4 minutes ago, coco said:

Neville says play the remaining games abroad in a virus free country.

 

Daft twat !

 

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11981606/gary-neville-finish-the-premier-league-abroad-as-uk-environment-isnt-safe-enough

What a ned Gary Neville is.  So an infected player could take the virus to a virus free country. I'd love to know where that is. As far as I know every country has been affected. Unless of course the games are played in North Korea where apparently no there are no cases.

The cynical old bastard in me thinks that Neville is coming out with this crap to keep his employers at Sky happy. 

Edited May 1, 20206 yr by Boyne

Football needs to take a hit like almost all other sectors, they are not immune, talk of a £750 million loss in sponsors this season for the epl. ....equivalent to PSG and Citeh annual payroll.

3 minutes ago, Boyne said:

 

The cynical old bastard in me thinks that Neville is coming out with this crap to keep his employers at Sky happy. 

We pay his salary through our sky subs, i say cancel the season, void it all and concentrate on working out the new model for watching football until the vaccine comes out (if).

1 minute ago, coco said:

We pay his salary through our sky subs, i say cancel the season, void it all and concentrate on working out the new model for watching football until the vaccine comes out (if).

Agree, void the season and work out a new way of watching football. It will be interesting to see how how many people cancel their subscriptions in the future and how many already have. Could be even more if broadcasters up their charges.

31 minutes ago, dkw said:

Jesus, at some point these nutters are going to realise that if this is what it takes then it just isnt viable, dont f**king do it.

They are f**kin bonkers, no sense of reality, football just is not important at the moment, all I can think is they are either worried for their jobs and want football back for that reason, fair play, many many of us will be worried for jobs in coming months or are they just f**king thick and have no sense of reality, my bet is the latter

39 minutes ago, coco said:

Football needs to take a hit like almost all other sectors, they are not immune, talk of a £750 million loss in sponsors this season for the epl. ....equivalent to PSG and Citeh annual payroll.

This is pretty much it for me. The economic fall out from this is bigger than the pandemic itself.   Much as I love the game it is not the most important thing in the world at the moment. 

Prime example Shell have announced they are not paying a dividend first time since the second world war,... their dividend is  a huge contributor to most pensions schemes, and I fear that is just the tip of the iceberg. It could be that footballers might have to go back to being paid a similar level as the rest of us, They wont mind , its the game they love ?

On the season, give it to the scousers, I couldn't give a sh*t, it will be such a damp squib and funny whatever the outcome.. shoe horning in games is pathetic, the fans don't want it the players don't. really some need to get a grip  

4 hours ago, Boyne said:

Agree, null and void the season. Yes, clubs will miss out on promotion and they'll moan but compared to what could happen if the season re-starts too early and the virus spreading the complaints from those teams will pale into insignificance. The football authorities are oblivious to what is happening and what really pisses me off is that they haven't sounded out the views of fans. I read a comment yesterday by Glen Murray (posted elsewhere in this thread) that the public is desperate for football to return. I don't know of anyone who is desperate for it to return. Yes, some people are missing it but that is very different from being desperate for football to start up again. As mentioned before, there are lots of other things e.g. meeting up with family friends I wish to do before watching football. Indeed I can think of at least half-a-dozen things to do before watching football.

 

I haven't spoken to that many people who are 'desperate' for football to return. In a way, its absence has opened some peoples' eyes to what a greedy and grasping industry football has become. Your point about the football authorities sounding out the fans is well made. They don't want fans in the accepted sense of the word but customers who turn up to be entertained, like you would at a play or a film. They want to sell their merchandise, promote their 'brand' and rake it in so consulting fans is the last thing they'll do; they'll go to their PR and marketing people for advice like any big business and they will tell us what it is we want or need. I know that sound a bit David Icke but that what it feels like.

56 minutes ago, Boyne said:

What a ned Gary Neville is.  So an infected player could take the virus to a virus free country. I'd love to know where that is. As far as I know every country has been affected. Unless of course the games are played in North Korea where apparently no there are no cases.

The cynical old bastard in me thinks that Neville is coming out with this crap to keep his employers at Sky happy. 

Everyone's favourite shop steward (self-appointed). I usually turn the telly off when he comes on. To be honest, I thought he was a smug prat when he was playing for us with his badge thumping and what-have-you. He wasn't even the best right back at OT during the modern era. Yep, let's find an ice-floe somewhere off the coast of Antarctica and play there.

24 minutes ago, Stretford Ender said:

I haven't spoken to that many people who are 'desperate' for football to return. In a way, its absence has opened some peoples' eyes to what a greedy and grasping industry football has become. Your point about the football authorities sounding out the fans is well made. They don't want fans in the accepted sense of the word but customers who turn up to be entertained, like you would at a play or a film. They want to sell their merchandise, promote their 'brand' and rake it in so consulting fans is the last thing they'll do; they'll go to their PR and marketing people for advice like any big business and they will tell us what it is we want or need. I know that sound a bit David Icke but that what it feels like.

If I'm at Tesco or walking the dog over the last few weeks and bump into someone I know, after the pleasantrys of asking how respective families are, we all as one say, "not missing the football at all", "nice to have a break" or "football isn't even on the radar at the moment", gotta feeling football is in for hard ride in the coming months and sadly it's behaviour over the past few weeks hasn't helped itself.

Edited May 1, 20206 yr by chi blue

22 hours ago, chiefBlueCFC said:

Prem doing anything to finish the season... I don't know how true the talks are of testing players staff etc multiple times before resuming and during to ensure no one is sick, but aren't there limited amount of tests available currently? If so, shouldn't the precedent be the citizens of the country who need the tests who may actually be sick, not some footballers because the FA is willing to finish the season regardless of cost?

I would just err on the side of caution, but I'm not in charge so my opinion on the situation is moot. I just think we are going to rush back and it's going to end up causing more issues in the long run than if we took it slow. 

Apparently Clubs will be presented with proposals to test players and officials at least twice a week, if the government approves plans for them to return to full training.  This could be 20,000+ testing kits just to finish the season!
This is the most ridiculous selfish nonsense I've heard so far.  Surely we should have enough to test all NHS staff, Care home workers, teachers, shop workers, and anyone else who's at risk before we even think about testing footballers.  Oh don't worry though 'The tests will be paid for by the Premier League and privately sourced, so it does not take any resources from public health needs', BOLLOCKS the premier League should source those 20,000 kits and give them to the needed, bunch of twats. 

4 minutes ago, DarkMata said:

Apparently Clubs will be presented with proposals to test players and officials at least twice a week, if the government approves plans for them to return to full training.  This could be 20,000+ testing kits just to finish the season!
This is the most ridiculous selfish nonsense I've heard so far.  Surely we should have enough to test all NHS staff, Care home workers, teachers, shop workers, and anyone else who's at risk before we even think about testing footballers.  Oh don't worry though 'The tests will be paid for by the Premier League and privately sourced, so it does not take any resources from public health needs', BOLLOCKS the premier League should source those 20,000 kits and give them to the needed, bunch of twats. 

I get the impression through this whole sorry affair and appalling PR, and pure greed from the premier League that they think they are as important as all the fantastic NHS and health care workers, next we'll hear they are classing themselves as key workers!! 

6 hours ago, chi blue said:

Football fans love the game, match going fans who are the life blood of the game and we spend fortunes each season going obviously do or we wouldn't go, but many will despice not the game but the authorities and the media who have walked all over us for years, and in this crises the authorities certainly haven't endeared themselves to anyone.

I'm not solely speaking about the big wigs. I and many others have been shammed for mentioning how much we miss the game, my cousin's telling me how he's basically been made a pariah in his friendship group for it.

Does this type of stigma exist with Rugby fans who miss Rugby? Or soap fans who want filming to resume as soon as logistically possible? Amoung other things.

From my perspective, ofcourse I don't want football to resume until the virus is under control (until a vaccine it's here to stay and at some point we have to coexist with it not just in football but the entire society) but do I miss scenes like Reece James slamming home an equalizer in a big CL night then see him running to our fans with the rest of our academy boys hot on his coattails? Too right I do!

Edited May 1, 20206 yr by Argo

3 hours ago, dkw said:

So players are now starting to come out and say they dont want the game to restart, they are fearful of the risks. And predictably they are getting abuse form Liverpool fans on social media for daring to say this, same as the mayor of Liverpool. They are a sick cult.

Something wrong with your keyboard, Dicky, the "l" and the "n" appear to be transposed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52500593

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 finish the season 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.

Oliver Dowden #StayHomeSaveLives

 

?@OliverDowden

 

 

I know ‘s desperately want sport back on

We just kicked off 1st of many detailed meetings to plan for a safe return of elite sport behind closed doors when, & only when, it is safe to do so on the basis of expert medical advice

Lots to consider, but today we step up planning

 

195

12:47 - 1 May 2020

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139 people are talking about this

 

 

 

 

'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, the League Managers' Association, players and managers are key to this process and will be further consulted.

"The clubs reconfirmed their commitment to finishing the 2019-20 season, maintaining integrity of the competition and welcomed the government's support."

The Premier League has been suspended since 13 March because of coronavirus but all clubs remain committed to playing this season's 92 remaining fixtures.

All games are expected to be held behind closed doors and the league is considering making some available on free-to-air TV.

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.

3 hours ago, Stretford Ender said:

I haven't spoken to that many people who are 'desperate' for football to return. In a way, its absence has opened some peoples' eyes to what a greedy and grasping industry football has become. Your point about the football authorities sounding out the fans is well made. They don't want fans in the accepted sense of the word but customers who turn up to be entertained, like you would at a play or a film. They want to sell their merchandise, promote their 'brand' and rake it in so consulting fans is the last thing they'll do; they'll go to their PR and marketing people for advice like any big business and they will tell us what it is we want or need. I know that sound a bit David Icke but that what it feels like.

In the link I posted a few minutes there is a quote from the Culture Secretary in which he says the U.K. is desperate for sport to return. I'd love to know who is desperate for the sport to return. Like you and chi blue I haven't heard from anyone I go to the games with (there are ten of us) to say they are desperate to go back to watching matches. It would be great if the authorities informed us of who is desperate for sport to return. 

You make a good point about merchandise. I can't remember the last time I visited the club shop at Chelsea. 

Not football but on the BBC website earlier there was an article about Formula 1. I've never been to a Formula 1 race but I've watched car and bike races at Brands Hatch and Goodwood. I also read a few bike and car magazines. There are suggestions of having races without fans. Even without fans there will still be more competitors and staff than you have at football matches played behind closed doors. There will be drivers and riders plus mechanics, stewards, medical staff and those required to recover damaged vehicles from the track. There will be a lot of people working in restricted spaces e.g. the pits. All of these people will have to be tested. Again the unnecessary need to take testing kit away from key stafff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/52500887

Neutral venues and behind closed doors will not stop small and large gatherings of fans outside the neutral and closed stadiums, not without police stopping the gatherings, thus creating much work for vital services in a time described as War by the government.  This could turn really ugly for the sport.

30 minutes ago, Boyne said:

In the link I posted a few minutes there is a quote from the Culture Secretary in which he says the U.K. is desperate for sport to return. I'd love to know who is desperate for the sport to return. Like you and chi blue I haven't heard from anyone I go to the games with (there are ten of us) to say they are desperate to go back to watching matches. It would be great if the authorities informed us of who is desperate for sport to return. 

You make a good point about merchandise. I can't remember the last time I visited the club shop at Chelsea. 

Not football but on the BBC website earlier there was an article about Formula 1. I've never been to a Formula 1 race but I've watched car and bike races at Brands Hatch and Goodwood. I also read a few bike and car magazines. There are suggestions of having races without fans. Even without fans there will still be more competitors and staff than you have at football matches played behind closed doors. There will be drivers and riders plus mechanics, stewards, medical staff and those required to recover damaged vehicles from the track. There will be a lot of people working in restricted spaces e.g. the pits. All of these people will have to be tested. Again the unnecessary need to take testing kit away from key stafff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/52500887

The Manchester United Tat Emporium (otherwise known as the megastore) is always full of day trippers and out-of towners. Stadium tours always end up there. I've never been on one and own only a coffee mug with Manchester United Football Club on the crest, so you can tell how old it is (like the one Lovejoy had). All my old stuff like programmes and assorted memorabilia has been given away to young relatives and I don't want to accumulate more of it.

I watched F1 in the days of Jim Clark and Graham Hill when I was a kid but I wouldn't be able to tell you who the current champion is if you held a gun to my head. But that aside, the support staff required to get a car into a race, a team onto the pitch, or a fighter into the ring is something most people don't think about. It cannot be done safely no matter how you slice it. Sport will have to take a back seat until such time as it is deemed safe to start up again.

1 hour ago, coco said:

Neutral venues and behind closed doors will not stop small and large gatherings of fans outside the neutral and closed stadiums, not without police stopping the gatherings, thus creating much work for vital services in a time described as War by the government.  This could turn really ugly for the sport.

You're right. People will gather around venues in the hope of seeing players. Not what the police want. They have enough on their plate already.

46 minutes ago, Stretford Ender said:

The Manchester United Tat Emporium (otherwise known as the megastore) is always full of day trippers and out-of towners. Stadium tours always end up there. I've never been on one and own only a coffee mug with Manchester United Football Club on the crest, so you can tell how old it is (like the one Lovejoy had). All my old stuff like programmes and assorted memorabilia has been given away to young relatives and I don't want to accumulate more of it.

I watched F1 in the days of Jim Clark and Graham Hill when I was a kid but I wouldn't be able to tell you who the current champion is if you held a gun to my head. But that aside, the support staff required to get a car into a race, a team onto the pitch, or a fighter into the ring is something most people don't think about. It cannot be done safely no matter how you slice it. Sport will have to take a back seat until such time as it is deemed safe to start up again.

F1 has in a lot of ways become like football. It's very money driven and a lot of the fans of F1 can't afford to go or feel distant from the drivers. One thing I like about going to the Goodwood Revival is not only can you get up close to the cars and bikes you can, if you're lucky, meet the drivers and riders and have a chat and take photos. Couldn't do that with F1.

Comparing modern day drivers and riders to those of years gone by is like comparing modern day footballers to those of past times. Lewis Hamilton or Jim Clark; Rossi or Sheene; Pele or Messi.

Cologne have announced three people at the club have tested positive for coronavirus – yet training will continue ahead of the Bundesliga’s return.

The German top flight looks set to become the first major league to return to action as the world continues to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Clubs are back in training with a mid-May resumption on the cards, but Cologne’s arrangements have received a setback.

 

Well that's a surprise, I am certain this won't the last time either. 

7 hours ago, chi blue said:

If I'm at Tesco or walking the dog over the last few weeks and bump into someone I know, after the pleasantrys of asking how respective families are, we all as one say, "not missing the football at all", "nice to have a break" or "football isn't even on the radar at the moment", gotta feeling football is in for hard ride in the coming months and sadly it's behaviour over the past few weeks hasn't helped itself.

My bank account is not missing football! Wish I’d volunteered to be furloughed now 

25 minutes ago, Munkworth said:

My bank account is not missing football! Wish I’d volunteered to be furloughed now 

Yes I've been furloughed and my Mrs said to me yesterday, that's strange we seem to be better off than when you worked, it then dawned her, that I hadn't been home and away with Chelsea for weeks. She's for one that's definitely enjoying no football, to be honest she's going to have a good year, as can't see match going fans at games for the whole of next season

11 hours ago, chi blue said:

Yes I've been furloughed and my Mrs said to me yesterday, that's strange we seem to be better off than when you worked, it then dawned her, that I hadn't been home and away with Chelsea for weeks. She's for one that's definitely enjoying no football, to be honest she's going to have a good year, as can't see match going fans at games for the whole of next season

If that’s true I can probably afford to retire 

How is it childish exactly? All I see at the moment is a league that hasnt completed, no team is in a mathematical position to claim anything, Champion, promotion or relegation. The rule cant be made just to suit one team, it has to be consistent all the way down the leagues. If they make Liverpool champion then they have to complete everyones season, meaning teams go down and up. Now that simply cant be allowed to happen as theres teams in unnatural positions due to having played more/less than others. Theres not a single position thats actually completed in any league.

That is complicated with promotions and relegations. That wasn't my point. My point is there are a lot of fans who love to see other clubs suffer. I myself have to work hard no to rejoice of those moments. However Liverpool really deserve their crown. Head above everyone else.

I feel Chelsea is such a big club we should look at ourselves much more than others. How to bridge that gap to Pool and City.

But it is very complicated to finish the season and we probably shouldn't if it is dangerous. I read somewhere it takes 300 people to setup a Premier League game. Players, staff, journalists and so on. Not very safe even without 42k of fans.

23 minutes ago, evissy said:

That is complicated with promotions and relegations. That wasn't my point. My point is there are a lot of fans who love to see other clubs suffer. I myself have to work hard no to rejoice of those moments. However Liverpool really deserve their crown. Head above everyone else.

I feel Chelsea is such a big club we should look at ourselves much more than others. How to bridge that gap to Pool and City.

But it is very complicated to finish the season and we probably shouldn't if it is dangerous. I read somewhere it takes 300 people to setup a Premier League game. Players, staff, journalists and so on. Not very safe even without 42k of fans.

The problem is the minute you start heading down ‘what ifs’ then there is literally no point in even bothering with anything ever again.

There are two options, you resume as soon as you’re practically able to (and the government allows you) and use every precaution necessary (this is what the powers that be are working on) It doesn’t mean you want people to die and don’t care about players families. This is called preparation and common sense. Non essential retail companies are having the same discussions and yet (this is what I meant by my point of football being an easy target and how there's a lot of internalised hatred there) you do not see waves of people condemning McDonalds for being inhumane despite the fact the food they serve is an abomination to the bodies and internal organs of the general public. (Honestly the state of their cheeseburgers)

If a large majority of footballers don’t agree with this (I doubt this based on what players are saying, Aguero seems cautious which is his right but for one of him there's examples like Bruno Fernandes who's chomping at the bit to get going again, shown below) and believe it’s too risky you have option two, you end football until a vaccine, which as we know could take years. Unless there’s a mass roll out of finance and resources across the whole of football, the likelyhood is that’ll be the end of the majority of football clubs and a mass of unemployed people, every club has thousands of hand to mouth workers and there's only so long even the richest clubs can keep paying them without cash coming in. That's one things that's going unnoticed, for one minute forget the trivial stuff of the games, sky, BT etc, there's people who need the game to return in some capacity so they're able to feed their kids.

 

That being said nobody should be forced to play and players should definitely be given the option.
But at the same time, understand that the vast majority of fit and healthy people (who don’t live with or interact with those that fall under the high risk category) are going to be expected to return to work at some point. That includes every non essential who cannot work from home, footballers aren’t going to get special dispensation.

34 minutes ago, evissy said:

That is complicated with promotions and relegations. That wasn't my point. My point is there are a lot of fans who love to see other clubs suffer. I myself have to work hard no to rejoice of those moments. However Liverpool really deserve their crown. Head above everyone else.

I feel Chelsea is such a big club we should look at ourselves much more than others. How to bridge that gap to Pool and City.

But it is very complicated to finish the season and we probably shouldn't if it is dangerous. I read somewhere it takes 300 people to setup a Premier League game. Players, staff, journalists and so on. Not very safe even without 42k of fans.

People keep saying that about Liverpool but they don't deserve the trophy because they havent actually won it. If they give them in then do they pick the best fa cup team and give them that? You can't award something because thery have nearly won it. 

Edited May 2, 20206 yr by dkw