Topic: Premier League suspended until safe to resume

[bird_lfc]

From BBC

PL clubs could use shutdown to replace main break
Premier League clubs could use the coronavirus shutdown to replace their main pre-season break.

Top-flight clubs are considering telling players to treat the current hiatus as a replacement of their traditional summer holiday.

Players could be told to take a full rest now and then carry out a mini pre-season before the Premier League resumes.

It is meant to resume on 30 April.



Because money is everything.

Not really fair on this to be classed as a summer break for the players. Yes I know i'll get the comments about how much money they earn but they are stuck in their houses like the rest of us.

Start the season again when possible. Finish it and have a shorter break again) and come back fresh. Even if it means starting the league 2/3 months later than usual.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

The season will finish whether it be in July, August or November, it will get done. The COVID problem doesn't go away by voiding the current season and looking to start a new one.

[Dim Glas]

Custom title change. Spreads misery quicker than COVID-19.

Fucking hell.

Edit. I've definetley quoted the wrong post

probably best not to quote the right one! Just no need for it here, done purely to upset people already going through stress. Ghost Town's reply though was spot on.

[killer-heels]

The season will finish whether it be in July, August or November, it will get done. The COVID problem doesn't go away by voiding the current season and looking to start a new one.

That is the sensible approach but the closer we get to the summer the more these sheltered clubs will shout out about ending seasons. We will have to ensure that the club presses for what it wants.

[Red_Rich]

For anyone insisting that if it hasn't started by June 30th we're fucked ...


UEFA ...

"There is also the possibility of starting again at the beginning of the next [season], starting the following one later. We will see the best solution for leagues and clubs."

[Fordy]

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/11965081/coronavirus-uefa-president-aleksander-ceferin-says-season-risks-being-lost

Have you actually read what he said:

"If then we wouldn't be able to do any of these, the season would probably be lost. There is also the possibility of ending this season at the start of the next, which would then be postponed, starting a little later.

- sky seems to be on this front agenda at the minute. However, we all know behind the senses that why will be desperate for football to come back.

A tip that don't just read or listen  to the headlines.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

If UEFA is saying that leagues that void the season may not be allowed to nominate competitors in the CL and Europa then there is no way the league can be voided. There is far too much money hanging on all this.

the likes of Karren Brady won’t give two fucks about that

[M(oaning) B(ecomes) E(mbarrassing)]

Good to see you living up to your custom title. You can now sit back and bask in the good that your post has done in the world. The ease and relief it has no doubt brought to people already anxious and fretful and frightened. Top work, fellah.

We've got to be pragmatic about this.  No point hoping for sunnier days if they're not coming.  My custom title was set up by some furthless wooker who knows nowt about nowt, by the way.  Working in the medical field, there's no point being unrealistically optimistic, is there?  Plan for the worst, hope for the best but my essential point is the speed we have to adapt and what we're losing by not doing so.  I was at the Atletico match full of optimism and hope like everyone else but now we're seeing Italians and Spaniards deprived treatment in order to save those most likely to survive and American hospitals turning away deserving cases to die in the street because they don't have sufficient health insurance, we'd be causing further grief up the line if we don't acknowledge this right now.  Get realistic now and accept the inevitable.  There will be no end to this football season.  I'd be astonished if we're allowed to go and watch football by the time the new season usually starts. 

[Number 7]

Have you actually read what he said:

"If then we wouldn't be able to do any of these, the season would probably be lost. There is also the possibility of ending this season at the start of the next, which would then be postponed, starting a little later.

- sky seems to be on this front agenda at the minute. However, we all know behind the senses that why will be desperate for football to come back.

A tip that don't just read or listen  to the headlines.

He also doesn’t make the decision whether the domestic leagues continue or not. The FA does.

[whiteboots]

Well hypothetically: For starters, players and staff are not crammed in like sardines into multi-thousand seater stands. The potential viral load would be different.

Steps can be taken to ensure no-one from high-risk groups are involved at all. Ditto no-one who has symptoms. Steps could be taken to minimise contact between players and staff and anyone from outside, and yes, that could mean restricted contact with their families for the duration. No-one need be forced, only those willing to accept these conditions.

Many people are still going to work everyday and coming home to their families. This won't be all that different.

I've got no idea what they might plan to do or how they might make it work, but if they do go ahead, you can bet they'll have worked out a way to do it which will have approval from government and the medical bodies. If they can't get that approval it won't go ahead. Why not wait and see instead of casting a pall of doom and gloom over everything?

A premier league match involves thirty players, add coaches, trainers, medical staff, matchday staff and security and you easily hit a hundred. Add in their immediate family and you are at 500 contacts easily. The level of personal contact amongst the playing staff far exceeds normal spectator contact ( have you rubbed the leg of the person sitting next to you on the Kop?).

It appears that instant testing is at a premium at present. At Pompey it took ten days to have private tests. All that testing  capacity is rightly going to be directed at frontline NHS staff. Testing everyone, twice a week, and getting the tests back in time is unlikely.

Most of those who are working at the moment are not earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week, and  worth millions to their employers. Would the players be insured? I don’t think so. It would be a foreseeable risk.

It is difficult to see how the Government’s Medical Advisors would think it a good idea.

We will all have to wait and see. That does not mean that pipe dreams should not be exposed as such.

Football will come back. But it will do so as part of the community, not wide of it.

[MolbyLovesGravlax]

I'll never complain about a Burnley vs Brighton Super Sunday again...

[FlashGordon]

We've got to be pragmatic about this.  No point hoping for sunnier days if they're not coming.  My custom title was set up by some furthless wooker who knows nowt about nowt, by the way.  Working in the medical field, there's no point being unrealistically optimistic, is there?  Plan for the worst, hope for the best but my essential point is the speed we have to adapt and what we're losing by not doing so.  I was at the Atletico match full of optimism and hope like everyone else but now we're seeing Italians and Spaniards deprived treatment in order to save those most likely to survive and American hospitals turning away deserving cases to die in the street because they don't have sufficient health insurance, we'd be causing further grief up the line if we don't acknowledge this right now.  Get realistic now and accept the inevitable.  There will be no end to this football season.  I'd be astonished if we're allowed to go and watch football by the time the new season usually starts.

We finish this season when the new season usually starts or later if needs be. There cannot be a new season till this one is finished, whenever that happens.

[Stevo79]

We've got to be pragmatic about this.  No point hoping for sunnier days if they're not coming.  My custom title was set up by some furthless wooker who knows nowt about nowt, by the way.  Working in the medical field, there's no point being unrealistically optimistic, is there?  Plan for the worst, hope for the best but my essential point is the speed we have to adapt and what we're losing by not doing so.  I was at the Atletico match full of optimism and hope like everyone else but now we're seeing Italians and Spaniards deprived treatment in order to save those most likely to survive and American hospitals turning away deserving cases to die in the street because they don't have sufficient health insurance, we'd be causing further grief up the line if we don't acknowledge this right now.  Get realistic now and accept the inevitable.  There will be no end to this football season.  I'd be astonished if we're allowed to go and watch football by the time the new season usually starts.

Thank Fowler Rafa didn't say that at half time in the Ataturk.

Surely hoping for sunnier days is what keeps us all going. Nobody knows what's going to happen, but being pragmatic hugely negative about the situation doesn't help anyone.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

A premier league match involves thirty players, add coaches, trainers, medical staff, matchday staff and security and you easily hit a hundred. Add in their immediate family and you are at 500 contacts easily. The level of personal contact amongst the playing staff far exceeds normal spectator contact ( have you rubbed the leg of the person sitting next to you on the Kop?).

It appears that instant testing is at a premium at present. At Pompey it took ten days to have private tests. All that testing  capacity is rightly going to be directed at frontline NHS staff. Testing everyone, twice a week, and getting the tests back in time is unlikely.

Most of those who are working at the moment are not earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a week, and  worth millions to their employers. Would the players be insured? I don’t think so. It would be a foreseeable risk.

It is difficult to see how the Government’s Medical Advisors would think it a good idea.

We will all have to wait and see. That does not mean that pipe dreams should not be exposed as such.

Football will come back. But it will do so as part of the community, not wide of it.

All of which right down to the tea lady and bus driver will have been on the strictest of lockdowns.

There's also these newfangled things called tests that come back with results in 2 hours.

[Legs]

This virus is the worse thing I have ever come over in my life and I’m 43 it is scary sh#t no doubt but I am confident we will beat this.

It’s hard to stay positive for some people but we have to for our own sanity believe things will get back to normal someday.

Like everyone else your family / job comes first no matter what anyone says but sport and music are a huge part of my life as well and like everyone I’m hoping we get back to what I would call normal.

As Bon Jovi says keep the faith everyone. YNWA

[killer-heels]

All of which right down to the tea lady and bus driver will have been on the strictest of lockdowns.

There's also these newfangled things called tests that come back with results in 2 hours.

Which tests are these?

[didi shamone]

How can that happen? If it is unsafe for spectators, how can it be safe for players and staff?

Im currently in work in a factory deemed essential due to being a packaging company. So its conceivable for footballers to play behind closed doors in three months time.
The days of full stadiums could be anything up to two years away. Truth is no one knows, we might have to wait for a vaccine. So if we're going down the no football until this virus is gone in the world route then next season is gone too at the least.

[Macphisto80]

Honestly, at this point, I couldn't give two fucks. I want to start to see signs of light at the end of the tunnel before even thinking about football. Klopp is optimistic. That'll have to do for the time being.

[killer-heels]

Honestly, at this point, I couldn't give two fucks. I want to start to see signs of light at the end of the tunnel before even thinking about football. Klopp is optimistic. That'll have to do for the time being.

That sign of light is far, far too distant to even see. There are zero positives at this point for Europe and the States.

[red whine]

Abandoning a season is not the same as voiding one. If a game is abandoned after 75% of the game has been played then the result stands.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Which tests are these?

[JerseyKloppite]

It's only baffling if we overlook the clear agendas at work. Acknowledge the obvious agendas, and it makes perfect sense.

Funny enough, the ones who seem to be overlooking the global tragedy and endlessly banging on about football to excess are the ones who want to void it. Not because it's the right thing to do either. But because doing so would suit them, and a global catastrophe will be used by them in order to save themselves from their own mediocrity and failure. Basically, it's shameless opportunism on a grotesque level.

I agree with you and Jm55. As far as priorities are concerned, football is very low on the list just now for the overwhelming majority of people. I barely even think of the game itself at the moment, but it's still important to me. As Klopp said, it's the most important of the unimportant things just now. I'm not worried for myself, but I'm very concerned about vulnerable loved ones and vulnerable people in general just now. My anxiety levels are at a constant high, as they are for most other people out there.

Thing is, if this bastard virus was all we focused on then we'd be completely overwhelmed. Because of this, we also need to bring a little light relief into our day too. We need a positive focus outside of all the chaos and madness that is daily life in the current crisis. Viktor E. Frankl survived Auschwitz. He was a Psychiatrist in life before the war. He observed the mentalities and outlooks of those who escaped the 'selection process' and also survived Auschwitz. He found that the ones who used to look forward to all the little things they'd do once they were liberated tended to survive. Those who believed they were doomed, basically sealed their own fate by giving up.

The lesson I take from the above is that even in the face of unspeakable horror, your focus can also wander onto what would, in that situation, be seen as triviality. It's not an either/or situation. In fact, looking forward to positive, better days ahead can be what gets us through the very challenging present. Our daily worries are still very real and very challenging, and we do what we can to deal with them as best as we can, but without an outlet for the stress and anxiety, we'd implode mentally. Some will talk football, others cars, music, art etc... The list of 'trivialities' is endless, but they are important for our mental wellbeing.

Idiots will always delight in constructing a straw man that they can attack. For many, that straw man wears a Liverpool scarf, and is dismissive of the global tragedy unfolding all around him whilst he has nothing to worry over other than lifting a shiny pot. The reality is the straw man doesn't really exist. We are all worried, many are scared, and our priorities are negotiating our way through this horrific pandemic with our health and the health of our loved ones intact. Talking football is just a distraction just now, and acts as a safety valve more than anything else. It helps make some room in our heads for something other than worry and anxiety.

Funny really, I cut the lawn the other day, because it still matters. I marvelled at the night sky with a beautiful crescent moon rising with Venus shining above it. I felt happy after seeing our frog appear in the garden pond for the first time this year just the other night. You see, these things still matter, even if they are not No1 priority in life at the moment. Funny how I'm not getting criticised over that, but if, as a Liverpool fan, I talk about football and the title I'd be criticised for ''focusing on the trivial when we are facing a global crisis.''

When you give up on the little things, what have you got left in life? In dark times, looking forward to better days can get you through. Chances are, 95+% of our day is taken up with getting through this horrible mess. If we manage to distract ourselves for the other 5% then our mental wellbeing will benefit for it.

Let the morons go after the straw man all they want. 

Think this most is an almost perfect response to the current situation, and to that end a fitting point to lock this thread.

If you want to talk football, keep talking football. That's what the forum is for. There are loads of other threads to chat about games, players, Klopp etc. There's even one about the impact of COVID-19 on sport if that's the angle you want to focus on - it's in General Sport.

But this debate has had its day, for now. We don't know what will happen with the football season. We don't know quite frankly what will happen tomorrow or next week in our towns and on our streets. Journos and experts will pontificate while clubs and governing bodies make whatever decisions they can. Idiots will comment, both fans and directors - plus ça change...

For now, football is suspended until 30 April. We all know that this suspension will go on beyond that. When there's some concrete news beyond "we want to finish the season, but we might not be able to" then we can come back in here and chat about it some more. For now, people are getting wound up about something that is about as uncertain and unpredictable as it gets.

[JerseyKloppite]

At a meeting of Premier League Shareholders today, clubs discussed in detail how to respond to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

First and foremost, it was reaffirmed that the overriding priority is to aid the health and wellbeing of the nation and our communities, including players, coaches, managers, club staff and supporters.

Season restart
It was acknowledged that the Premier League will not resume at the beginning of May – and that the 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The restart date is under constant review with all stakeholders, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic develops and we work together through this very challenging time.

The Premier League is working closely with the whole of professional football in this country, as well as with the Government, public agencies and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the game achieves a collaborative solution.

With this, there is a combined objective for all remaining domestic league and cup matches to be played, enabling us to maintain the integrity of each competition.

However, any return to play will only be with the full support of the Government and when medical guidance allows.

The sporting and financial implications for Premier League clubs as well as for The FA, EFL and National League were considered at today’s meeting.

Consulting players
In the face of substantial and continuing losses for the 2019/20 season since the suspension of matches began, and to protect employment throughout the professional game, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30 per cent of total annual remuneration.

This guidance will be kept under constant review as circumstances change.

The League will be in regular contact with the PFA, and the union and the LMA will join a meeting which will be held tomorrow between the League, players and club representatives.

Solidarity with clubs below PL
Discussions also took place regarding financial relief for clubs in the short term and while there is no single solution, measures are to be put in place to immediately deal with the impact of falling cash flow.

Critically, the League unanimously voted to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National League as it is aware of the severe difficulties clubs throughout the football pyramid are suffering at this time.

Supporting NHS
Further to that assistance, the League remains committed to supporting the National Health Service, its staff and helping people in communities, not least those who are most vulnerable.

The League, clubs, players and managers express huge appreciation for the heroic efforts of NHS staff and all other key workers who are carrying out critical jobs in such difficult circumstances.

In consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Premier League is immediately committing £20 million to support the NHS, communities, families and vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This includes a direct financial contribution to the NHS and funds to enable clubs to refocus their efforts and develop significant outreach programmes to help communities, including those most in need.

This funding will enable both immediate and longer-term support during the crisis.

Clubs supporting communities
In response to COVID-19,  Premier League clubs have been supporting tens of thousands of people in their communities each and every day through targeted activity including donations to foodbanks, telephone calls to the elderly, food parcels delivered to the vulnerable and a wide range of free resources to support wellbeing and education.

Many Premier League clubs are also working closely with their local NHS Trusts to provide valuable support through the provision of resources, volunteers and facilities.

Now, more than ever, clubs are playing a vital role to support the wellbeing of those in their communities and alleviate pressure on critical health services.

Promoting public health messages
Working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and the NHS,  the wide reach and appeal of the Premier League and our clubs will continue to be used to promote important public health messaging throughout this crisis.

The Premier League would like to reiterate that the thoughts of all our clubs are with all those directly affected by COVID-19​.