Season Suspended

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SiMamu
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by SiMamu »

I think that voiding Levels 6 and below was definitely very premature, and that it marks all that has happened this season as a needless waste. I think that the best option would have been to continue the season whenever possible, and state that all contracts/loans/etc. are all extended until Nov 30. The aim should have been to finish this season by the end of 2020. If there's time at the end of the calendar year, hold the Euros then too. After that, start the 2020/21 season in Feb 2021, and have seasons played out as they are in the Scandinavian leagues, and going across calendar years (Feb/March to November). With the 2022 World Cup coming up and being in Nov 2022, this would set things up nicely for fitting this in. After that, slowly move league start dates a month or two forward, until eventually normality is resumed.
"A man with new ideas is a madman. Until his ideas triumph."
Leicester White
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by Leicester White »

I think the solution Rigger shared is highly logical. I'd like to think Bielsa would stay in that scenario but there's a risk he'd leave.
Leicester White
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by Leicester White »

Seen a Hitler parody video on the Leeds Media FaceBook group which is hilarious and brilliantly done... can't find it anywhere else... worth joining for that take on 2020.
lufctrav
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by lufctrav »

rigger wrote:I agree, especially after announcing the season for divisions below step 6 were null and void. That's just wrong at this stage IMHO, especially for clubs who've ALREADY guaranteed promotion.

It just didn't need to be decided at this point.

I read an excellent idea this morning on the letters page of F365, which is normally full of hot air so it's even more surprising.
This is based on what they did one year in Africa with World Cup qualification. It's a bit of a read but it makes the most sense yet, in terms of fairness and actually rewarding/punishing clubs appropriately :
The AFCON solution for finishing the season: results to count double
For the 2010 World Cup, the CAF’s qualification tournament doubled up as the qualification tournament for the following AFCON. Hence, South Africa had to enter into a qualification tournament for a finals tournament they had already qualified for.

This seemed weird at the time, but I think this ‘results counting for two things’-solution could give us a solution if – Cruijff forbid – the 19/20 season cannot be finished because of you-know-what. This is my plan for an equitable (ish) solution to finish the season without causing delays to 20/21, award any silverware before it is duly won, or declare any part of 19/20 null and void:

1. Firstly, make it so that there’s no immediate relegation for the 19/20 season. Start the 20/21 season (with the same teams as 19/20) but schedule the exact fixtures still to be played for 19/20 in first, in the order that they were previously penciled in for. The points earned in these games count for both seasons.

3. Once all those fixtures have been played: add the points tallies to the 19/20 ones and crown whoever tops that table champions of that season. Liverpool could have their parade on a lovely day in autumn. The bottom three are marked for relegation for 19/20 but stay in the league – for now. The top 3 in the Championship are marked to go up (optional play-offs for the third spot if scheduling permits it).

4. Next, continue the 20/21 season as normal, and award the championship and EL/CL places as you would normally. With regard to relegation: the bottom three for ’19/20′ are relegated along with the bottom three for 20/21. The top 3 in the Championship for both ’19/20′ and 20/21 both go up, so as a rule there will be six teams going down and six going up.

5. There may be overlap between the 6 relegated or promoted teams (eg Norwich finishing in the bottom 3 twice).

a. If you end up with the same number of teams on either side, there’s no problem. Four teams going down and four teams going up? Leave it at that.

b. If there’s, say, five different teams going up from the Championship but only 3 going down from the Prem, the promoted teams with the lowest points tallies for their ‘promotion season’ will play off against the (non-relegated) Premier League teams with the lowest aggregate points tallies for both seasons (eg Bournemouth have finished on 38 and 41 points and West Ham have finished on 36 and 45, then Bournemouth will play off).

c. If there’s more teams going down than coming up – the Premier League teams can stay, because even in this system some small part must be arbitrary.

All in all, I think this is the most equitable way of finishing the season without wreaking (too much) havoc to the next one.
What would happen recruitment wise/financially?
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by Deleted User 728 »

Players could still be bought and sold, if that's what you mean ?
lufctrav
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by lufctrav »

rigger wrote:Players could still be bought and sold, if that's what you mean ?
Would a transfer window fall inbetween 'seasons'?

As good a position as Leeds and West Brom are in, would it really be wise of them to spend money they don't actually have yet to avoid relegation from the PL side of the season? They still need to qualify for the PL first.
If they can't recruit before their top flight campaign, the teams coming up are at a significant disadvantage to those who are already there.

I like the idea in theory and can see how it would work on the international stage but I'm not sure it's ideal for the situation.

I would go a different direction across the continent as a whole. My idea would stretch the two seasons across three winters. Obviously 19-20 has seen action. But then the start of the 20-21 winter to finish the current season. Hopefully this is completed by late October.
2 months off to play out whatever international friendlies/qualifiers need to be played. This will also act as the summer transfer window.
Then start the new season in December and play through to April.
Break for Euro's.
Return to play out the remainder of the season ending in April again.
Off season.
The early end to 21-22 allows for an early start to 22-23 which is already disrupted by the Qatar WC in Nov-Dec so allows for that without too much drama.

Keep Sky happy by countering the lack of total games played by scheduling many stand-alone fixtures. This will allow them to broadcast as much live football as possible and hopefully, justify them paying full price for the content.
Deleted User 728

Re: Season Suspended

Post by Deleted User 728 »

I couldn't care less about Sky.
They're not the priority here, IMHO.
Yours isn't a bad idea but it drags on a bit.
I think the thing that appealed to me most about the letter I quoted above was that it sticks to the normal timeline for next season while still tying up this one's loose ends on merit.

As for the transfer window thing, I would think it would depend on when football resumes in each area : ie Europe, Asia, etc. If there's an obvious "deadline" to get this season done - say the end of July - then the window would be the whole of August. If not, maybe only allow transfers between leagues that have completed this season, eg Italy and Spain finish before we do, they can buy and sell players domestically and between the two nations, but not to or from England, France and Germany if they're still playing.

There are ways around all of this. We just need to be patient because there's no point in trying to come up with a schedule at this point, which is why scrapping the lower divisions' seasons was premature.
lufctrav
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by lufctrav »

rigger wrote:I couldn't care less about Sky.
They're not the priority here, IMHO.
Yours isn't a bad idea but it drags on a bit.
I think the thing that appealed to me most about the letter I quoted above was that it sticks to the normal timeline for next season while still tying up this one's loose ends on merit.

As for the transfer window thing, I would think it would depend on when football resumes in each area : ie Europe, Asia, etc. If there's an obvious "deadline" to get this season done - say the end of July - then the window would be the whole of August. If not, maybe only allow transfers between leagues that have completed this season, eg Italy and Spain finish before we do, they can buy and sell players domestically and between the two nations, but not to or from England, France and Germany if they're still playing.

There are ways around all of this. We just need to be patient because there's no point in trying to come up with a schedule at this point, which is why scrapping the lower divisions' seasons was premature.
I don't care about Sky either but the FA will.

The lower divisions decision was made for financial reasons from what I've read. I don't know the particular reasons but it allowed the clubs in those comps a chance to survive.
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PhoenixUnited
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by PhoenixUnited »

lufctrav wrote:
rigger wrote:I couldn't care less about Sky.
They're not the priority here, IMHO.
Yours isn't a bad idea but it drags on a bit.
I think the thing that appealed to me most about the letter I quoted above was that it sticks to the normal timeline for next season while still tying up this one's loose ends on merit.

As for the transfer window thing, I would think it would depend on when football resumes in each area : ie Europe, Asia, etc. If there's an obvious "deadline" to get this season done - say the end of July - then the window would be the whole of August. If not, maybe only allow transfers between leagues that have completed this season, eg Italy and Spain finish before we do, they can buy and sell players domestically and between the two nations, but not to or from England, France and Germany if they're still playing.

There are ways around all of this. We just need to be patient because there's no point in trying to come up with a schedule at this point, which is why scrapping the lower divisions' seasons was premature.
I don't care about Sky either but the FA will.

The lower divisions decision was made for financial reasons from what I've read. I don't know the particular reasons but it allowed the clubs in those comps a chance to survive.
The decisions on what to do will be purely about the money here and also all over the World. After that there will be sustainability. Everything else is secondary and the fans will be somewhere at the back of the line. In our World I don't have a problem with that. It is just the way it is.

However, it is fascinating to read the suggestions for sorting out the mess that this season is. I think the saying goes "necessity is the mother of all invention......" :think:
Keep The Faith / WAL
Barham
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Re: Season Suspended

Post by Barham »

Good afternoon and I hope you are all keeping safe.

This is my first posting on this forum and as I live in Gloucestershire and have worked shifts I don't get to see our beloved team that often, who I have followed since 1970.

Sadly, today Wimbledon has gone, which was due to be held in late June/early July. The Edinburgh Tattoo, usually held at the end of August, has also gone. Whereas the Premier League, EFL and FA have all stated their intent to finish this season, I am beginning to suspect that intent is simply not going to be possible. That leaves the relevant authorities with the difficult choice of either annulling this season, or coming to some agreement as to who should get what title, European spot, promotion, and so on.

In one sense, Liverpool may have done us a favour, in that they are so far ahead it would be a travesty if they are not awarded the title. Our position is not so clear cut, although we were in an extremely strong position, which was represented in the very short odds the bookies were giving us to get promoted. Therefore, I wonder if we should start promoting the view that we and West Brom have clearly been the best two teams in the Championship over that last two seasons (or 1.8 seasons). Below is a table of the total points that the 18 teams that have been in our league in that period have accumulated since the start of last season, and clearly shows the top two are considerably clear of the rest.

Leeds 154
West Brom 150
Nottingham F 126
Derby 125
Bristol City 125
Brentford 124
Swansea 118
Preston 117
Middlesbrough 114
Blackburn 113
Sheff Wed 112
Hull 103
QPR 101
Birmingham 99
Millwall 98
Stoke 87
Reading 95
Wigan 93

Of the three teams that dropped down from the Premiership, Cardiff and Huddersfield have not threatened promotion, and the three teams that came up from League 1 are currently in the bottom three. Realistically, only Fulham could argue against the justice of Leeds and West Brom being awarded a place in the Premier League for next season.
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