Premier League clubs have met to discuss a potential 2 week break to try to halt the spread following a spike in cases.
Whilst i can understand it because it's going to become a bit of a farce otherwise, with some teams isolating or fielding weakened teams, i'm not quite sure what a 2 week break will achieve. Covid isn't going to disappear in 2 weeks, and they're already struggling to fit all the games in as it is.
Given that our game at Hull is likely to be off, I'll certainly be leaving it until very shortly before kick off before purchasing a stream. I imagine there'll be a further round of testing for the Hull players towards the end of this week.
Hopefully a reasonably firm decision can be made on Friday (subject to anyone developing overnight symptoms) to save our squad the time, cost and energy of travelling all the way up there, only for a postponement to be announced a few hours before kick off. A very difficult situation for everyone and I can certainly see an unprecedented fixture pile up towards the end of the season.
Ditto, I'm not paying for streams until a few hours before KO for the foreseeable.
Postponing elite sport is the right thing to do now. However, a strict national lockdown has been the right thing to do for some time & that hasn't happened yet!!
Postponing elite sport is the right thing to do now. However, a strict national lockdown has been the right thing to do for some time & that hasn't happened yet!!
Football took the step to postpone the leagues before national lockdown was announced back in March I think, so could pre-empt government again I suppose?
Amazing that Man City v Everton was called off and Fulham v Tottenham is in doubt and twitter has gone crazy with how bad it is and there needs to be a break to prevent this, its causing chaos in the Premier League(based on 2 games)
But in League 1
Sunderland havent played since December 15th Doncaster have had 3 games in a row called off Rochdale have had 2 games in a row called off
We have played 1 game over Christmas due to teams we were playing calling games off and I seriously doubt are game against Hull goes ahead.
League 1 has been in chaos for ages due to covid but no one talks about that
Season is brought to a hult just before we play Hull away in a big match. Spooky stuff.
I hope that the rules are clear if we are unable to finish the season. Everything should have been agreed before this season even begun
Exactly what @jimmymelrose has been saying for months. This is hardly new to the EFL is it....? You would have thought that back in August they would have drawn up protocols to do with testing, isolation & what to do if the season had to finish early (as it stands, PPG or something else) but No. Nada.
League 1 is slightly easier as we could always run into June, as we don’t really have many players playing in the Euros.
Charlton have two I think. Can’t be many across the division. Imagine EFL will have to find somewhere else to hold Play offs as Wembley will be booked.
Ridiculous in league 1 that MK have played 21 games and Accrington have played 16.
I can be very skeptical at times but I find it very convenient that only one game cancelled last night didnt involve a team going for promotion
Think a few sides are taking the piss out of the situation!!
Especially as a couple of teams that called off games (Hull & Peterborough) are not currently in great form. I bet if both had been on a run of wins they would have played them.
I can be very skeptical at times but I find it very convenient that only one game cancelled last night didnt involve a team going for promotion
Think a few sides are taking the piss out of the situation!!
I just don't see what the benefit is for teams to do this, unless they are banking on the season getting called off and PPG to used.
Seems a high risk strategy to me.
Way I see it... Portsmouth play and there is no guarantee that they'll win
Likes of Charlton and Ipswich etc. now have greater incentive to win their games in hand as they know they can see what they need to do to overhaul Portsmouth
Of course as I say, am being very skeptical of it all so could very well just me being paranoid
Currently its due to be played and we should demand a forfeit & be given a 3-0 walkover if it is now postponed unless Hull can prove (and name) players who have since the 24th either caught Covid or are having to self isolate. Even this last point is a bit moot as we played games without Morgan, Oshilaja & Levitt (who were self isolating) and it's no different to many many occasions when teams play games when players have gone down with a virus that has wiped out a couple of players in a squad. It's simply not on to not have any communication regarding this situation......or to have any real protocols over what should happen.
Amazing that Man City v Everton was called off and Fulham v Tottenham is in doubt and twitter has gone crazy with how bad it is and there needs to be a break to prevent this, its causing chaos in the Premier League(based on 2 games)
But in League 1
Sunderland havent played since December 15th Doncaster have had 3 games in a row called off Rochdale have had 2 games in a row called off
We have played 1 game over Christmas due to teams we were playing calling games off and I seriously doubt are game against Hull goes ahead.
League 1 has been in chaos for ages due to covid but no one talks about that
I’m sure you’re not really surprised mate. It’s all been unfairly biased towards PL for years. In a way, we’ll have to hope that now focus is on PL that EFL will feel the need to also do something about league 1/2 (haha doubtful they’ll do anything),
The other significant difference being that the PL has a focused diligent executive which gets stuff done. Whether we like its decisions is secondary to it making some decisions - EFL take no decisions. PL executive's motivation is simple and vast - money. PL executive administers the playing business of 20 clubs - EFL supposed to administer at least some aspects of a 72 club competition. PL executive's job is smaller and well resourced. EFL executive just doesn't. Nor will it.
Anybody know how many games need completion for PPG to become 'legitimate' option, under EFL rules?
At the current rate of infection and infection spread, I doubt Leagues 1 and 2 will even get to the PPG point if it's 75% or even 67% of games. EFL not taking responsibility for funding player testing is both willful negligence and idiotically counter productive. "Oh but it costs so much, bleet bleat, winge, winge" Not as much as the alternative though is it? EFL standard policy of do nothing while watching the product rot. Plus a bit of grizzling to PL in a cynical ploy of entirely phoney blame shifting "they're so rich they have to help us" no they don't - they might if it suits them but you're not their responsibility - you are.
As for attending fixtures, that's out of the question at least until all 16+'s have had their 2nd jab and it's apparent that pockets of infection aren't still springing up, plus those of us that get infected (cos we will) do indeed fight it off with no lingering after effects. Can't see that inside of 12 months, by which time EFL itself likely to be a corpse.
I can be very skeptical at times but I find it very convenient that only one game cancelled last night didnt involve a team going for promotion
Think a few sides are taking the piss out of the situation!!
Think a few sides are in for a nasty shock once the EFL have finished their investigations.
Sunderland obviously thought there would be payback if they postponed a game due to Covid-19 as the EFL clearly told them they would be investigated.
Peterborough are the team that jump out as taking the piss, as rumours are they were to be fined over the state of their pitch.
And in which decade will that happen!
It'll be difficult to prove any wrongdoing as clubs with one player testing positive who want the game called off will claim that several of their players were in close contact with him during training, and thus are only obeying the government protocols designed to save lives etc
It's absurd that 2 days before the game is due to be played nobody seems to have a clue as to whether it is going ahead or whether Hull are still going to claim their players are self-isolating.
Comments
My scenario of the season having to stop when some teams have played 24 games and others only 22 doesn't seem so far fetched now does it.
I was surprised that there wasn't a contingency plan last season. Not having one for this season is pure idiocy.
Think a few sides are taking the piss out of the situation!!
You'll not be reading Rambo's rants for too much longer. You have been warned.
Seems a high risk strategy to me.
Likes of Charlton and Ipswich etc. now have greater incentive to win their games in hand as they know they can see what they need to do to overhaul Portsmouth
Of course as I say, am being very skeptical of it all so could very well just me being paranoid
Whether we like its decisions is secondary to it making some decisions - EFL take no decisions.
PL executive's motivation is simple and vast - money.
PL executive administers the playing business of 20 clubs - EFL supposed to administer at least some aspects of a 72 club competition.
PL executive's job is smaller and well resourced. EFL executive just doesn't. Nor will it.
Anybody know how many games need completion for PPG to become 'legitimate' option, under EFL rules?
At the current rate of infection and infection spread, I doubt Leagues 1 and 2 will even get to the PPG point if it's 75% or even 67% of games. EFL not taking responsibility for funding player testing is both willful negligence and idiotically counter productive.
"Oh but it costs so much, bleet bleat, winge, winge" Not as much as the alternative though is it? EFL standard policy of do nothing while watching the product rot. Plus a bit of grizzling to PL in a cynical ploy of entirely phoney blame shifting "they're so rich they have to help us" no they don't - they might if it suits them but you're not their responsibility - you are.
As for attending fixtures, that's out of the question at least until all 16+'s have had their 2nd jab and it's apparent that pockets of infection aren't still springing up, plus those of us that get infected (cos we will) do indeed fight it off with no lingering after effects. Can't see that inside of 12 months, by which time EFL itself likely to be a corpse.
Sunderland obviously thought there would be payback if they postponed a game due to Covid-19 as the EFL clearly told them they would be investigated.
Peterborough are the team that jump out as taking the piss, as rumours are they were to be fined over the state of their pitch.
It'll be difficult to prove any wrongdoing as clubs with one player testing positive who want the game called off will claim that several of their players were in close contact with him during training, and thus are only obeying the government protocols designed to save lives etc
So when they restart it is with a new stronger team.
However firstly not every team gets stronger in the transfer window, and indeed, with the wage cap I expect it will be hard to do so.
Also you are at risk of a fixture pile up by delaying games which may mean you need to rotate, or even lose in form players to injury.
Whichever end of the table you are, it just seems to much of a risk and uncertainty to randomly delay games and hope to use it to your advantage.
Hopefully it'll be dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as the Sheffield Wednesday stadium sale investigation....................