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The Official 2019/20 Premier League Thread

I find it incredible that anyone would think it's safe to play while the virus is still so active. How "fans" think a sporting past time is more important than peoples lives just demonstrates how stupid they are, if this happens I cant wait for the first player or club employee to die for the crocodile tears.
 
If the virus is on the decline, then its perfectly feasible, with appropriate measures in place, in order to resume the season. Based on the proposed plan, the clubs will move from individual lockdowns to a group lockdown and with everyone tested before they joined that group. I can't see that the risk is higher than going to the supermarket where you could pick up the virus from the handle of a shopping trolley and, whilst I'm more cautious than most people on this, things have to gradually inch back to normality
 
I find it incredible that anyone would think it's safe to play while the virus is still so active. How "fans" think a sporting past time is more important than peoples lives just demonstrates how stupid they are, if this happens I cant wait for the first player or club employee to die for the crocodile tears.

Amen to that.
 
Ben Garner at Bristol Rovers leaked whatsapp message suggests season is over. Jan 1st is earliest season will come back. Weekly tests of 60,000 to get game and season finished etc.

Promotions of 3 and no relegation, season after will have 6 down to compensate.

I will try and post it
 
If the virus is on the decline, then its perfectly feasible, with appropriate measures in place, in order to resume the season. Based on the proposed plan, the clubs will move from individual lockdowns to a group lockdown and with everyone tested before they joined that group. I can't see that the risk is higher than going to the supermarket where you could pick up the virus from the handle of a shopping trolley and, whilst I'm more cautious than most people on this, things have to gradually inch back to normality

Going to the shops is your own risk not that of the league, clubs etc. If someone contracts it during the new measures then thats a PR disaster for the league, players like Aguero don't want to come back as they have families and thats a key fact. Players can't be forced back to work if they feel the rick to them and their family is too great and as much as I bash players he is right.

You could worse case have corporate manslaughter issues, is a spectator sport really that important to have on show compared to that and whats going on? I don't think it is personally. Also there are many dead rubbers to play, this is not about amazing suspense, Liverpool have won the league, our season is pretty much done, the team with nothing to play for playing others with nothing to play for, for what? So we can crown a champion and move onto to the next season where we will crown the next?

I am not having it that its anywhere near worth having
 
Going to the shops is your own risk not that of the league, clubs etc. If someone contracts it during the new measures then thats a PR disaster for the league, players like Aguero don't want to come back as they have families and thats a key fact. Players can't be forced back to work if they feel the rick to them and their family is too great and as much as I bash players he is right.

You could worse case have corporate manslaughter issues, is a spectator sport really that important to have on show compared to that and whats going on? I don't think it is personally. Also there are many dead rubbers to play, this is not about amazing suspense, Liverpool have won the league, our season is pretty much done, the team with nothing to play for playing others with nothing to play for, for what? So we can crown a champion and move onto to the next season where we will crown the next?

I am not having it that its anywhere near worth having

If anything this whole shambles should be a big warning sign about PL clubs' and the FA's dependency on outrageous TV deals.

What we now basically see is a bunch of football executives desperate to keep the money flowing.

Restarting the season is not about pleasing fans or deciding the outcome of the season. Player/manager safety is just an inconvenience they have to overcome somehow. It's all about the money.
 
Neutral venues will be the only way to complete the season, Premier League clubs were told during a video conference on Friday.

"Up to 10 stadiums" would be used to resume the 2019-20 campaign.

The Premier League would also need up to 40,000 tests for players and staff if plans to play the 92 outstanding games behind closed doors are pursued.

Clubs reiterated a commitment to resuming the season "when safe and appropriate to do so".

The conference followed a separate meeting, hosted by culture secretary Oliver Dowden, involving medical experts from several sports organisations, government and Public Health England, about "stepping up planning" for sport's eventual return.

Representatives from football, rugby union, cricket, racing and funding body UK Sport were present.

Dowden introduced the meeting and said elite sport would return behind closed doors "when, and only when, it is safe to do so on the basis of expert medical advice".

BBC Sport understands that sports have accepted that the return to competition is going to be a "long, detailed process" and the discussions in Friday's conference were largely based on the resumption of training.

F1 representatives also discussed the prospects for the British Grand Prix.
 
'No decisions taken' at Premier League meeting
The Premier League said in a statement it would "only return to training and playing with government guidance".

"No decisions were taken at today's meeting and clubs exchanged views on the information provided regarding 'Project Restart'," the statement added.

"It was agreed that the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the League Managers' Association (LMA), players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted."

A major factor in the decision to use neutral venues is it try to reduce any chance of fans congregating, and the selected grounds will be largely based on a rating from the police and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority.

Clubs will also have to sign up to a medical protocol, put together by the Premier League doctors' group and the League's medical adviser, which will be phased in as the situation changes.

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March but all clubs remain committed to playing the 92 remaining fixtures of 2019-20 and there was no discussion about voiding the season.

It is understood that overall the Project Restart plans were well received by clubs, but elements that were challenged will be worked on.

The PFA and LMA will be tasked with carrying out a consultation of players and managers.

There will be a meeting of clubs following the government's review of the lockdown restrictions next week, but this will not take place on Thursday.

If training is resumed before social distancing rules are relaxed, BBC Sport understands players will be tested for coronavirus twice a week and would be screened for symptoms every day. All tests would be carried out by health professionals at a drive-through NHS testing facility that each club would have access to. Training grounds will be optimised for social distancing and high hygiene levels.

In addition:

  • Players must arrive at training grounds in kit and wear masks at all times.
  • They must not shower or eat on the premises. If clubs want to provide players with food, it must be delivered as a takeaway to players' cars.
  • Only essential medical treatment would be allowed, with all medical staff in full PPE.
  • All meetings and reviews must take place virtually and off-site

Leading sports lawyer Nick de Marco told BBC Sport any decision made will need to be a "compromise" but "it's inevitable there will be litigation arising from it".

"It's impossible to reach a decision that will please everybody. The legal issues and of course the health issues are the main determining factors at the moment," added De Marco.

He said there are "four big legal issues" which would involve broadcasters, sponsors, clubs and individual players.

Those could include disputes over value for money if the season is not completed, as well as disagreements over who is awarded the title, who is relegated and who is promoted.

"There's also the fundamental health problem. What if players don't feel that it's safe to return?" he added.

De Marco also said there was a "very big problem" regarding player contracts as "nothing is preventing them" from walking out if it expires before the season is completed.

"You could have a player playing for a club one week and a rival the next week," he said.


Former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro told BBC Radio Four a "change of behaviour" is needed when football does return.

"I think it is possible to change the culture of the sport and it requires rigorous implementation," said Carneiro.

"In order to do that, you require the support of your governing body and that has historically not always been the case in football."

Carneiro said the "close contact of footballers" during games, travelling and in training makes them "so much more prone to developing infection".

"I think there will be a lot of fear. That won't be held by the widely varying practices," she added.

"The evidence base for this virus is in its infancy. We know very little about it so to be able to deliver a safe return is going to be a huge challenge and I think we require time."

Carneiro added that doctors will need training on infection control while "rapid and effective testing" will be "key" to a safe return.
 
But sports should not be the highest priority!

I'm not saying that it is. By the PL resumes in early June you'll have more shops open, schools partially back, playgrounds open etc. All about inching various aspects of life back to normal gradually
 
I'm not saying that it is. By the PL resumes in early June you'll have more shops open, schools partially back, playgrounds open etc. All about inching various aspects of life back to normal gradually

Yeh with restrictions being the norm for a while.

There is talk life might return with social distances, aka offices on a office rota to space staff etc.

22 men chasing after contact week in week out isn’t the same, in actual fact it’s a huge public showing of going against the rules

Also school and buying your groceries and earning your corn is more of a necessity than football
 
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If anything this whole shambles should be a big warning sign about PL clubs' and the FA's dependency on outrageous TV deals.

What we now basically see is a bunch of football executives desperate to keep the money flowing.

Restarting the season is not about pleasing fans or deciding the outcome of the season. Player/manager safety is just an inconvenience they have to overcome somehow. It's all about the money.

I said this before on here and will say it again. Football players are just very well paid slaves. There's no sign that anyone in the game gives a f**k about their well being beyond keeping them healthy for their own end. It's about getting as many games out of them as possible. The calendar is a joke and the approach from officials and clubs here seems to be the same. Blatter got laughed out of court for saying they were slaves but he was absolutely right.

I do disagree with the (general) player stance on wages but I think forcing them back to work would be just as immoral. I also think this whole situation has exposed a huge fault line that runs through the game between officials and playing staff.
 
Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has said it is hard to see fans returning to matches "any time soon".

If the Premier League and Football League seasons resume, those matches will be played behind closed doors.

The Premier League is also preparing for the possibility of playing the 2020-21 season without fans

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52528124
 
remember, the league closed down with just 1 person infected and he wasn't even a player, in a full contact sport you can't play anything if anyone is infected obviously. There'll be no football here, Germany, (10 infected now), Spain or anywhere else unless want to watch Belarussian footie. If the 2020/21 season does start, I can see it stopping once the virus rebounds in colder weather.
 
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