Now with Coronavirus (COVID-19) causing disruption to the football league, how do we realistically finish this season without much disruption to next years season?
Heres what I think would be a good idea:
1. We postpone Euro 2020 to 2021.
2. Play football behind closed doors. So lets assume we can't resume the season until May. That would leave us with a July/August finish.
3. Pre Season August and September
4. October we begin the new season
5. Cancel the Carabao Cup for one season
6. Get rid of FA Cup replays
7. If more weeks need freeing up then make the european knockouts one legged.
Other suggestions will probably be considered by the footballing authorities. Maybe even just cancelling the Season but finding a way to allow Leeds & WBA to play in the EPL, Say extending to 22 teams.
What do you all think is the best solution or the most realistic scenario to happen?
How to finish the season
posted on 13/3/20
Cancel international friendlies
posted on 13/3/20
I'm sure Fulham would just say "yeah, promote Leeds and West Brom. We're happy to stay down despite still having a mathematical chance of promotion..."
Same in all the other leagues. Nobody is going to accept being relegated if they've still a chance of survival still or teams in a promotion hunt giving their chance up.
Behind closed doors is fine for the Premier League as those clubs don't rely as heavily on match day income due to the massive TV and prize money. Many EFL clubs couldn't survive this way though as match day income is their lifeblood.
It would completely suck but I really don't think there'd be a fairer option than just declaring the season null and void and then restarting up when we have the all clear. Too many legal implications for me if you start putting teams with fixtures to play up or down leagues.
posted on 13/3/20
Impossible to really plan the restart as we have no real idea when it can happen (people are talking about August).
The season has to be completed. Don't see any alternative that works.
Euro 20 will be postponed.
20/21 season may be affected, but there are numerous options open to play a season of some sort - depending on the delay.
posted on 13/3/20
Postpone Euro2020 to 2021
Play premier league games to conclusion in a 5 week window. Tues8pm/Sat3pm
Cup football to be played using full squads. Similar to Liverpool with the WCC and LC clash.
Failing that. End the season now. Award places as they stand now. No teams get relegated but teams get promoted. Play a 23 team season in the PL next year and cancel the LC to accommodate it. 6 get relegated and 3 come up. Things go back to normal in 21/22.
posted on 13/3/20
Teams like Sheffield United and Wycombe would be punished for playing less games. Teams a point or two off promotion with 9 or so games to go.
Ending the season now and awarding places as they stand would not be an acceptable conclusion.
posted on 13/3/20
Thing is if they want to complete this season, then does next season only become a 19 match league campaign in order to ensure fairness? With Euros and other competitions also being postponed this summer, they’ll have to be fit in somewhere. Then don’t forget Qatar 2022, where season is already planned to start earlier so would this all have a kock on effect? They’ll have to sacrifice a competition next season for sure.
Or they could just void the whole campaign which would bankrupt PL
posted on 14/3/20
Many player contracts end in June.
posted on 16/3/20
Simples.
We are going to be in locked down at some point in the near future, there is no way that they will be able to fit the games in before starting next season.
Cancel next season and start this one again at Christmas, if we are out of the epidemic.
1 game a week.
Let the legal boffs work out any contract disputes.
posted on 16/3/20
Who cares about the rest of the season!
You understand that the only reason the CFR rate is so low (estimated <2%) is because severe cases are on ventilators for WEEKS - but pretty soon we are going to run out of ventilators. Then without ventilators you are looking at potentially a 10-20%? CFR and half of those are under 60...