Rolling Updates on 'Project Restart': Week 8

The knock on effect in terms of future seasons, player contracts, retention and trading of players, other sports, and other competitions are being completely ignored. More importantly, so are the health implications for all concerned.

3 Brighton players have reported as testing positive. Will anyone want to play them? Or play anyone who has played them?

The financial hit needs to be taken. The season aborted. They can have the title, for what it means in the overall context of the world at the moment. Then let us move on when we have a clearer picture with next season delayed, if necessary, until it is safe to play.

I agree with most of your comment.

But THEY should not be given anything as they have not won anything. I wouldn't even give them a paper certificate. Screw them.

I'm even looking forward to them whinging and whining about it in years to come.

It'll go like this:

“It wasn't our fault. It was our year.”
(Snigger)

More important things.
Null and void.

The Government announce no elite sports before 1st June, and that's if everything goes according to plan with the Covid-19 rate and the Clubs agreeing to all the nonsense.

It really is getting beyond a joke and the longer this goes on, the more foolish both the Premier League and the clubs are going to look.

Everton can be so brilliant at times with their Community links and PR and so embarrassing with their being led by pathetic authorities.

Obviously any restart will depend on what happens with the spread of the virus in the coming weeks. A week is a long time in the development of Covid-19. As an illustration yesterday, Sunday 10th May, for the first time since early March Sefton reported no new confirmed cases, Liverpool reported four. A week ago, Sunday 3rd May, the figures were nineteen for Sefton and twenty six for Liverpool. Both boroughs have been in low single figures for each of the last four days.

Plainly if the current loosening of restrictions produces a significant new wave of cases the resumption of elite sports and much else will be further postponed. In the meantime all organisations and companies have a right, indeed a responsibility, to make plans for a resumption of business based on the best available assumptions.

Of one thing I believe we can be certain. The 19/20 Premier League season will not be declared null and void.

Football is an industry the constituent parts of which (the clubs) a great many hold close to their hearts. It is a major part of the culture of this country and part of the core of social life for a great many people. It's also a major employer, directly and indirectly, of thousands. Given all this I'm just surprised that the EPL/EFL/FA have not yet opened discussions with government for a subsidy -- well if they can find 𧺬m of supports to give to Easyjet to see it out of its difficulties then why not? And it wouldn't be difficult to design conditions to a subsidy that would favour the lesser clubs and lower leagues and not just re-boost the finances of the PL.

No tackling will be allowed as that would break the social distance regulations and only 5 players would be in the change room at one time to keep the 6-foot distance. Would a player be allowed to sue the FA if he or she got the virus from playing games behind closed doors?

We will all be back to the Silva plan of marking space not people. Imagine that? Every game would end up 9-8 or something.

One idea is to suspend the fixtures until September, then play the remaining fixtures sporadically and behind closed doors, and complete in 2021, in effect stretching over two seasons.

Hopefully there will be time and space to plan the games and other logistics in conjunction with various authorities. Of course it will mean less games but it will give chance to finish the season in February or March?

There will then be a few months for purely international friendlies with crowds (if Covid-19 is licked ) and time to prepare for Euros 2021. The first full resumption of the Premier League would be August or September for the 2021-22 season.

Yes, I know there is TV money and clubs' incomes being cut but they will just have to survive and live in the real world and adapt with a temporary hit till things get back to normal.

Cancel it. They can create a new knockout competition and hold it this summer to satisfy the broadcasters. It can include just the Sky darlings.

Today's loosening of the Lockdown – when you actually look at what's changed – is minimal, so there's really no reason why the infection rate should rise swiftly, or why football – or many other businesses for that matter – can't start up again over the next couple of months, although under hugely different circumstances to when we left off in March.

My preference is for no football until it's safe to admit fans to the grounds again, but I'm pretty certain that won't be the case.

And BBC Sport has learned the clubs were warned on Monday that figure could rise if the season is curtailed or if relegation is scrapped.

Danny Rose has put his head above the parapet by saying "The government is saying we are bringing football back because it is going to boost the nation's morale," he said in an Instagram live session.

"I don't give a fuck about the nation's morale. People's lives are at risk. Football shouldn't even be spoken about coming back until the numbers have dropped massively.

"It's bollocks. We'll see. I'm supposed to be tested on Friday, so we will just have to wait and see.

I think we know which argument will 'win' the day.

It's the players who simply have to take the financial hit. The 20 or so first team players at each Premier League club are vastly overpaid, but it's accepted when they're playing the matches. Now they aren't, slash their pay. None of them will starve, none will be homeless, all will continue to live like Kings.

For all their bluster a few weeks back, it's quite clear that most of them aren't giving anything to society. Frankly they make me sick and I know most fans are rapidly losing the emotional bond they had with their clubs. Be careful, Football... you might live to regret this virus more than you know.

Guess I might need to reinstate BT Sport if this nonsense really goes ahead. Then again, seems likely most of our other less appealing games will be free-to-air or on YouTube.

Surely Amazon Prime will be in with a shout too? Or did they finish their allotted quota?

From what I remember, the walk from the dressing rooms up the tunnel to the pitch can be about 20 - 30 seconds, so if players have to abide by the two metre social distancing, and enter the pitch individually, it could take up to ten minutes before both teams are finally on the pitch. Maybe we could introduce the American style introduction in the NFL, when players names are read out before running into the pitch!!

They have a Devine right to win the title every few years and this situation is merely depriving them of that right.

I propose that, once every 10 years, we simply cancel the league and award it to them for good behaviour.

It's only fair that a team that plays by the rules, doesn't try to con referees, has an impeccable equality and diversity record, has the best behaved and most knowledgeable fans in the world and made the unbelievable ethical decision to reverse the furlough scheme for their hard working, low earning staff, is awarded the title based on behavioural merit.

I'm glad that someone else is seeing sense on this thread.

The first breach in the dam in the top four divisions in England.

League Two's season has been brought to an early conclusion following discussions between clubs and the English Football League.

The table is set to be decided using a points-per-game method, but promotion and relegation are not finalised.

League Two clubs vote to end season, but League One teams fail to decide

It's obvious that all contracts where negotiated without taking into account any downside situation. The money flowed in, but now it's stopping and it will take time to recover.

Could mean a breakup of what has been before the pandemic. A separate Premier League from other Leagues and a European League.