[gazberg]

https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2020/may/albion-to-refund-match-ticket-purchases/


Refunds for individual match tickets confirmed. ST info to follow.

[BalisPen]

Thank you for the update Dan, as I hadn't seen that.

But isn't it typical? Probably the club that can least afford to do it, is putting the rest to shame. Good on ya Norwich City FC!

Least able to afford it?

They went up spent nothing and then did the disgraceful act of furloughing their staff like Newcastle.

And on separate issue their ceo has come out today they are against relegation if they have to play the rest of their games and those promoted from championship haven't played their remaining games.

Talk about clutching at straws.

Disgusting club.

[Standaman]

Latest from John Percy

From Championship clubs' conference call this afternoon: 'full' training not recommended until May 25, which means a restart in early June appears highly unlikely. Clubs are arguing that it needs 3 weeks of training before players reach full fitness.

From this it looks like the clubs are at least gearing up to complete the season.

[baggiejohn]

Latest from John Percy

From Championship clubs' conference call this afternoon: 'full' training not recommended until May 25, which means a restart in early June appears highly unlikely. Clubs are arguing that it needs 3 weeks of training before players reach full fitness.

From this it looks like the clubs are at least gearing up to complete the season.

I agree with all of your comments about the financial implications for both the clubs & the broadcasters, but I get the impression, the desire to complete the football season is being driven by Boris Johnson.

Boris is of the opinion that televised games will boost the morale of the nation, couple of things that suggest that assumption is not shared by all:

A survey yesterday said that 73% of people would not have their morale boosted by a return of televised football.

Apart from getting the economy moving, a secondary benefit of relaxing the lock down was to get people exercising & into the fresh air.
I believe there are around 90 EPL games left to play, if they were all televised, that's 135 hours of footie on the tele - kind of defeats the object.

[ronnie_allen]

I agree with all of your comments about the financial implications for both the clubs & the broadcasters, but I get the impression, the desire to complete the football season is being driven by Boris Johnson.

Boris is of the opinion that televised games will boost the morale of the nation, couple of things that suggest that assumption is not shared by all:

A survey yesterday said that 73% of people would not have their morale boosted by a return of televised football.

Apart from getting the economy moving, a secondary benefit of relaxing the lock down was to get people exercising & into the fresh air.
I believe there are around 90 EPL games left to play, if they were all televised, that's 135 hours of footie on the tele - kind of defeats the object.

If the return of football can boost the morale of 27% of the population, with one simple avenue that is quite a sizable amount. Then work on getting other items such as soaps, Mrs Brown Boys, talent shows and the like going to further boost morale of many of these people and others.

[Albionic]

soaps, Mrs Brown Boys, talent shows - all bloody depressing to me !

[TheJacko2000]

It's being driven by the governing bodies and the clubs, aside from a few in danger of relegation from the PL.  The gaping hole in their finances and years of litigation that not completing would cause is an unthinkable outcome for them.


The government will be keen to get things going again but it's not the be all and end all for them.

[liverbaggie]

Hey Johnny cash,I hope you are keeping well.
Yes I agree with your synopsis about insuring events.
I remember a few years ago when I was in business I had work at Cheltenham racecourse and I remember being told by the clerk of the courses office that their race meetings were all insured especially the gold cup meeting.
They never lost money due to cancellation.

[baggiemart]

The more the argument about restart goes on the more it is sounding like the brexit argument. There are a few loud voices calling for it not to happen to safeguard their own interests.

I can see the argument from Norwich whereby they have got to play so the championship should be forced to play . That is where the stumbling block is because all the extra costs incurred to get the games on will not be affordable by all the championship clubs.

With the added voices of players not willing to play, I can see it not starting at all and they will have to finish the leagues on a PPG basis with promotions and relegations being sorted on that basis. Voiding the season should be taken off the table.

It will also be the biggest kick up the backside for football with the refund of millions to sky and BT  and with no season next season because if we can't finish this season then next season cannot begin. So no TV money for the clubs next season.

What a mess !!!

[cads_ap_albion]

I thought the FA had said to the EPL there must be  a finish and it cannot be voided.
The choice is either finished by playing or finish by PPG.

This is why relegation threatened EPL clubs have turned their attention to jumping on the idea of unfairness if the EPL have to play but the EFL don't. They know the EPL season will not be voided.

[TheJacko2000]

I thought the FA had said to the EPL there must be  a finish and it cannot be voided.
The choice is either finished by playing or finish by PPG.

This is why relegation threatened EPL clubs have turned their attention to jumping on the idea of unfairness if the EPL have to play but the EFL don't. They know the EPL season will not be voided.

I can see their point on this. We don't gave to return and get promoted on ppg while they gave to return a get relegated on a full if compromised season.


Either both play to completion or both decided by ppg.

[baggiemart]

I can see their point on this. We don't gave to return and get promoted on ppg while they gave to return a get relegated on a full if compromised season.


Either both play to completion or both decided by ppg.

But can the whole of the Championship play to completion with all the added costs of testing etc and no gate income.

[TheJacko2000]

But can the whole of the Championship play to completion with all the added costs of testing etc and no gate income.

Frankly that's not Norwich, Villa et als problem.

[Norfolk Baggie]

So looking at the logistics of the task in hand there are nine games to complete with 27 points to play for.  Speeding these up so we play two, maybe three a week means we need a month to complete the season.  Training has not yet started, and there will be a lead time of three weeks to get players fit (at least). 

Logistically then a late June start is possible, and I would go so far as to say likely.  However, the bigger challenge then is the start of the 2020/1 season.  We may get promoted, but when we do, we will have a tired team with a very limited number of new faces.  This might set us up to go straight back down again?

[AlbionFan]

We too are looking to refund ticket monies.......

https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2020/may/albion-to-refund-match-ticket-purchases/

Hi Dan, thank you for the link.

It warms the "cockles of your heart" reading good and positive things about the Albion and it augurs well for Season Ticket Holders.

[iwastherein68]

I can see their point on this. We don't gave to return and get promoted on ppg while they gave to return a get relegated on a full if compromised season.


Either both play to completion or both decided by ppg.

I agree with this , our great club would have a stigma attached to it's name forever if they completed and we didn't

[SmethDan]

I can see their point on this. We don't gave to return and get promoted on ppg while they gave to return a get relegated on a full if compromised season.


Either both play to completion or both decided by ppg.

Fine by me, PPG it is then. Relegation issue sorted without another ball being kicked and we'd go up without having to read about the next wriggling proviso.

[kc56wba]

Fine by me, PPG it is then. Relegation issue sorted without another ball being kicked and we'd go up without having to read about the next wriggling proviso.

Totally agree Dan. It is too dangerous to start up football just yet.

[baggie82]

Totally agree Dan. It is too dangerous to start up football just yet.

This doesn't make much sense to me

1) The virus is not a threat to life to people under 40 who are in good health (less than 1% of the deaths have been in respect of people under 40 and mostly they have had underlying health conditions). Professional footballers by definition are in excellent health.

2) The risk of the virus will not be any less of an issue later this year or early next year - unless of course it spreads further in the winter (the sun helps to limit external exposure).

So if you're saying it's too dangerous for healthy footballers to play behind closed doors then your closing down football full stop until a proven vaccine is available which may happen in the next year or may never happen. So you're not only cancelling this season, you are aslo cancelling 2020/21 as well.

My view is that football should start behind closed doors as soon as possible and that most parties pushing for delay or cancellation have a vested interest to do so.

[boinging_along]

I think people are seeing the death rate being the issue - it's possible to get seriously sick from it even if under the age of 70.  How do you play a game when half the team is out with symptoms?

[gazberg]

I think people are seeing the death rate being the issue - it's possible to get seriously sick from it even if under the age of 70.  How do you play a game when half the team is out with symptoms?

Should be treated like an injury and that is the plan.

[boinging_along]

Should be treated like an injury and that is the plan.

But how do you play a game with not enough players?  It won't just be 1 or 2 players at a club who will get it, it'll be most of them, you can't social distance at football.  And it's fine for us to go "they're young, they'll be fine", but they *could* still be seriously ill from it, they *could* still pass it on to their family.

[baggiemart]

But how do you play a game with not enough players?  It won't just be 1 or 2 players at a club who will get it, it'll be most of them, you can't social distance at football.  And it's fine for us to go "they're young, they'll be fine", but they *could* still be seriously ill from it, they *could* still pass it on to their family.

But if they are going to extraordinary lengths to test all players and staff every few days and putting in all the other safeguards.  How on earth will they catch it ?

[tuamigos]

But if they are going to extraordinary lengths to test all players and staff every few days and putting in all the other safeguards.  How on earth will they catch it ?

Having a test every day won't stop you getting it will it? Just have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time

[TheJacko2000]

Life has to go on eventually, you won't get a safer more controlled environment than this. There is no way they can remain shut down until a vaccine which may never materialise is available.