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Corona Virus: Season suspended for 3 weeks

Discussion in 'Bristol Rovers' started by Captain Jack Sparrow, Mar 13, 2020.

  1. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    All professional leagues in the UK have been suspended for 3 weeks.

    No game tomorrow vs Ipswich. Also the games vs Peterborough and vs Rochdale.

    Our next game could be Oxford away on 10th April, unless a decision is made to suspend the season further.
     
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  2. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    I think sadly that might be it for this term, everything I am reading { admittedly mostly hogwash } is saying that the virus will ' peak ' in around a month or two so I cannot see things resuming anytime soon. It will be interesting though to see what happens if a few of the smaller clubs and I suppose we can count Rovers in with those complain of revenue issues as time presses on ?
     
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  3. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    If you are right that it might be it for the season, then I can see some clubs taking it further. With still have 10 or so games to play, those teams who are still in a shout to survive relegation, still in a shout to make the play offs and still in a shout to win automatic promotion, still in a shout to win a European place - either Europa or Champions League and those teams still in the FA cup - will all want to see legal advice about the situation. Obviously this wont effect us as we wont be relegated or reach the play offs, but we would be 1 of the deciding teams who still got to face teams who will be fighting for survival or promotion.

    Look at Leeds for example. 16 seasons out of the Prem and here is probably their best chance to get promoted. If they cancel the season, surely they won't be given promotion along with West Brom as other clubs behind could still catch them.
    Look at City. Just outside the play offs and a good chance of securing a play off place. If the season gets cancelled then they miss out on making the top 6. But on top of that if the season is over then those clubs that are 3rd to 6th miss out on playing in the play offs to win promotion. So if play off clubs can't compete for promotion, then teams currently in promotion spots shouldn't be allowed promotion either.
    And then you need to think about if they do let Leeds and West Brom promoted, who will they replace? No one is confirmed relegated yet and those clubs in the relegation zone in the Prem will fight with the FA not to get relegated without finishing the full season. Surely they cant allow any movement up or down
    Then look at Liverpool. What will they do about them?
     
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  4. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    Helm hard over man, we are in dangerous waters and I know that Shanks once said football was more important than life or death { or words to that effect } you have to ask yourself 'is it really' ?
     
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  5. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    I don't think there is an easy answer, it isn't just supporters who are at risk there are directors managers players and every body down to the tea lady and gate people. After all staff have to be paid and if there is no money coming in that could cause major difficulties for many league 1 and 2 clubs. I wonder if the premier league will assist the lower leagues by a fairer distribution of the enormous sums of money that come into the game after all without the lower leagues they will struggle to pick up players for a pittance and then loan them out abroad.

    If they do cancel the rest of the season there will be a lot of angry clubs up and down the country like those just outside play off places but running into form as well as those who still believe they can escape relegation, don't know the answer but I envisage some interesting debate on many club forums
     
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  6. Gastronomic

    Gastronomic Well-Known Member

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    Cash flow is going to be a bit of a problem for lots of clubs. But I guess if Garner gets to work with the players at all in the meantime they might actually start doing what he wants them to do.

    I feel a big sense of doom about all this, because the NHS could be overwhelmed in three or four weeks if this takes the same path as Italy. So stay indoors and out of the way for a few weeks until this starts to subside. That's what I'm going to do anyway. I don't think the season will start any time soon if at all before mid to late summer.
     
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  7. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    If I pick up the infection then I will stay indoors but until such time I am going to go about my daily life as I always have and looking out for my elderly Mother and neighbours along the way. Life has to go on and I am sure that we will get through this with normality and hopefully loo rolls returning soon, after all we are British, take it on the chin, stiff upper lip, wait until you see the whites of their eyes and all that !
     
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  8. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    According to the Peterborough chairman the league 1 and 2 clubs are going to need a subsidy of approximately £300000 - £400000 to help them survive the current break. With the Premier league also being out of action when the league resumes maybe they can offer to play warm up fixtures to get their players match fit without cost to the lower league clubs do the same thereby helping those lower down the leagues with their cash flow problems
     
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  9. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    I like that idea <ok>
     
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  10. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    I just think if they allow Liverpool to be champs, they must finish the other places like runners up, champs league places and europa league places and relegation places. Which wont be fair as some teams in the running for all these available places still have games in hand and many teams can fall into any available position. The fairest way in my eyes is just to forget the season. But that means Liverpool miss out on what they deserve, the champions trophy.

    And Leeds for example, if you allow them to go up, who gets relegated from the Prem, when no teams are dead certs to go down?

    Any way is a bad way to sort things out. But I feel the best way out of the bad bunch of ways is to just forget the season happened.
     
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  11. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    Now delayed until April 30th at the earliest in a statement by the football authority released 6 hrs ago on Bristol Rovers news

    An article on Bristol live by Martin Starnes states the owners WILL back the club with extra funding to see us through the suspension period
     
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    Last edited: Mar 19, 2020
  12. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    All league football below the National Leagues North & South now FINISHED with all results and league standings expunged. If this has happened here then I can't help feeling that this might happen higher up the pyramid as well and especially now that the 30th of April date has been washed away although this would beg one interesting question, do Bury FC still survive ??
     
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  13. GreatWesternGas

    GreatWesternGas Well-Known Member

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    Personally I think the entire football season should be knocked on the head now, with the tables as they are now, being considered as the final league tables of the season. All this talk of resuming the season is looking less and less realistic now, behind closed doors or otherwise. To be honest, with the most optimistic outlook, this is going to take a long time to get on top of, and I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable standing in a crowd at any sporting event for the remainder of this year, as I reckon it will be many many months before it will be safe for life to return to normal. I know there are the obvious financial implications for the lower league clubs, but people's health and well being has to be put ahead of finances for once.
     
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  14. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    It will be interesting to see what happens if BoJo and the boy Hancock make full recoveries and how people’s attitudes may change towards Covid 19 if or when that does actually happen. Likewise Charlieboy I suppose because after all they have all tested ‘positive’ , or so we have been told.
     
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  15. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    Also 3rd tier and below in the woman's game has finished null and void. Which means our Gas Girls first team, who are top of the table, 1 win away from winning the league, who also have won every single game in the process and in a semi final of the cup competition miss out on everything that they deserve. Also our development Gas Girls side are top after just losing 1 game all season and huge favourites for promotion have miss out on everything that they deserved too.
     
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  16. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    I couldn't disagree more with this. There would be so many teams seeking legal action on this. Villa for example are in the bottom, 3. But have a game in hand. Win that and they would be out the bottom 3.

    I've worked out that if you use the current standings as the final standing then you will have...

    At least 8 Prem teams claiming they could make either the Champions League or Europa Cup places and therefore seek legal advice.
    The 3 bottom Prem teams will also seek legal advice claiming they would have survived.
    = At least 11 sides from the Prem will be seeking legal advice.

    At least 3 Championship teams in the play offs will claim they could win automatic promotion and therefore seek legal advice.
    At least a further 10 Championship teams will seek legal advice claiming they would have made the play offs. Includes City!
    The 3 bottom Championship teams will also seek legal advice claiming they would have survived.
    = At least 16 sides from the Championship will be seeking legal advice.

    At least 6 League 1 teams in the play offs will claim they could win automatic promotion and therefore seek legal advice.
    At least a further 5 League 1 teams will seek legal advice claiming they would have made the play offs.
    The 3 bottom League 1 teams will also seek legal advice claiming they would have survived. We know Bolton and Southend wouldn't have but mathematically, they could.
    = At least 12 sides from League 1 will be seeking legal advice.

    At least 5 League 2 teams in the play offs will claim they could win automatic promotion and therefore seek legal advice.
    At least a further 7 League 2 teams will seek legal advice claiming they would have made the play offs. Includes City!
    The bottom League 2 team will also seek legal advice claiming they would have survived as not mathematically relegated yet.
    = At least 13 sides from League 2 will be seeking legal advice.

    Then you have to think about the National League, National League North and South too. Without adding them, you will have in my opinion, 52 league teams out of 91 - who will be seeking legal advice if they use the current standings as the final standings. That will be a lot more once you add the 3 National League divisions.

    I think they should void the whole season as if it never happened. The previous season final standings should be used for those teams to enter the European competitions.

    Of course if you void the season, you will have a few clubs who are currently in positions which would see them be champions or win automatic promotion. But the amount of teams seeking legal advice this way will nowhere be the same amount of teams that would seek legal advice as mentioned above.

    There is no good option. But the fairest way to me is what would be the least amount of teams being affected.
     
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  17. GreatWesternGas

    GreatWesternGas Well-Known Member

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    Sorry Captain, I didn't scribe that the way it was intended. When I said about finishing the season as it stands now, ie: no more games to be played, and the current standings are how it ends, I didn't envisage any promotions or relegations taking place this season. I suppose your description of treating this season as being null and void, would have been a much simpler way to have written it! Yes it would be tough on the teams expecting or hoping for promotion, but at least this way, no team would be any worse off at the start of next season than they were at the start of this season. Seems to me as each day goes by, the chances of completing this season are less and less, and I just feel the powers that be, should make a decision quickly, and realise there are far more important things going on than sport at the moment.
     
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  18. Captain Jack Sparrow

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    I thought you meant relegations and promotions. Sorry about that.

    Also if they did choose to use the current tables as the final standings then how do the play offs get played? Presume behind closed doors. Especially if a team have players in isolation at the time or if they only just recovered so would not be 100% and then fitness will play a part. Just be stupid.
     
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  19. Delsy

    Delsy Active Member

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    National League Now Finished with promotiom / relegation to be debated ? { Whatever that means }, Bet the Yeovile chairman is peeved. Makes you wonder what will happen now to Div's three and four ? I can't see the payimg public being allowed back in to grounds until at least 2021 { I mean, who'd want to ? } so where now for this and next seasons ? Playing footy behind closed doors will just be crap with a capital C, you could have Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe and all the rest out there but it would still come accross as a Sunday morning Berkley Hospital Cup game. I think football and the way it is now going to be stuctured both from a league and club point of view is on the verge of big changes, maybe for the better maybe for the worse, who knows like everything at present it's all very uncertain.
     
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  20. old timer

    old timer Well-Known Member

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    I see they are talking about the league 1 and 2 being divided into north and south which gives us about 10 home league games, having just bought my season ticket if this is for more than one season then I can see the lower divisions going out of business because £150 for 11 league games is not a goer
     
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    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020

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