Football League Suspended

[chaddyrovers]

Preston’s Premier League promotion bid hit as stars have to go into self-isolation following positive coronavirus tests

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11767573/preston-coronavirus-positive-tests-squad-self-isolation/

[chaddyrovers]

 

 

[Stuart]

18 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Preston’s Premier League promotion bid hit as stars have to go into self-isolation following positive coronavirus tests

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11767573/preston-coronavirus-positive-tests-squad-self-isolation/

It was too soon to restart a sport where social distancing can’t be maintained.

In other news though, it saddens me to read people on here talking about trying to make BCD a success and even suggesting fans don’t really make much difference anyway. Astonishing really. Imagine permanently watching football only on TV? That’s bad enough but I assume as far as the lower league teams go, it’s just hard luck? There but for the grace of God go I...

[chaddyrovers]

Well if we cannot go back into Stadium for few years then what then? 

Scrap football and sport forever? 

[JHRover]

Back in February/early March if you had told me at the time that Derby away was going to be my last Rovers game for 12 months or more I'd have felt sick at the thought of it. Up until the lockdown Rovers was such a huge part of my life i would look forward to fixtures all week, spend most/all of my Saturday's going all over the place spending fortunes doing it and the idea of suddenly stopping and not having that in my life would have been hard to comprehend.

In all honesty, sat here now in June 3 months into this i can say I haven't really missed it anywhere near the level i expected to, and haven't struggled coming to terms with the lack of football in my life. I've got used to it and found other things to occupy myself with. That may well change once the nice weather and summer days go and the days get shorter and everything at the moment has a 'summer break' feel to it perhaps subconsciously expecting a return come August.

Of course I want it back asap along with other things like the pub, social life and holidays, but I'm not bothered about it being back if it doesn't feel like it is back and doesn't have the benefits of being back. I don't like receiving my football dose via television and doing so is a very inferior replacement to the real thing.

If they were to announce tomorrow that 20th June would be business as usual and a normal home game at Ewood v Bristol City I'd start counting down the days with enthusiasm. But counting down the days to a cringeworthy over-hyped tv show played out in an empty ground? It doesn't mean very much to me. I'll probably watch it because its there and I've not much else to do but excited about it no. 

[roversfan99]

It is an interesting topic regarding missing football. I watch plenty of football culminating in going to Rovers games so I expected it to leave a huge and immediate hole in my life and I dont think ive missed it nearly as much as I expected.

Maybe its the timing. I never felt having never been in the top 6 all season that we had a realistic chance of finishing the season there, overcoming the 4 teams currently ahead of us in the race for 6th. Did anyone? There are not many games left, indeed now the season would have been finished almost a month ago. As a neutral, the top 2 divisions in England were the ones I watch the most, and the title in the Premier League and the top 2 in the Championship were done and dusted really. So was there much more football to be genuinely excited about between the start lockdown and now? Not really.

Behind closed doors football is nothing to look forward to, I dont get how anyone can claim otherwise. I just see it as going through the motions until football returns properly. I am sure I will tune in but is anyone excited about June 20th? Really?

[speeeeeeedie]

1 hour ago, Stuart said:

It was too soon to restart a sport where social distancing can’t be maintained.

In other news though, it saddens me to read people on here talking about trying to make BCD a success and even suggesting fans don’t really make much difference anyway. Astonishing really. Imagine permanently watching football only on TV? That’s bad enough but I assume as far as the lower league teams go, it’s just hard luck? There but for the grace of God go I...

Fans make games' atmosphere much much better but they don't make much difference at all to player performance levels.

You did get me thinking about my view on this, and football in general. I like watching the game. Many others like the matchday experience. Plenty like both. These all usually exist in harmony, yet coronavirus has taken being at the match away for the time being. I lean heavily toward watching the game. I was never a singer, shouter, antagoniser, nor did I have a few drinks before, at halftime, or straight afterwards when I went to games regularly. I still don't these days when I go to a game when I am back in the UK. I did have a few drinks an MLS game last season but I was there on a freebie in an executive box and wasn't really bothered about the action.

I love watching top level football in the stadium. It's much better than on TV. You get to see player movement, positioning, and subtleties that only exist in the ground. At different times over the past couple of years I have seen Aguero and van Dijk live. They were both fantastic to watch in person. 

My access is limited to TV football therefore that is what I look forward to.

 

[Mattyblue]

Great post JH. I’ve certainly missed away days, as I go with a good crowd of folk and it’s always good fun taking in new towns and cities, boozers and all the rest of it. Ewood? I thought it was a shite experience before lockdown, largely down to the managed decline policies of various executives.

It doesn’t take long for a human to get out of a habit, and if even a fanatic like you isn’t that arsed about it coming back, then we are in big trouble whenever season tickets finally go on sale in 2021 (or 2022?), as so many of our ST holders will have found other things to do with their time and money. ‘How did I find the time to go?’ is a familiar refrain I’ve always heard from non-renewers a year or two down the line, this is of course magnified with the incoming economic depression.

Let’s be honest, it takes up a fair chunk of our precious weekend - especially if you have to travel a decent distance, which as the town of Blackburn has changed, more and more of our fans do. Yet, many supporters did spend nearly half of their weekend travelling and watching bang average second division football as they were in the routine of doing so, will they be queuing up to do it again in 18 months time?

Edited June 3, 2020 by Mattyblue

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

will they be queuing up to do it again in 18 months time?

Scary to think how many new hobbies will fill the gap that football has left. Attendances nationwide will be down. Big problem for the FA to consider.

[arbitro]

15 minutes ago, JoeH said:

Scary to think how many new hobbies will fill the gap that football has left. Attendances nationwide will be down. Big problem for the FA to consider.

I agree about the attendances but I really don't think it will be a problem for the FA. When Bury went to the wall their inaction and silence was palpable. The bulk of PL clubs will survive with smaller crowds due to the golden goose that is Sky. The EFL clubs are the ones at real risk here and I full expect a considerable number to go part time and even out of business. 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I agree about the attendances but I really don't think it will be a problem for the FA. When Bury went to the wall their inaction and silence was palpable. The bulk of PL clubs will survive with smaller crowds due to the golden goose that is Sky. The EFL clubs are the ones at real risk here and I full expect a considerable number to go part time and even out of business. 

Huge problem for the FA because I think they'd have to re-consider pretty much every aspect of the game if it got that bad. They'd have to consider the 3-5pm blackout, regulations surrounding streaming of games, they'd need to come to conclusions about new financial regulations which take into account lower turnover at most clubs. They may even have to discuss salary capping for League One and Two clubs. I think you're underestimating the amount of work the FA would have to put in if we had no football for 18months and lost a huge chunk of supporters to other things. The FA would have to consider the cup competitions and make decisions about which are important and which could potentially go to help clubs manage things easier. The England National team would also be affected. There's a lot there.

You're right about the Bury thing, and the FA's response to everything I just mentioned may be "Meh, whatever", but it's still something that they'll have to consider.

[Hasta]

18 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

To be fair though, Charlton would have been entitled to think that they had his services until the end of the normal season, whether he was leaving after that or not.

That said, Lee Bowyer was extremely vocal a few weeks back about how it would be a disgrace if the season were to be stopped now and his team to be relegated given that they only dropped into the relegation zone fairly recently so as we've all remarked countless times there is no perfect solution and for me completing the fixtures BCD is by far the next best option even if some Clubs are missing one or two players.

To be fair to Bowyer, the two interviews I read / heard he wasn't complaining about playing the season out. He just said it would make his job more difficult in this situation but he understands the players reasoning.

Personally, I don't. I just wouldn't pay the players involved. And if any of them are hard faced enough to say its because they don't want to jeopardise their dream move, rather than for health and safety fears reading the virus, I'd fine them each week they don't play as well.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

9 hours ago, chaddyrovers said:

Preston’s Premier League promotion bid hit as stars have to go into self-isolation following positive coronavirus tests

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11767573/preston-coronavirus-positive-tests-squad-self-isolation/

No doubt Preston will now be pressing for the season to be decided on a PPG basis given that they are just hanging on to a play off spot. 

[Stuart]

30 minutes ago, arbitro said:

I agree about the attendances but I really don't think it will be a problem for the FA. When Bury went to the wall their inaction and silence was palpable. The bulk of PL clubs will survive with smaller crowds due to the golden goose that is Sky. The EFL clubs are the ones at real risk here and I full expect a considerable number to go part time and even out of business. 

All that will happen is that for every club that goes to the wall, a non-league side will take their place, and the FA will just lower their standards (e.g. ground specification) accordingly.

The gap between top and bottom will grow.

The bigger concern is what happens if grassroots and non-league clubs fold in big numbers.

7 hours ago, speeeeeeedie said:

Fans make games' atmosphere much much better but they don't make much difference at all to player performance levels.

You did get me thinking about my view on this, and football in general. I like watching the game. Many others like the matchday experience. Plenty like both. These all usually exist in harmony, yet coronavirus has taken being at the match away for the time being. I lean heavily toward watching the game. I was never a singer, shouter, antagoniser, nor did I have a few drinks before, at halftime, or straight afterwards when I went to games regularly. I still don't these days when I go to a game when I am back in the UK. I did have a few drinks an MLS game last season but I was there on a freebie in an executive box and wasn't really bothered about the action.

I love watching top level football in the stadium. It's much better than on TV. You get to see player movement, positioning, and subtleties that only exist in the ground. At different times over the past couple of years I have seen Aguero and van Dijk live. They were both fantastic to watch in person. 

My access is limited to TV football therefore that is what I look forward to.

Thanks for that. Good post.

I think the big deal for me, as I’ve alluded to in the post above, is that football exists outside of what can (or will) be televised. Watching on TV is going to be “acceptable” (at least until the novelty wears off) for about 30 or 40 English clubs (and so-called “neutrals”). What about the rest of the 62-72 poor bastards who Sky/BT have no interest in?

If you consider a world where TV rules then FFP starts to make more sense. The ethos being that only clubs with big fanbases make it to the top. They start by giving their money to their clubs to make them successful on the pitch. Then eventually they give that money to the TV companies instead who give some of that back to their club. TV company execs/shareholders will benefit a heck of a lot more from a Leeds or Sunderland being in the PL than a Barnsley or a Blackpool. Throw in VAR to help to influence results and make TV replays integral to the rules...

Yes, it’s tin foil hat territory but this has been the direction things have been heading for a while. Coronavirus has simply created an urgent need to get there faster.

”But TV football is better than no football!” Chaddy cries. Maybe, but not if you are a fan of an unfashionable lower league team. Not until your club is wiped out and your grandchildren support their favourite “TV club” instead.

Let’s hope I’m wrong and we are all back at Ewood some time next season...

[RevidgeBlue]

15 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Behind closed doors football is nothing to look forward to, I dont get how anyone can claim otherwise. I just see it as going through the motions until football returns properly. I am sure I will tune in but is anyone excited about June 20th? Really?

Yes, definitely.

No - one is suggesting this should be a permanent thing or that football BCD is better than in front of a crowd. If it was being proposed that football was being introduced BCD either permanently or on a trial basis with a view to it becoming permanent I'd be similarly unenthusiastic or outraged.

However, we are where we are in Society in general because of the virus, or at least because of the reaction to it, therefore as a temporary measure as far as football is concerned this is the next best option. Football BCD also also has the potential to help some Clubs secure their financial future so I can't see why any football fan is opposed to it in principle as a stop gap measure.

In practice, we've seen from the Bundesliga that the product on the pitch can be delivered with no loss of quality whatsoever. As long as our namby pamby pampered Premier League stars who have expressed such opposition to a return also go about it in a similarly genuine and committed fashion, there's no reason why it shouldn't be extremely entertaining given that everyone here will have a dog in the race when it occurs.

[RevidgeBlue]

8 hours ago, Stuart said:

”But TV football is better than no football!” Chaddy cries. Maybe, but not if you are a fan of an unfashionable lower league team. Not until your club is wiped out and your grandchildren support their favourite “TV club” instead.

 

How does football NOT returning behind closed doors because you don't like the idea of it, help said unfashionable lower league Clubs though?

It doesn't.

I can't deny that the 72 Football League Clubs face the most immense financial challenges going forward but stopping those that can from playing football behind BCD from doing so doesn't help that, indeed it makes it worse.

Edited June 3, 2020 by RevidgeBlue

[RevidgeBlue]

8 hours ago, Hasta said:

Personally, I don't. I just wouldn't pay the players involved. And if any of them are hard faced enough to say its because they don't want to jeopardise their dream move, rather than for health and safety fears reading the virus, I'd fine them each week they don't play as well.

I don't either and I agree, the more I think about it the more it annoys me.

When Taylor signed his contract, all parties intended that it should run until the end of the 2019/20 season. The reason players contracts have run until June 30th in the past is presumably because it was a convenient half way point between the seasons, giving players a bit of a safety net if they were being released and also allowing them plenty of time to prepare for a new season if they were moving Club after their contracts expired.

Taylor though is exploiting a loophole which has arisen due to this unprecedented situation. There's no greater chance of him being injured by playing when the season recommences than there would have been had he completed the original season with Charlton. Nor is it any particular inconvenience to anyone assuming the start of next season is put back.

No doubt Clubs will reword players permanent contracts in future so that instead of running until a certain date they'll run until a certain date "or the end of the ........ season whichever is the later." That doesn't help them now though. In normal times you'd expect they might go off to Court for clarification on the interpretation of the contracts but that doesn't help when they've also said that players can opt  not to play because of the virus anyway so most players wouldn't be so blatantly shameles but would behind that excuse if they knew they had a move in the offing.

[rigger]

22 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I don't either and I agree, the more I think about it the more it annoys me.

When Taylor signed his contract, all parties intended that it should run until the end of the 2019/20 season. The reason players contracts have run until June 30th in the past is presumably because it was a convenient half way point between the seasons, giving players a bit of a safety net if they were being released and also allowing them plenty of time to prepare for a new season if they were moving Club after their contracts expired.

Taylor though is exploiting a loophole which has arisen due to this unprecedented situation. There's no greater chance of him being injured by playing when the season recommences than there would have been had he completed the original season with Charlton. Nor is it any particular inconvenience to anyone assuming the start of next season is put back.

No doubt Clubs will reword players permanent contracts in future so that instead of running until a certain date they'll run until a certain date "or the end of the ........ season whichever is the later." That doesn't help them now though. In normal times you'd expect they might go off to Court for clarification on the interpretation of the contracts but that doesn't help when they've also said that players can opt  not to play because of the virus anyway so most players wouldn't be so blatantly shameles but would behind that excuse if they knew they had a move in the offing.

Wouldn’t it be great to see, if all clubs came to an agreement to not sign him.

Edited June 3, 2020 by rigger

[roversfan99]

1 hour ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Yes, definitely.

No - one is suggesting this should be a permanent thing or that football BCD is better than in front of a crowd. If it was being proposed that football was being introduced BCD either permanently or on a trial basis with a view to it becoming permanent I'd be similarly unenthusiastic or outraged.

However, we are where we are in Society in general because of the virus, or at least because of the reaction to it, therefore as a temporary measure as far as football is concerned this is the next best option. Football BCD also also has the potential to help some Clubs secure their financial future so I can't see why any football fan is opposed to it in principle as a stop gap measure.

In practice, we've seen from the Bundesliga that the product on the pitch can be delivered with no loss of quality whatsoever. As long as our namby pamby pampered Premier League stars who have expressed such opposition to a return also go about it in a similarly genuine and committed fashion, there's no reason why it shouldn't be extremely entertaining given that everyone here will have a dog in the race when it occurs.

Fair enough. Out of interest, how much of your excitement, anticipation, desperation, tension etc do you think would fade/wane if the following was to happen, a season to cherish amidst the majority of uneventful/desperate seasons, and you was unable to go, to participate, to be a part of it, to see the whole fanbase cherish it, all in front of absolutely no one:

a) The game in which a play off place was clinched

b) The journey via the semi final

c) The final, victory at Wembley, a ground we have not been to for 28 years

d) The reward of Premier League football, quite possibly for a solitary season, going to Old Trafford, the Emirates, the new Tottenham Stadium, Anfield and course Turf Moor (all potentially behind closed doors)

Of course you have said that you are excited to see football back very soon, that is fair enough and dont get me wrong, I will be watching plenty. I personally cannot see past the elephant in the room, I feel like I will miss out either way, either Rovers will fall short, very likely, or Rovers will pull it off and I and every other fan will miss out. Maybe thats slightly selfish in a way on my behalf, but to me, there wouldnt be much difference in watching BCD v Man City, Man United and especially Burnley or Barnsley, Millwall and Luton.

 

[rigger]

15 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Fair enough. Out of interest, how much of your excitement, anticipation, desperation, tension etc do you think would fade/wane if the following was to happen, a season to cherish amidst the majority of uneventful/desperate seasons, and you was unable to go, to participate, to be a part of it, to see the whole fanbase cherish it, all in front of absolutely no one:

a) The game in which a play off place was clinched

b) The journey via the semi final

c) The final, victory at Wembley, a ground we have not been to for 28 years

d) The reward of Premier League football, quite possibly for a solitary season, going to Old Trafford, the Emirates, the new Tottenham Stadium, Anfield and course Turf Moor (all potentially behind closed doors)

Of course you have said that you are excited to see football back very soon, that is fair enough and dont get me wrong, I will be watching plenty. I personally cannot see past the elephant in the room, I feel like I will miss out either way, either Rovers will fall short, very likely, or Rovers will pull it off and I and every other fan will miss out. Maybe thats slightly selfish in a way on my behalf, but to me, there wouldnt be much difference in watching BCD v Man City, Man United and especially Burnley or Barnsley, Millwall and Luton.

 

So would you watch, or not?

[HowieFive0]

Sunderlands response to refunds for season ticket holders if games played behind closed doors ..which obviously is inevitable 

[roversfan99]

1 minute ago, rigger said:

So would you watch, or not?

I will be watching yeah, and I understand why it has to be this way. At the moment, the very poor alternative of BCD is better than nothing at all. I just am struggling to get excited about it and am wondering if others have similar conflicting feelings.

[RevidgeBlue]

52 minutes ago, roversfan99 said:

Fair enough. Out of interest, how much of your excitement, anticipation, desperation, tension etc do you think would fade/wane if the following was to happen, a season to cherish amidst the majority of uneventful/desperate seasons, and you was unable to go, to participate, to be a part of it, to see the whole fanbase cherish it, all in front of absolutely no one:

a) The game in which a play off place was clinched

b) The journey via the semi final

c) The final, victory at Wembley, a ground we have not been to for 28 years

d) The reward of Premier League football, quite possibly for a solitary season, going to Old Trafford, the Emirates, the new Tottenham Stadium, Anfield and course Turf Moor (all potentially behind closed doors)

It wouldn't affect my elation/enjoyment in the slightest. Of course it would be a shame if I hadn't been able to attend in person and I would have been particularly disappointed to have missed out on the chance to finally see us at the new Wembley. You probably also know my views on the crisis as a whole and the need or lack of it  for ongoing restrictions going forward. I'd happily attend a game with crowds tomorrow but if that's deemed by the authorities to be impossible for the foreseeable future then it is what it is, there's nothing you  can do about it and as with lockdown you have to get on with it and make the best of it you can.

I think it would be more disappointing still if we somehow by some miracle scraped up through the play offs and we missed a sole season in the PL because the Authorities deemed it had to be thus but again what's the alternative?

Surely if that did happen you wouldn't be saying "I wish this had never happened in the first place because in principle I don't agree with the concept of football BCD?"

Edited June 3, 2020 by RevidgeBlue

[roversfan99]

10 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It wouldn't affect my elation/enjoyment in the slightest. Of course it would be a shame if I hadn't been able to attend in person and I would have been particularly disappointed to have missed out on the chance to finally see us at the new Wembley. You probably also know my views on the crisis as a whole and the need or lack of it  for ongoing restrictions going forward. I'd happily attend a game with crowds tomorrow but if that's deemed by the authorities to be impossible for the foreseeable future then it is what it is, there's nothing you  can do about it and as with lockdown you have to get on with it and make the best of it you can.

I think it would be more disappointing still if we somehow by some miracle scraped up through the play offs and we missed a sole season in the PL because the Authorities deemed it had to be thus but again what's the alternative?

Surely if that did happen you wouldn't be saying "I wish this had never happened in the first place because in principle I don't agree with the concept of football BCD?"

No I would be pleased but also thinking "how typical has this brilliant season happened and weve missed out on seeing it."

I also wouldnt necessarily say that I disagree with the concept of BCD. I appreciate that its a necessity and my post wasnt necessarily critical at anyone.

[chaddyrovers]

Rovers recorded no positive tests after latest round of testing according to Rich Sharpe 

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/18494237.efl-reveals-number-positive-results-latest-covid-19-tests/