Wentworth Road Church Hall.
I look forward to next season and not missing Ipswich (A), possibly Colchester (A) et al, but sadly not Southend who need to re-group seriously, and perhaps even Charlton who I see have sunk rather low recently. Oh where might we have been had things turned out differently?
Here are the numbers:
MK Dons 0 : Rovers 1 (Ramsey)
>>>>>>> Scorer > Score > Result Bonus > Total > Pts B/F > O/all
Donaldo>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 81 >>>> 81
PDXMickey> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 80 >>>> 80
Yorks Lad>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>> 3 >>>>> 72 >>>> 75
BVZ>>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 37 >>>> 37
Crazy>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 69 >>>> 69
Uthred>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 57 >>>> 57
Mooligan>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 4 >>>>> 63 >>>> 67
King Chmprr 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>>> 3 >>>>> 3
Small Azza> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>>> 52 >>>> 55
Azza>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 11 >>>> 11
Cheltenham 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0
Nookie>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 94 >>>>> 94
Selby>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0
Lanza>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 62 >>>> 62
>>>>>>>>>> 4 >>>>> 0 >>>> 6 >>>>> 0 >>>> 10 >>>> 686 >>> 691
posted on 10/6/20
Donaldo, while I would have liked the season to be played out as in the Premier League and Championship, especially as deciding teams' fates is ridiculous with nine games to go, honestly I'm glad a decision has been made.
It is obvious that financial aspects won the day, and as we want a financially stable group of teams next season, it is somewhat understandable.
While several teams have good reasons to be angry and unhappy, I can't help feeling sorry for Tranmere and Peterborough who had very good chances to avoid relegation and achieve the play-offs respectively. My cousin, an Oxford supporter, must be happy! Have they ever been higher than the third tier?
Looking at the Championship table today, if they had gone the L1/L2 route, the three teams relegated would have been the three promoted last season. Has that happened before? Grant McCann at Hull now must remain very nervous!
Thanks for doing the DPL - I nearly caught you up!
I agree with you about liking Nookie's humour - and yours, or may be some of yours is sarcasm!
posted on 10/6/20
Micky: I always look forward to reading your observations.
Oxford got into the top tier in the mid eighties, but sunk back to the Conference before their more recent revival under the talented Mr Robinson.
It would have been nice to have something to distract us just a little from all the bad news here and in the USA. I think both countries are in the relegation zone with the managers’ jobs on the line!
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