Topic: The Impact of COVID 19 on Sport...

[El Lobo]

I don’t like the idea of bourbon in cider...

Or just cider in a bottle/glass

[red_Mark1980]

Juat saw the cringe cup lifting of Salzburg in Austria.

It's really a fake facade. Just looks so fake. They pretend to be SDing, yet they have trained together all day, have sweated together for the day pass the cup to each other, kissing it etc....yet they stand meters apart while lifting it? Give me a fucking break.

I really hope when we win it, we keep it real and properly lift it and celebrate, and not try to fake virtue-signal about Social Distancing while lifting the trophy for first time in 30 years.

The other thing is, you can clearly see the beaten team in a couple of shots are all stood next to each other...almost out of shot.

[ScouserAtHeart]

Premier League clubs set to oppose relegation by points-per-game method

Formula could decide final placings if season halted again
FA against cancelling relegation from the Premier League

Premier League sides battling against relegation are expected to oppose the implementation of a points-per-game calculation if the Covid-19 pandemic forces the season to be suspended again after its proposed resumption on 17 June.

While the league is aiming to finalise plans around Project Restart on Thursday, one pressing issue is which three teams should be relegated if the season is halted for a second time. Clubs in the bottom six believe it would be unfair to use a mathematical formula to decide relegation, especially as some teams fighting for survival have more inviting run-ins than others.

The issue promises to be tricky for the league to resolve. Some clubs opposed to using PPG to work out the final standings could also argue that nobody should fall into the Championship if attempts to complete the remaining 92 games in full are disrupted by the pandemic. However scrapping relegation remains unlikely, with the Football Association telling clubs last month that the season needs to be settled on sporting merit.

Cancelling relegation would create further problems for the game’s authorities. There is little appetite to expand the number of teams in the top flight next season, while the Premier League could face legal challenges if teams at the top of the Championship are denied promotion.

While the top-flight clubs do not have to come up with a solution on Thursday, they will need to devise a plan for curtailment by the time action resumes. Yet those discussions could be complicated given the opposition to PPG.

At the moment Norwich, Aston Villa and Bournemouth are in the bottom three. West Ham and Watford are above 18th-placed Bournemouth on goal difference and Brighton, who were 15th before the season was suspended in March, are two points above Eddie Howe’s side. However Villa will go 16th if they win their game in hand at home to Sheffield United on 17 June, pushing Watford into the drop zone.

The situation near the bottom is delicately poised and there are bound to be disagreements if the season has to end prematurely. One argument against PPG will be that teams with tough runs straight after the restart could be affected disproportionately if they cannot play games that look easier on paper further down the track. For instance West Ham begin with games against Wolves, Chelsea and Tottenham but still have to play Watford and Villa at home. By contrast Bournemouth start with games against Crystal Palace, Wolves and Newcastle, while Watford play Leicester, Burnley and Southampton.

Were PPG to be used now Bournemouth, Villa and Norwich would go down. An alternative formula, weighting to reflect home and away results, would see West Ham take Bournemouth’s place in the bottom three.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/may/31/basement-clubs-set-to-oppose-relegation-by-points-per-game-method

[Skeeve]

They should be using weighted ppg rather than the unweighted version is it becomes necessary, but if they want to object to the bottom three being settled in that manner, the simple solution is send them all done and promote some extra clubs from the championship instead, none of those clubs have done anything worthwhile this season anyway so we wouldn't want them to escape by being marginally less shite than their rivals. 

[Machae]

They should be using weighted ppg rather than the unweighted version is it becomes necessary, but if they want to object to the bottom three being settled in that manner, the simple solution is send them all done and promote some extra clubs from the championship instead, none of those clubs have done anything worthwhile this season anyway so we wouldn't want them to escape by being marginally less shite than their rivals. 

Well if 14 vote for it, then they dont have any other option

[Fromola]

So thousands of people can march through Manchester and London today (or sit together in the park) but the prospect of any Liverpool fans gathering outside Anfield in a month or two has people in hysterics and means we shouldn't be allowed to play at Anfield.

[Fordy]

So thousands of people can march through Manchester and London today (or sit together in the park) but the prospect of any Liverpool fans gathering outside Anfield in a month or two has people in hysterics and means we shouldn't be allowed to play at Anfield.

To be fair it is a little different

[Fromola]

To be fair it is a little different

I'm not saying it should be allowed at Anfield, it shouldn't. But people are congregating in large groups and huddles everywhere now but it's only a problem for the potential of Liverpool fans gathering at some point in a month or two. That's assuming we aren't back to square one as a result of all this and the games don't go ahead.

[El Lobo]

I'm not saying it should be allowed at Anfield, it shouldn't. But people are congregating in large groups and huddles everywhere now but it's only a problem for the potential of Liverpool fans gathering at some point in a month or two.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

That's assuming we aren't back to square one as a result of all this and the games don't go ahead.

I didn't see any PL players at the demos,did you ?

[Samie]

EFL agrees to Championship season provisionally restarting on the 20th June, subject to safety requirements and guidance being met.

https://www.efl.com/news/2020/may/efl-statement-coronvirus-update-championship/

[JerseyKloppite]

So thousands of people can march through Manchester and London today (or sit together in the park) but the prospect of any Liverpool fans gathering outside Anfield in a month or two has people in hysterics and means we shouldn't be allowed to play at Anfield.

Very, VERY different circumstances and not a remotely sensible comparison.

There are social distancing issues with the protests but to try to draw any equivalence isn’t appropriate.

[Barneylfc∗]

I'm not sure what Fromola has said wrong there. Whether it's beaches or protests, it's still a large gathering of people that arent social distancing. Yet the only ones that will get any flak for any sort of gathering is Liverpool fans when 10 turn up outside Anfield when we win the league.

[JerseyKloppite]

I'm not sure what Fromola has said wrong there. Whether it's beaches or protests, it's still a large gathering of people that arent social distancing. Yet the only ones that will get any flak for any sort of gathering is Liverpool fans when 10 turn up outside Anfield when we win the league.

Because there’s far more justification in protesting flagrant civil rights violations which have resulted in the death of an unarmed man at the hands of the authorities than hanging around pointlessly outwide a football stadium to celebrate a team winning a trophy.

Everyone should respect social distancing, obviously, and it’s obviously difficult to see scenes of protest where people plainly aren’t. But it’s pretty obvious why people would look down on the football fans more than the civil rights protesters.

It’s not a good avenue to go down so best leave it there.

[El Lobo]

I'm not sure what Fromola has said wrong there. Whether it's beaches or protests, it's still a large gathering of people that arent social distancing. Yet the only ones that will get any flak for any sort of gathering is Liverpool fans when 10 turn up outside Anfield when we win the league.

Plenty are getting flak already. There’s plenty of negative articles about the very small percentage of the population not following the rules by crowding beaches and parks. Fromola has essentially spotted the last opportunity to cast negativity over the club this season, as he’s already said he’s done with football once we’ve won the league. That’s why he’s suddenly driving this idea that a ‘second wave’ is inevitable and whatever ramifications that would bring for the league.

[Fromola]

I'm not sure what Fromola has said wrong there. Whether it's beaches or protests, it's still a large gathering of people that arent social distancing. Yet the only ones that will get any flak for any sort of gathering is Liverpool fans when 10 turn up outside Anfield when we win the league.

Exactly. Flak from the same people sat with a crate of ale in the park all weekend with their mates.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Jesus fucking Christ, how the hell can you be this persistent for 326 pages?

[God's Left Peg]

A whole barrel of whisky? 

   

Just the one. Wait until we do the treble.

[Red Beret]

Beautiful.

It truly is.  First time I'd ever done the Anfield tour and I'd never been up close to all six.  My mate told me to get away because others were taking photos but I could have stayed in that room for hours going over every minute detail.

[davidlpool1982]

Suprised Watford aren't going for a "GNev Champers photo" relegation weighting. If your team managed to ger a win that got Gary Neville to post a picture of him opening champaigne, you automatically stay up. They deserve it for the joy they gave fans of every other team bar Liverpool.

[Brian Blessed]

Suprised Watford aren't going for a "GNev Champers photo" relegation weighting. If your team managed to ger a win that got Gary Neville to post a picture of him opening champaigne, you automatically stay up. They deserve it for the joy they gave fans of every other team bar Liverpool.

I didn’t know he did this. It would be pathetic from someone not in the public eye. JFC.

[muszka]

Vasco da Gama announces 16 players tested positive for COVID-19. The rest of the players will start training this Monday

More positive results from 1 team than from the whole Premier League after 4 rounds of testing.

That is a genuine reason to think about cancelling the league.

[Dave D]

You can be guaranteed that the opportunists pushing for no relegation will still be whinging after all the games are played anyway. It looks like the season will be played out, the bottom three will still be crying either way.
If you allow clubs to vote for no relegation you may as well let them vote on whether relegation should be scrapped entirely.

[red_Mark1980]

You can be guaranteed that the opportunists pushing for no relegation will still be whinging after all the games are played anyway. It looks like the season will be played out, the bottom three will still be crying either way.
If you allow clubs to vote for no relegation you may as well let them vote on whether relegation should be scrapped entirely.

But, but..the integrity of the league...

[kavah]

The Excellent Rory Smith

The Premier League has finally resisted the temptation to pretend the 2019-20 season never happened. Doing so would have ruptured the bond between fans and the sport, perhaps forever.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/sports/soccer/rules-rescheduled-games-and-a-covenant-worth-preserving.html

[The North Bank]

Why cant we let 30% of the fans in, itll still be more social distancing than on our beaches and streets, and gives some much needed atmosphere.

[rafathegaffa83]

Why cant we let 30% of the fans in, itll still be more social distancing than on our beaches and streets, and gives some much needed atmosphere.

Because as it has been shown in various places (the nightclubs in Seoul, the restaurant in rural Germany, the church in Frankfurt) it just takes one infected person to cause it to spread and it is widely accepted that shouting/singing potentially spreads the virus.

There was a video I saw recently of how highly segregated the Bundesliga has made their stadiums. There are only a few hundred people there. That can be managed. Not sure how 18,000 fans could be managed at the moment, especially in terms of bathrooms, food stands, congregating in parts of the ground at half-time

[tray fenny]

"For some time, there has been a constituency in the Premier League to whom all that matters is being there: not excelling, not winning games, not entertaining anyone, but simply existing in the top flight of English soccer. Null and void seemed to be the natural conclusion of that approach: It did not matter if anyone played soccer at all, it turned out, as long as they could keep cashing those television checks."
Rory Smith

Everton. I reckon all these 'appalled' second rate clubs are accelerating the time for a new Super league.

[newterp]

More positive results from 1 team than from the whole Premier League after 4 rounds of testing.

That is a genuine reason to think about cancelling the league.

Maybe this will force these teams to take the lockdown and isolations seriously? Anyway - what league is this? Portugal?

[Welshred]

Maybe this will force these teams to take the lockdown and isolations seriously? Anyway - what league is this? Portugal?

Brazil.

[Dan The Man 28373]

Maybe this will force these teams to take the lockdown and isolations seriously? Anyway - what league is this? Portugal?

It was Vasco Da Gama in the Brazilian league, over a 3rd of their squad had positive results.  Brazil is likely to overtake UK & USA in terms of number of deaths via COVID-19.

[Dench57]

"For some time, there has been a constituency in the Premier League to whom all that matters is being there: not excelling, not winning games, not entertaining anyone, but simply existing in the top flight of English soccer. Null and void seemed to be the natural conclusion of that approach: It did not matter if anyone played soccer at all, it turned out, as long as they could keep cashing those television checks."
Rory Smith

Just quoting that again. Excellent stuff from Rory.

[ScouserAtHeart]

Three Charlton players including Lyle Taylor unwilling to continue season

Striker fears injury could threaten ‘life-changing move’
Lee Bowyer says Chris Solly and David Davis will also not play

Lee Bowyer has revealed Charlton’s talisman Lyle Taylor is one of three players who have said they will not play when the Championship resumes.

The season is due to restart on 20 June but the club’s top goalscorer, who is out of contract at the end of the month, has informed Bowyer he does not wish to play for fear an injury could threaten his chances of a “life-changing move”.

Bowyer compared Taylor’s influence at the relegation-threatened club to Troy Deeney’s at Watford and expressed disappointment. “Lyle is a big player for us, a bit like Deeney at Watford,” the Charlton manager told TalkSport.

“When he plays, we win games and Lyle has said he is not going to play because of the risk of injury. Chris Solly said the same. And [David] Davis, who is on loan from Birmingham, said he does not want to come back and play. We are three players down but it’s just another hurdle. We’ve got another 22, 23 players that do want to play and that’s the most important thing now.”

Bowyer added of Taylor: “He’s done great for us for two years and, in my eyes, you finish what you have started. Everyone has got their own decisions to make – I cannot force them. What disappoints me the most, and I’ve spoken to Lyle about it, [is that] he wants to play but he is so worried about getting injured he is saying: ‘I won’t be the same player for you.’

“It’s difficult because he’s so big [a player] for us. He’s going to get a life-changing move. If it wasn’t for Lyle, we wouldn’t even be in this division. He has chosen now not to come back and play until the end.”

Taylor has scored 11 goals in 22 league matches this season despite hamstring and thigh injuries. The 30-year-old, formerly of Falkirk and Bournemouth, joinedon a free from AFC Wimbledon two years ago and scored 25 goals to help the club to promotion.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/01/three-charlton-players-including-lyle-taylor-unwilling-to-continue-season-lee-bowyer-injury

Wow.

[Red Beret]

The Excellent Rory Smith

The Premier League has finally resisted the temptation to pretend the 2019-20 season never happened. Doing so would have ruptured the bond between fans and the sport, perhaps forever.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/sports/soccer/rules-rescheduled-games-and-a-covenant-worth-preserving.html

As I said before when I saw this, whilst I realise sports writers have to frame their articles in a manner they know will be consumed, we all know that bolded piece is utter bullshit.  Voiding was never, ever realistically on the cards, and this position was restated multiple times.

May as well say I resisted the temptation to walk out of my house bollock naked with my knob painted purple, when the truth is it was never even considered as a realistic option.  (I mean, seriously, purple?)

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Three Charlton players including Lyle Taylor unwilling to continue season

Striker fears injury could threaten ‘life-changing move’
Lee Bowyer says Chris Solly and David Davis will also not play

Lee Bowyer has revealed Charlton’s talisman Lyle Taylor is one of three players who have said they will not play when the Championship resumes.

The season is due to restart on 20 June but the club’s top goalscorer, who is out of contract at the end of the month, has informed Bowyer he does not wish to play for fear an injury could threaten his chances of a “life-changing move”.

Bowyer compared Taylor’s influence at the relegation-threatened club to Troy Deeney’s at Watford and expressed disappointment. “Lyle is a big player for us, a bit like Deeney at Watford,” the Charlton manager told TalkSport.

“When he plays, we win games and Lyle has said he is not going to play because of the risk of injury. Chris Solly said the same. And [David] Davis, who is on loan from Birmingham, said he does not want to come back and play. We are three players down but it’s just another hurdle. We’ve got another 22, 23 players that do want to play and that’s the most important thing now.”

Bowyer added of Taylor: “He’s done great for us for two years and, in my eyes, you finish what you have started. Everyone has got their own decisions to make – I cannot force them. What disappoints me the most, and I’ve spoken to Lyle about it, [is that] he wants to play but he is so worried about getting injured he is saying: ‘I won’t be the same player for you.’

“It’s difficult because he’s so big [a player] for us. He’s going to get a life-changing move. If it wasn’t for Lyle, we wouldn’t even be in this division. He has chosen now not to come back and play until the end.”

Taylor has scored 11 goals in 22 league matches this season despite hamstring and thigh injuries. The 30-year-old, formerly of Falkirk and Bournemouth, joinedon a free from AFC Wimbledon two years ago and scored 25 goals to help the club to promotion.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/01/three-charlton-players-including-lyle-taylor-unwilling-to-continue-season-lee-bowyer-injury

Wow.

What a twat. Firstly because he will be playing the same number of matches that he would have played without Covid-19 existing so his situation is no different to what it would have been - would he have refused to play in April and May if this was a normal season? The risk of injury before his contract expired would have still existed.

Secondly, he is able to sign a contract with another club now, so could safeguard his future before carrying on playing. And thirdly, refusing to play when your club is in massive trouble for purely selfish reasons isn't exactly going to entice potential future employers, is it?

[rafathegaffa83]

This was always going to happen with out of contract players, particularly in the Championship and below. Some clubs will release players or send loanees back; others will have out of contract players refusing to come back

[Lush is the best medicine...]

What a twat. Firstly because he will be playing the same number of matches that he would have played without Covid-19 existing so his situation is no different to what it would have been - would he have refused to play in April and May if this was a normal season? The risk of injury before his contract expired would have still existed.

Secondly, he is able to sign a contract with another club now, so could safeguard his future before carrying on playing. And thirdly, refusing to play when your club is in massive trouble for purely selfish reasons isn't exactly going to entice potential future employers, is it?

to be fair he’s 30 and it’s probably his last chance to make very good money in a contract so from that perspective I can understand why he’d not want to play (as he’s probably got a deal in the bag and doesn’t want to jeopardise it) as he’s been a lower league player his entire career so doesn’t have the kind of money a guy who’s been on premier league money the last few years, but I can also understand why bowyer is pissed off as he could well be the difference between them staying up or not

[Dim Glas]

to be fair he’s 30 and it’s probably his last chance to make very good money in a contract so from that perspective I can understand why he’d not want to play (as he’s probably got a deal in the bag and doesn’t want to jeopardise it) as he’s been a lower league player his entire career so doesn’t have the kind of money a guy who’s been on premier league money the last few years, but I can also understand why bowyer is pissed off as he could well be the difference between them staying up or not

Do players generally do this? There’s hundreds of players with deals expiring each season, I can’t recal it being  a thing that they refuse to play in the last month of a season in case they get hurt.

 

[thekitkatshuffler]

to be fair he’s 30 and it’s probably his last chance to make very good money in a contract so from that perspective I can understand why he’d not want to play (as he’s probably got a deal in the bag and doesn’t want to jeopardise it) as he’s been a lower league player his entire career so doesn’t have the kind of money a guy who’s been on premier league money the last few years, but I can also understand why bowyer is pissed off as he could well be the difference between them staying up or not

To be fair, he's a dickhead.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Do players generally do this? There’s hundreds of players with deals expiring each season, I can’t recal it being  a thing that they refuse to play in the last month of a season in case they get hurt.

This is my point - its not like he's being asked to play extra matches. I could somewhat understand him not extending his contract beyond June 30th, but he's refusing to play matches before then as well!