The plan that would devastate Cardiff City & Swansea City a
Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:03 pm
The radical Championship promotion plan that would devastate Cardiff City and Swansea City and change Leeds United and West Brom forever
It is one suggestion put forward as confusion continues to reign over the future of football
Sunday 15th March 2020
The CEO of Premier League side Brighton Paul Barber has suggested a radical plan to sort out top-flight relegation and the Championship promotion race.
The spread of the coronavirus has seen football and other major sports put on hold, with the Premier League and Championship seasons postponed until the first week of April.
But privately there remain concerns about whether a return on that date is feasible, given that COVID-19 is due to peak around that time.
Barber has suggested a change to the relegation/promotion structure currently in place, which would see Leeds United and West Brom join the top flight next season in an extended league which would see no teams relegated to the Championship.
Brighton currently sit just two points above the relegation zone.
"To leave the 20 Premier League teams as is would obviously help us and others," stated the Brighton CEO on BBC's Football Focus.
"But to bring the two top teams [Leeds & West Brom] from the Championship up gives us a larger Premier League next season, perhaps four relegation places and then two promotion spots in the Championship to return the league back to 20 teams the season after.
"It has some merit."
It would mean Leeds and West Brom would taste the riches of the Premier League and change the fortunes of those clubs forever.
But it would also deliver hammerblow to Cardiff City and Swansea City's promotion chances. The Welsh clubs are currently two and three points off the play-off places respectively.
It would also see Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Preston and Bristol City being denied a potential shot at the big time.
"If I was in that position I'd really feel for them but I think we are all in a situation where with seven, eight, nine, 10 games to go we could all end up in a better place than we are," added Barber.
"We all have to look at quite radical solutions to get over a short-term hump as it is.
"We could actually find ourselves delaying the season, but then we'd impact another season if we were to delay for too long, so there's a whole range of different issues at play here."
The suggestion comes after West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady said yesterday that the 2019-20 season should be scrapped amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“Suspension or cancellation of the league was always a certainty," she said.
“There is no dodging the possibility that all levels in the EFL as well as the Premier League will have to be cancelled and this season declared null and void because if the players can’t play, the games can’t go ahead.
“The PL hopes that an interlude of three weeks from today will enable it to restart but that may well be dreamland.
“Perhaps scrubbing the European Championship could provide more time to complete the season into the summer but that is also a giant ‘if’.
“The issue is that medical advice is that for every day a player is in isolation he needs a day to recover his fitness.
“This on top of the issue that Covid-19 is so highly contagious the thought that everyone will be in and out of isolation and fit to play on April 4 seems so unlikely.
“So what if the league cannot be finished? As games in both the PL and in the EFL are affected, the only fair and reasonable thing to do is declare the whole season null and void.
“Who knows who would have gone down or come up if the games have not actually been played in full?
“A huge blow to Liverpool, who might be robbed of their first title in 30 years."
It is one suggestion put forward as confusion continues to reign over the future of football
Sunday 15th March 2020
The CEO of Premier League side Brighton Paul Barber has suggested a radical plan to sort out top-flight relegation and the Championship promotion race.
The spread of the coronavirus has seen football and other major sports put on hold, with the Premier League and Championship seasons postponed until the first week of April.
But privately there remain concerns about whether a return on that date is feasible, given that COVID-19 is due to peak around that time.
Barber has suggested a change to the relegation/promotion structure currently in place, which would see Leeds United and West Brom join the top flight next season in an extended league which would see no teams relegated to the Championship.
Brighton currently sit just two points above the relegation zone.
"To leave the 20 Premier League teams as is would obviously help us and others," stated the Brighton CEO on BBC's Football Focus.
"But to bring the two top teams [Leeds & West Brom] from the Championship up gives us a larger Premier League next season, perhaps four relegation places and then two promotion spots in the Championship to return the league back to 20 teams the season after.
"It has some merit."
It would mean Leeds and West Brom would taste the riches of the Premier League and change the fortunes of those clubs forever.
But it would also deliver hammerblow to Cardiff City and Swansea City's promotion chances. The Welsh clubs are currently two and three points off the play-off places respectively.
It would also see Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Preston and Bristol City being denied a potential shot at the big time.
"If I was in that position I'd really feel for them but I think we are all in a situation where with seven, eight, nine, 10 games to go we could all end up in a better place than we are," added Barber.
"We all have to look at quite radical solutions to get over a short-term hump as it is.
"We could actually find ourselves delaying the season, but then we'd impact another season if we were to delay for too long, so there's a whole range of different issues at play here."
The suggestion comes after West Ham vice-chairwoman Karren Brady said yesterday that the 2019-20 season should be scrapped amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“Suspension or cancellation of the league was always a certainty," she said.
“There is no dodging the possibility that all levels in the EFL as well as the Premier League will have to be cancelled and this season declared null and void because if the players can’t play, the games can’t go ahead.
“The PL hopes that an interlude of three weeks from today will enable it to restart but that may well be dreamland.
“Perhaps scrubbing the European Championship could provide more time to complete the season into the summer but that is also a giant ‘if’.
“The issue is that medical advice is that for every day a player is in isolation he needs a day to recover his fitness.
“This on top of the issue that Covid-19 is so highly contagious the thought that everyone will be in and out of isolation and fit to play on April 4 seems so unlikely.
“So what if the league cannot be finished? As games in both the PL and in the EFL are affected, the only fair and reasonable thing to do is declare the whole season null and void.
“Who knows who would have gone down or come up if the games have not actually been played in full?
“A huge blow to Liverpool, who might be robbed of their first title in 30 years."
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Re: The plan that would devastate Cardiff City & Swansea Cit
Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:43 am
Strange how the clubs who are under threat of relegation want the premier league to be cancelled this season
Re: The plan that would devastate Cardiff City & Swansea Cit
Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:46 pm
Funny how he comes up with a plan that see his club not relegated 
The remaining games can be played behind closed doors at a later date - especially now that the euros look likely to be cancelled . Games televised as per normal or on youtube etc.
They could also play 2 or 3 games in a week - depending on how many games are remaining.
The remaining games can be played behind closed doors at a later date - especially now that the euros look likely to be cancelled . Games televised as per normal or on youtube etc.
They could also play 2 or 3 games in a week - depending on how many games are remaining.