SOME PL CLUBS WANT TO CANCEL THE SEASON

I wonder who they are, maybe the bottom 8 in the PL

A number of Premier League clubs want the current season to end with immediate effect and start a new season as soon as it is safe to do so.

That is according to one senior figure at a club who claims it is morally wrong for the Premier League to be discussing playing behind closed doors while the coronavirus crisis continues to rock the country.

“You look at the people sitting around the Premier League table by Skype; their egos cannot sustain a mirror being held up to them,” they told The Athletic.

“The fact is they are not as important as a Tesco delivery driver at this time. We run a game. No more, no less. There is no place for sport at the moment.”

All professional football in England has been suspended until April 30 at the earliest due to the outbreak.

Should the Premier League move to cancel their season then the move would have huge ramifications on Liverpool who are only two wins away from being crowned champions.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City but plans to scrap the current campaign would completely derail their hopes of ending their 30-year long drought for a league title.

It would also have a huge knock-on effect to the Championship promotion and play-off race, with Leeds United and West Brom gunning for the two automatic spots, while Cardiff City and Swansea City are within a whisker of the play-offs.

Restarting the season would mean promotion hopefuls losing out on millions of pounds in revenue
Another high-ranking club chief added: “It’s absolutely clear what is going to happen. It’s a worldwide pandemic.

“You just start (the Premier League season) again and there are very few losers. Liverpool, I know.

“But in the grand scheme of things, honestly, it really doesn’t matter. You’ve just got to start again.
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“This (COVID-19) is going to get worse here (in Britain), so it’s not about players returning to training. If we all stay at home and self-isolate for the next two, three months, we’re going to get through this quite simply.”

Before adding: “We look like petulant, ridiculous children now. I passionately believe what we’re doing is wrong.

“And I would like to think my colleagues now believe that as well, that the world has changed. It’s a scary place at the moment and we’ve got to treat it seriously.”

While one club director, according to the report, feels football has got its priorities all wrong at the minute.

“The position we’re taking is ridiculous,” he said. “There are such bigger issues to deal with yet every question is, ‘Will Liverpool be champions?’

“It really just doesn’t matter. In world history, this will be recorded as a very challenging time. There is a place for football and entertainment but that’s in a time when there are no troubles and there are no major issues that need to be dealt with.

“At a recent meeting, one club said, ‘Listen, I’m going to let my players go on holiday but if they get stuck because the situation changes, do you think the government will send private planes over to get them so they can play football?’ This is how disconnected and ludicrous they are.”

The next Premier League shareholders' meeting is scheduled for April 3 with a new date for its comeback expected to be announced after.

But The Athletic believe there are some clubs who have developed strong reservations about resuming due to Covid-19 and are leaning towards the season being re-run regardless of the consequences for clubs.

It should happen. I can’t see any sense in shortening it to suit one club. The season isn’t over and clearly won’t finish - if that happened in a match then the match would be abandoned.

Let’s be real here, we will be lucky to see any action this side of the new year. That means players contracts will have ran out, clubs will be in different financial situations and people expect us to finish the quarter of the season we had left... with different players and teams?

It should clearly be one of those rare and wild situations where unfortunately the season is just spunged away. Nobody has won anything yet. It should be no different to it stopping after 2 weeks - if Watford were top we wouldn’t be seeing everyone saying they must be given the title as they were top when it stopped.

Yes Liverpool are further ahead than that but they can still lose the top spot no matter how unlikely, they haven’t got the required points at this stage to say they have won it - so they can’t be given it. If they are then every club in the top spot of every league will want promotion and will have a great legal case, which means you either have to also do the same for relegation and the legal cases that will come with that... or have crazy numbers in each league the year after.

Agree cancel it

Disagree - Should not cancel the season with only eight or so games left to go and look to start a new season when there is the real potential that medics say could return next winter.

Complete this season as and when safe then build into next season the options should the virus return.

You already have non league sides complaining that their season has been made null and void.

For the integrity of football you have to complete the season as and when sage to do so.

The longer the pandemic goes on will determine what will happen to this season m8

Clearly a 'ploy' by certain clubs to protect their own (selfish) interest and should not be allowed to occur

I have stated my own view that the only practical solution is to see out this fragmented season whenever it can be done and, in the unlikely case it need be, cancel next season when no one will be advantaged/disadvantaged from already knowing their positions and/or points tally

Seems the fair and equitable solution to me and one the FA/PL should embrace for the sake of their own integrity

Clearly a 'ploy' by certain clubs to protect their own (selfish) interest and should not be allowed to occur

I have stated my own view that the only practical solution is to see out this fragmented season whenever it can be done and, in the unlikely case it need be, cancel next season when no one will be advantaged/disadvantaged from already knowing their positions and/or points tally

Seems the fair and equitable solution to me and one the FA/PL should embrace for the sake of their own integrity

You are right Sven the only way to go, only the 8 games left

Totally agree Sven and Igovenor - Has to be completed for the integrity of football and I can’t see the logic of anyone with any common sense of wanting to start a full new season before completing an old one with eight games to go. The implications of voiding the season will lead for legal cases left eight and centre.

Speaking to people in the game and hearing what current managers and players are saying I think everyone wants it completed.

Those that don’t want it completed clearly have some sort of agenda to benefit their own club.

It should happen. I can’t see any sense in shortening it to suit one club. The season isn’t over and clearly won’t finish - if that happened in a match then the match would be abandoned.

Let’s be real here, we will be lucky to see any action this side of the new year. That means players contracts will have ran out, clubs will be in different financial situations and people expect us to finish the quarter of the season we had left... with different players and teams?


It should clearly be one of those rare and wild situations where unfortunately the season is just spunged away. Nobody has won anything yet. It should be no different to it stopping after 2 weeks - if Watford were top we wouldn’t be seeing everyone saying they must be given the title as they were top when it stopped.

Yes Liverpool are further ahead than that but they can still lose the top spot no matter how unlikely, they haven’t got the required points at this stage to say they have won it - so they can’t be given it. If they are then every club in the top spot of every league will want promotion and will have a great legal case, which means you either have to also do the same for relegation and the legal cases that will come with that... or have crazy numbers in each league the year after.

You only think it suits one club cos you're only looking at one team who's top of the PL.

Go and ask Sheffield United, Leceister, Wolves and even United if they want the season abandoned.

Totally agree Sven and Igovenor - Has to be completed for the integrity of football and I can’t see the logic of anyone with any common sense of wanting to start a full new season before completing an old one with eight games to go. The implications of voiding the season will lead for legal cases left eight and centre.

Speaking to people in the game and hearing what current managers and players are saying I think everyone wants it completed.

Those that don’t want it completed clearly have some sort of agenda to benefit their own club.

A few clubs have already shown their true colours on the 'protectionism' front with both the aptly named Villans and the newly formed London Olympic (the team formerly known as West 'Am) amongst them

If cancelled, the scavengers would have a field day and (as suggested) the integrity (already under scrutiny for many reasons) of the competition will be lost forever

I'm not toobithered right now if we (the City) go upnor stay in the Championship; but I would like us to have the opportunity to finish what we started and I'd like to see those who deserve it rightly take their place at the top table

If that includes Leeds, then so be it

Totally agree Sven and Igovenor - Has to be completed for the integrity of football and I can’t see the logic of anyone with any common sense of wanting to start a full new season before completing an old one with eight games to go. The implications of voiding the season will lead for legal cases left eight and centre.

Speaking to people in the game and hearing what current managers and players are saying I think everyone wants it completed.

Those that don’t want it completed clearly have some sort of agenda to benefit their own club.

Nobody “deserves” anything. Nobody has won anything yet.

Again, it would be madness for the season to play to a finish (assuming it’s scheduled for after the current season was due to end). Teams will have vastly different squads and financial restraints than where they were when it stopped.

Players contracts will have run down, many to a point where they no longer play for that club. It would be madness, all to serve one solitary club out of 92. A club that despite its protestations, haven’t won anything yet. Although unlikely, they are not guaranteed that title.

To give them the title means you then have to give other clubs their promotions and titles, meaning you then have to relegate clubs. Clubs who otherwise were in a strong position to survive suddenly find themselves with a severely weakened squad due to player contracts not being active and the court cases from that would be far harder to fight than fighting a court case from a club that wanted a trophy it never won.

We have every chance of playoffs this season and with our finances the way they are and with the squad the way it is, it’s pretty much this year or nothing for us, next year there will be no VdH, Brewster or Ayew with no money to replace them.. and I still say the obvious and most common sense thing to do was to sponge this season away. It’s an exceptional circumstance.

To make such a bizarre decision that affects so many clubs in order to serve Liverpool is gross. Truly.

Totally agree Sven and Igovenor - Has to be completed for the integrity of football and I can’t see the logic of anyone with any common sense of wanting to start a full new season before completing an old one with eight games to go. The implications of voiding the season will lead for legal cases left eight and centre.

Speaking to people in the game and hearing what current managers and players are saying I think everyone wants it completed.

Those that don’t want it completed clearly have some sort of agenda to benefit their own club.

Nobody “deserves” anything. Nobody has won anything yet.

Again, it would be madness for the season to play to a finish (assuming it’s scheduled for after the current season was due to end). Teams will have vastly different squads and financial restraints than where they were when it stopped.

Players contracts will have run down, many to a point where they no longer play for that club. It would be madness, all to serve one solitary club out of 92. A club that despite its protestations, haven’t won anything yet. Although unlikely, they are not guaranteed that title.

To give them the title means you then have to give other clubs their promotions and titles, meaning you then have to relegate clubs. Clubs who otherwise were in a strong position to survive suddenly find themselves with a severely weakened squad due to player contracts not being active and the court cases from that would be far harder to fight than fighting a court case from a club that wanted a trophy it never won.

We have every chance of playoffs this season and with our finances the way they are and with the squad the way it is, it’s pretty much this year or nothing for us, next year there will be no VdH, Brewster or Ayew with no money to replace them.. and I still say the obvious and most common sense thing to do was to sponge this season away. It’s an exceptional circumstance.

To make such a bizarre decision that affects so many clubs in order to serve Liverpool is gross. Truly.

If you look at all my posts on this matter it is nothing to one club it is to do with the integrity of the whole of football - there are so many implications across many leagues not just the UK but in other leagues all across Europe but will have further ramifications for European competitions next season.

As I have said It you speak to people within the game is to get the season completed.

How you do that I am sure uefa, the fa’s and the clubs will come to some agreement.

The main thing first and foremost is we beat the virus !

What do you mean by the integrity of the game though?

I think the integrity of the game will be hugely damaged if they shoehorn senseless actions to serve Liverpool. How is it integrity to expect clubs to finish off a season that means so much to many (especially financially) when they won’t even have the same squads as the time in which it was stopped?

My club for example has invested heavily in top loans from Chelsea and Liverpool, many of which only run until May. We also have one of our main players contract run out then - had we been fighting above relegation at the time, how is that fair to continue as we left of with us severely weakened?

While nothing is decided then nothing should be awarded, or forced to finish under unfair and uneven weaknesses put on certain clubs.

But yes, this virus and beating it is far more important.

Disagree - Should not cancel the season with only eight or so games left to go and look to start a new season when there is the real potential that medics say could return next winter.

Complete this season as and when safe then build into next season the options should the virus return.

You already have non league sides complaining that their season has been made null and void.

For the integrity of football you have to complete the season as and when sage to do so.

For the integrity of football ffs are you for real
NHS staff including my wife who is a nurse potentially putting them selves at risk so you can watch somebody lift a trophy
Jog on pal with your integrity

Totally agree Sven and Igovenor - Has to be completed for the integrity of football and I can’t see the logic of anyone with any common sense of wanting to start a full new season before completing an old one with eight games to go. The implications of voiding the season will lead for legal cases left eight and centre.

Speaking to people in the game and hearing what current managers and players are saying I think everyone wants it completed.

Those that don’t want it completed clearly have some sort of agenda to benefit their own club.

Cancel the season end off you say what your hearing of people in the game players and managers they must have superior knowledge to medical experts ohh and these people “ in the game” you are talking to they don’t have a agenda to finish the season ??????????????
Cancelling season doesn’t fit in with your assumption that I have an agenda to benefit my lifelong team Cardiff city as we are only two points off a play off place
MY agenda is to protect as much as is humanly possible ALL essential workers and prevent as many deaths as possible
Even if postponing season prevented one single death it would be worth it

Disagree - Should not cancel the season with only eight or so games left to go and look to start a new season when there is the real potential that medics say could return next winter.

Complete this season as and when safe then build into next season the options should the virus return.

You already have non league sides complaining that their season has been made null and void.

For the integrity of football you have to complete the season as and when sage to do so.

For the integrity of football ffs are you for real
NHS staff including my wife who is a nurse potentially putting them selves at risk so you can watch somebody lift a trophy
Jog on pal with your integrity

Nothing to do with lifting a trophy - football will resume eventually and it is how we have all have a difference of opinion on.

As I said in previous posts beating the virus comes first everything else is a distance second.

I have many family and friends both in UK and over here that are key workers like your wife and others - each and everyone of them is doing an amazing job in such difficult and challenging circumstances of which I have the upmost respect and appreciation.