Could they void the PL due to the Coronavirus? | No | Resuming June 17th

No alternative to closed-doors football games, says PFA chief executive
"In an ideal world we'd be playing in front of crowds but there's no alternative"

This is the only way in my eyes. If they want to finish it, it's got to be behind closed doors in July/August at a high risk to the footballer's health and their families.

We also pray that not a single footballer contracts the virus when it resumes because we can't have teams going into quarantine again.
 
This is the only way in my eyes. If they want to finish it, it's got to be behind closed doors in July/August at a high risk to the footballer's health and their families.

We also pray that not a single footballer contracts the virus when it resumes because we can't have teams going into quarantine again.
I’ve had a suspicion [pure conjecture] that the league will try their hardest to at least play enough games to crown Liverpool champions; the risk of infection will be secondary to the money they stand to lose.

They’ll be a few behind closed doors games but surely at some point; through friends or family a player will contract or have been close to someone who will get the virus & then what happens? Isolate the player? Isolate the team? Isolate their previous opponents?

Playing without fans isn’t particularly an issue with the players on the pitch.
 
I believe this season will be finished.

UK 3 week lock down means we're looking until at least April 17th. From here, worst case scenario give it 1 month for cases starting to decline = May 17th.

Give it another 2 weeks we're looking at June 1st. Then you give players 2 weeks to get their fitness up and you're looking at football starting back up again Middle to the Third week of June.

It's only 9 game weeks and they will play two games a week.

They will get this season done lads. I know as United fans and just using logic overall it's best we scrap all football but it won't be done - primarily for economic factors.
 
I’ve had a suspicion [pure conjecture] that the league will try their hardest to at least play enough games to crown Liverpool champions; the risk of infection will be secondary to the money they stand to lose.

They’ll be a few behind closed doors games but surely at some point; through friends or family a player will contract or have been close to someone who will get the virus & then what happens? Isolate the player? Isolate the team? Isolate their previous opponents?

Playing without fans isn’t particularly an issue with the players on the pitch.
Why though? Liverpool are the least of the league's problem. Relegation, CL places, EL places are more important.
 
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I believe this season will be finished.

UK 3 week lock down means we're looking until at least April 17th. From here, worst case scenario give it 1 month for cases starting to decline = May 17th.

Give it another 2 weeks we're looking at June 1st. Then you give players 2 weeks to get their fitness up and you're looking at football starting back up again Middle to the Third week of June.

It's only 9 game weeks and they will play two games a week.

They will get this season done lads. I know as United fans and just using logic overall it's best we scrap all football but it won't be done - primarily for economic factors.
There's rumours players are flying back to China. If the J League kicks off again then that will almost certainly mean an attempt to restart the European leagues at some point will be done at a minimum assuming cases and deaths start tailing off in a month or two.
 
I believe this season will be finished.

UK 3 week lock down means we're looking until at least April 17th. From here, worst case scenario give it 1 month for cases starting to decline = May 17th.

Give it another 2 weeks we're looking at June 1st. Then you give players 2 weeks to get their fitness up and you're looking at football starting back up again Middle to the Third week of June.

It's only 9 game weeks and they will play two games a week.

They will get this season done lads. I know as United fans and just using logic overall it's best we scrap all football but it won't be done - primarily for economic factors.

Unfortunately everything in your idea is based on the fact that the lockdown will be 3 weeks and actually the opposite is more likely, that the lockdown will be extended.
 
Unfortunately everything in your idea is based on the fact that the lockdown will be 3 weeks and actually the opposite is more likely, that the lockdown will be extended.
Yup - UK was one of the latest to implement a lockdown as well so there was more time to spread the virus, it's already been proven that reaction time is crucial in all this. Very likely that it's going to be extended.
 
Why though? Liverpool are the least of the league's problem. Relegation, CL places, EL places are more important.
As I said mate pure conjecture but the narrative i’ve seen [in fairness limited as I see links posted on here more than anything] tend to be a media that would rather like to see Liverpool given the league [remember seeing an article saying it was unfair & teams were using this crisis as a way to stop them] versus as you say a more reasoned argument that relegation et al. are just as, if not, more important.

I can’t see a point that the final 9 games will be played without someone being dragged into isolation & further delays so for the league to at least answer the title question solves one of the many issues.

All just speculation & my view on things; league should be voided once you’re having to move sizeable portions of it in the first place imo.
 
“We’re in the middle of a chain reaction...”


By demanding that the season be completed, Liverpool would be undermining non league football and effectively setting a precedent to kill the grassroots game.

The rest of football need to stand together to stop the scousers from ruining the sport we love.

YSB
 
“We’re in the middle of a chain reaction...”


Hadn’t considered it at that level.

If Liverpool are so preoccupied with finishing the season they should make a sizeable donation to non-league football or would that contravene some laws?
 
Unfortunately everything in your idea is based on the fact that the lockdown will be 3 weeks and actually the opposite is more likely, that the lockdown will be extended.

We're not going to be in lockdown for months on end otherwise everything outside sport will crash and burn.

I'm prepared for a two month lockdown so that would take things to mid May. Hopefully by then some decent treatments will be available to at least slow down the peak cases and capacity at major hospitals will be within limits (add in the overflow sites being located for the coming weeks).

If it's a case of waiting for a Vaccine then yes the world is frozen for a year but I think we should be hopeful they'll be some sticky plaster treatments that can save lives in the meantime.

So in that case perhaps teams can start pre season from June (which they'll have to do in any case if they want to start a normal new season and void this one) and restart sometime in July. Then September/October for new season with some adjustments to the domestic cups/european schedule.

Think some people are still thinking next season will have 70 games for the most progressive clubs, it simply won't. 50 games top imo.
 
We're not going to be in lockdown for months on end otherwise everything outside sport will crash and burn.

I'm prepared for a two month lockdown so that would take things to mid May. Hopefully by then some decent treatments will be available to at least slow down the peak cases and capacity at major hospitals will be within limits (add in the overflow sites being located for the coming weeks).

If it's a case of waiting for a Vaccine then yes the world is frozen for a year but I think we should be hopeful they'll be some sticky plaster treatments that can save lives in the meantime.

So in that case perhaps teams can start pre season from June (which they'll have to do in any case if they want to start a normal new season and void this one) and restart sometime in July. Then September/October for new season with some adjustments to the domestic cups/european schedule.

Think some people are still thinking next season will have 70 games for the most progressive clubs, it simply won't. 50 games top imo.

I don't think we can rule out anything anymore. Even if as you say, we get out of a lockdown, say after 3-4 weeks, there will still be heavy restrictions and is unlikely football will just resume. I think as you say, voiding the season will happen, or space will be found to finish the season. I think voiding the season seems the more likely right now.
 
I don't think we can rule out anything anymore. Even if as you say, we get out of a lockdown, say after 3-4 weeks, there will still be heavy restrictions and is unlikely football will just resume. I think as you say, voiding the season will happen, or space will be found to finish the season. I think voiding the season seems the more likely right now.

No that's fair enough, we really are in the unknown with second waves and impacts of lockdown. I'd just like to think in 4-5 months time we might at least be in a position to be reasonably safe and have football and other sports albeit behind closed doors.

It's certainly more time to breath than 4-5 weeks or even wanting to start on June 1st which seems to be premier league's latest default position.
 
No that's fair enough, we really are in the unknown with second waves and impacts of lockdown. I'd just like to think in 4-5 months time we might at least be in a position to be reasonably safe and have football and other sports albeit behind closed doors.

It's certainly more time to breath than 4-5 weeks or even wanting to start on June 1st which seems to be premier league's latest default position.

Yeah, I hope to feck we are in a much better position in 5 months time. Can't even begin to imagine if we aeren't :s
 
There's rumours players are flying back to China. If the J League kicks off again then that will almost certainly mean an attempt to restart the European leagues at some point will be done at a minimum assuming cases and deaths start tailing off in a month or two.
Yes, and Fellaini now has coronavirus because of that....
 
We're not going to be in lockdown for months on end otherwise everything outside sport will crash and burn.

I'm prepared for a two month lockdown so that would take things to mid May.

Highly unlikely IMO.

Hopefully by then some decent treatments will be available to at least slow down the peak cases and capacity at major hospitals will be within limits (add in the overflow sites being located for the coming weeks).

Any treatment that will help in the short term would need to be undergoing human trials now and that might be a very long shot unless some anti-viral for another virus happens to work on this Coronavirus and that would still take it passing human trials, approval for use, probably further trials to see if it works on Coronavirus, manufacture and distribution and widespread application to billions around the world. So not impossible within a year but not necessarily likely.


If it's a case of waiting for a Vaccine then yes the world is frozen for a year but I think we should be hopeful they'll be some sticky plaster treatments that can save lives in the meantime.

So far vaccines for any coronavirus, including the 30% of common colds that are caused by coronaviruses, = 0. If we do successfully make one, and remember vaccines don't work as well on viruses in the first place and when they do can cause rapid mutations (one reason why the flu vaccine isn't that successful and always needs to be changed for new strains), then the chances of it being available in a little as a year are low. Even breaking all records and assuming it works and passes human trials it could easily take 18 months or more to be widely available.
 
The NHS is going to use the ExCeL Centre in East London as a field hospital for up to 4,000 patients.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52018477

That's how bad they think it's going get. Does any sane person seriously think any sport is going to get underway while the coffins are stacking up?
Shit is about to get real and some folk are still living in a fantasy land imagining scenarios when their fecking precious football is going to start up again.
This is going to go on for months. Get used to it, this season is finished.
 
Highly unlikely IMO.



Any treatment that will help in the short term would need to be undergoing human trials now and that might be a very long shot unless some anti-viral for another virus happens to work on this Coronavirus and that would still take it passing human trials, approval for use, probably further trials to see if it works on Coronavirus, manufacture and distribution and widespread application to billions around the world. So not impossible within a year but not necessarily likely.




So far vaccines for any coronavirus, including the 30% of common colds that are caused by coronaviruses, = 0. If we do successfully make one, and remember vaccines don't work as well on viruses in the first place and when they do can cause rapid mutations (one reason why the flu vaccine isn't that successful and always needs to be changed for new strains), then the chances of it being available in a little as a year are low. Even breaking all records and assuming it works and passes human trials it could easily take 18 months or more to be widely available.
Already there are 200 mutation come up. Google up.

People here are talking very casually about a event that has triggered globe closure.

Where in history of the world has a population of 1.3 Billion people being put in a lockdown for 21 days? That's the population of Africa as a whole.

India is in full lockdown, to navigate all this and play football again is totally hard.

Starting Premier league when the rest of Europe are already playing / not playing is impossible. If serie A or La liga is cancelled then premier league will also be cancelled to align with UEFA calendar that is if we pass August date without playing football.

Not a prophet of doom but.

UK and USA will be the epicentre of the next wave. From April 15th - June 15th expect tribulations in there.

China second wave in May. Let them open social gathering you will see the damage again.

Then Italy Spain the second attack June July August.

Then the last countries will have second attacks from September through to November.
 
Highly unlikely IMO.



Any treatment that will help in the short term would need to be undergoing human trials now and that might be a very long shot unless some anti-viral for another virus happens to work on this Coronavirus and that would still take it passing human trials, approval for use, probably further trials to see if it works on Coronavirus, manufacture and distribution and widespread application to billions around the world. So not impossible within a year but not necessarily likely.




So far vaccines for any coronavirus, including the 30% of common colds that are caused by coronaviruses, = 0. If we do successfully make one, and remember vaccines don't work as well on viruses in the first place and when they do can cause rapid mutations (one reason why the flu vaccine isn't that successful and always needs to be changed for new strains), then the chances of it being available in a little as a year are low. Even breaking all records and assuming it works and passes human trials it could easily take 18 months or more to be widely available.

There does seem to be conflicting reports on this, there seems to be a few anti-virals that stop the rapid growth, etc, however it is not a vaccine, and I doubt we will see them used on the general population. More likely they get used on the vulnerable as a way to reduce the effects and stop deaths. Any idea that everything will be good in a few weeks, yeah there is no evidence at all that is remotely viable. It could be that are in a position to restart things like training in around 3 months assuming we are not seeing a any more rises in deaths. If that was true then yes we could see players able to play in 4 months. However I doubt we will see open to the public mass sporting events before August now.
 
The NHS is going to use the ExCeL Centre in East London as a field hospital for up to 4,000 patients.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52018477

That's how bad they think it's going get. Does any sane person seriously think any sport is going to get underway while the coffins are stacking up?
Shit is about to get real and some folk are still living in a fantasy land imagining scenarios when their fecking precious football is going to start up again.
This is going to go on for months. Get used to it, this season is finished.
Well it's not, it's been made very clear the season is getting completed no matter how long it will take.

If it for argument sake restarts in October they will play the season, start the next one and make season's shorter with a few sacrafices (hopefully international breaks but realistically the domestic cups) until everything catches up and naturally things return to normal (August-May season) which will probably take a few years.

It's being made very clear by comments from higher ups and reports that the season will eventually be finished one way or another.

As soon as we've past the peak (whenever that is) and the restrictions get slowly lifted, sports behind closed doors will be reintroduced relitevely early for logistic, financial and entertainment reasons.
 
Well it's not, it's been made very clear the season is getting completed no matter how long it will take.

If it for argument sake restarts in October they will play the season, start the next one and make season's shorter with a few sacrafices (hopefully international breaks but realistically the domestic cups) until everything catches up and naturally things return to normal (August-May season) which will probably take a few years.

It's being made very clear by comments from higher ups and reports that the season will eventually be finished one way or another.

As soon as we've past the peak (whenever that is) and the restrictions get slowly lifted, sports behind closed doors will be reintroduced relitevely early for logistic, financial and entertainment reasons.
No, that's just the intention for now. It will at some point become logistically impossible and have to be abandoned. Everybody knows this.

Until we reach that point, they will do everything they can to try and restart, which is fair enough. It will also be in vain IMO as I don't think it will ever get finished.
 
No, that's just the intention for now. It will at some point become logistically impossible and have to be abandoned. Everybody knows this.

Until we reach that point, they will do everything they can to try and restart, which is fair enough. It will also be in vain IMO as I don't think it will ever get finished.
I personally think if it's before December they will try and fit the two season's in and after new year they will finish the season and skip one season by making some sort of one off big money tournament to pass the time till next season.

As a Chelsea fan we have everything to gain from a voided season (bar our young guys losing the stats they earned and becoming goalless and in some cases appearanceless in Chelsea shirts again) so if I felt it could happen I'd be constantly trying to convince myself but I just can't see it, apart from Karen Brady there isn't even a hint of any big suits even considering it as an option.

Also a rearranged and I'm guessing within reason flexible Euro's next year alongside the winter world cup of 2022 allows for a lot of wriggle room in terms of scheduling so there's not even the pressure of fitting it in before May, infact it could inadvertently work out perfectly and allow us to finish the season after next right before the World Cup.
 
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There does seem to be conflicting reports on this, there seems to be a few anti-virals that stop the rapid growth, etc, however it is not a vaccine, and I doubt we will see them used on the general population. More likely they get used on the vulnerable as a way to reduce the effects and stop deaths. Any idea that everything will be good in a few weeks, yeah there is no evidence at all that is remotely viable. It could be that are in a position to restart things like training in around 3 months assuming we are not seeing a any more rises in deaths. If that was true then yes we could see players able to play in 4 months. However I doubt we will see open to the public mass sporting events before August now.

Hard to be sure but I struggle to see how they finish this season or if they don't how they don't just void it. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

It is times like this I regret being a former biologist as I keep running the numbers and shitting myself, because we aren't stopping the spread fast enough (I'm in Sydney). Only Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong (and South Korea and China after the fact) seem to be doing anywhere near a good enough job.
 
The NHS is going to use the ExCeL Centre in East London as a field hospital for up to 4,000 patients.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52018477

That's how bad they think it's going get. Does any sane person seriously think any sport is going to get underway while the coffins are stacking up?
Shit is about to get real and some folk are still living in a fantasy land imagining scenarios when their fecking precious football is going to start up again.
This is going to go on for months. Get used to it, this season is finished.

Take a look at the scenario I ran in this page. It's not going to go for months. The lockdown is supposed to be 3 weeks. That will help flatten the curve. As long as they flatten the curve and numbers come down on a daily basis, they will ensure it gets played BCD.

Liverpool will get their title. Lads stop fecking doing this to yourselves!!
 
I believe this season will be finished.

UK 3 week lock down means we're looking until at least April 17th. From here, worst case scenario give it 1 month for cases starting to decline = May 17th.

Give it another 2 weeks we're looking at June 1st. Then you give players 2 weeks to get their fitness up and you're looking at football starting back up again Middle to the Third week of June.

It's only 9 game weeks and they will play two games a week.

They will get this season done lads. I know as United fans and just using logic overall it's best we scrap all football but it won't be done - primarily for economic factors.

Would have to dispute your use of "worst case".
Your whole timeline is absolute best case.
 
I personally think if it's before December they will try and fit the two season's in and after new year they will finish the season and skip one season by making some sort of one off big money tournament to pass the time till next season.

As a Chelsea fan we have everything to gain from a voided season (bar our young guys losing the stats they earned and becoming goalless and in some cases appearanceless in Chelsea shirts again) so if I felt it could happen I'd be constantly trying to convince myself but I just can't see it, apart from Karen Brady there isn't even a hint of any big suits even considering it as an option.

Also a rearranged and I'm guessing within reason flexible Euro's next year alongside the winter world cup of 2022 allows for a lot of wriggle room in terms of scheduling so there's not even the pressure of fitting it in before May, infact it could inadvertently work out perfectly and allow us to finish the season after next right before the World Cup.

Surely there's no need to scrap all the stats for individuals. It's just the league and existing cup out comes that would be voided.

Man city won the league cup. That finished. Surely you can't just leave stats for one cup for a whole season?
 
Take a look at the scenario I ran in this page. It's not going to go for months. The lockdown is supposed to be 3 weeks. That will help flatten the curve. As long as they flatten the curve and numbers come down on a daily basis, they will ensure it gets played BCD.

Liverpool will get their title. Lads stop fecking doing this to yourselves!!

This current version of a lockdown is 3weeks "minimum".

They can continue it, or go even stronger as per other countries.
 
My guess is that the league will start up minus spectators on May 30. That would give them 5 weekend matches and four mid-week matches. Mini camps set for mid-May.
 
Would have to dispute your use of "worst case".
Your whole timeline is absolute best case.

A colleague works in China; 47 days lockdown at his in-laws, he went home yesterday on day 50, he has no return date for work and no start date for football. On that basis their post isn’t even best case. Deluded

Oh, there is an expectation the second wave will hit
 
My guess is that the league will start up minus spectators on May 30. That would give them 5 weekend matches and four mid-week matches. Mini camps set for mid-May.

What on earth makes you think football will be playable by may 30?

English athletics have cancelled all running related activities, european finals have been cancelled. The Olympics has been put back a year. Etc
 
Highly unlikely IMO.



Any treatment that will help in the short term would need to be undergoing human trials now and that might be a very long shot unless some anti-viral for another virus happens to work on this Coronavirus and that would still take it passing human trials, approval for use, probably further trials to see if it works on Coronavirus, manufacture and distribution and widespread application to billions around the world. So not impossible within a year but not necessarily likely.




So far vaccines for any coronavirus, including the 30% of common colds that are caused by coronaviruses, = 0. If we do successfully make one, and remember vaccines don't work as well on viruses in the first place and when they do can cause rapid mutations (one reason why the flu vaccine isn't that successful and always needs to be changed for new strains), then the chances of it being available in a little as a year are low. Even breaking all records and assuming it works and passes human trials it could easily take 18 months or more to be widely available.

Agree, end games to this pandemic are either a vaccine or almost everyone getting the virus and recovering.

These lockdowns just slow the spread of it, can't see it just disappearing now as it's spread to every country in the world pretty much.

Government will need to decide which end to go for. If they end lockdowns the virus almost certainly starts spreading again, unless a vaccine first.

Football won't be the priority, that is for sure!
 
My guess is that the league will start up minus spectators on May 30. That would give them 5 weekend matches and four mid-week matches. Mini camps set for mid-May.

As things are developing, the chances of ending the season decrease massively. People will just want to move on and have a clean slate.

2019-20, the season that never was. Null and void.

I'm more concerned that 2020-21 won't get going and we may not see any football until spring next year.
 
I believe this season will be finished.

UK 3 week lock down means we're looking until at least April 17th. From here, worst case scenario give it 1 month for cases starting to decline = May 17th.

Give it another 2 weeks we're looking at June 1st. Then you give players 2 weeks to get their fitness up and you're looking at football starting back up again Middle to the Third week of June.

It's only 9 game weeks and they will play two games a week.

They will get this season done lads. I know as United fans and just using logic overall it's best we scrap all football but it won't be done - primarily for economic factors.

You'd make an excellent propaganda minister.
 
Man city won the league cup. That finished. Surely you can't just leave stats for one cup for a whole season?

That was a completed competition.

No other competition has been completed.

Statistically, nobody has won anything else. If it's null and void, it stays that way.
 
The season has to be finished, this is much more important than starting a new one. The only alternative would be voiding it. Just ending it and declaring Liverpool champions would be ridiculous and I don't think this is seriously being discussed as I imagine the (legal) ramifications would be huge.

I remain optimistic that we'll be back to playing in June at the latest.