The Premier League will next month consider a proposal from chairman aimed at providing what many of them believe is a more satisfactory end to the season.
There remains a growing feeling that ‘behind closed doors’ games would strip teams of one of the game’s biggest assets to clubs – home advantage.
They will claim that it is unfair to play games which could lead to relegation given some clubs may have several sick infected or self-isolated players with others having few or none particularly outside the hot spot of London.
And in a radical proposal, we have learned that already several chairmen are backing a proposal where – if the games are played behind closed doors – there should be no relegation this season.
Instead, the chairman will propose that this season the EFL playoffs are scrapped and the two top teams of the Championship are automatically promoted increasing the Premier League to 22 for one season only with four being relegated next term.
They also want the season played out to decide on positional payments and European qualifying places.
I think the Chairmen are making sense here. The FA also did well to close the grounds. It looks now like the right decision. The top two Championship teams must be promoted. Liverpool should be awarded the title, unless Man City object.. There can be no relegation. It’s just over 4 months to the start of the 20-21 season, and even that may be delayed. I believe we’ll see a 19-20 decision soon..
That to me sounds the fairest way in strange times not before other than war times. Dislike Liverpool but in fairness the best team this season and not bothered if given the title which in this case they were far ahead. If not tough luck as they won’t be declared winners only in the mind of those who like them. Two teams up good idea too and four down next season solves that problem nicely. Imo As for us to be honest never thought we would be relegated any time and I’m not a Moyes supporter but must be given a season to show his ability and supported by the board who I also not keen on to stay around. COYI
Agree but should it not be 5 teams relegated?
For all the EPL posturing and anti-Brady sentiment, the most sensible solution would be to suspend and void the season now. Player’s contracts would expire in June as usual, they could all have an extended pre-season for the new campaign and transfer activity – as Hugh says, probably at lower levels and much more sensible lower prices – would reshape teams for a new season.
With the Euros postponed, we could arse about extending the season so Liverpool finally win the damn thing, then all complain that the players hadn’t had a proper summer break. But the reality is that the whole of sport will have to rethink, with F1 having nothing at all, cricket having a year off and the Olympics in Japan postponed (not yet, but I can’t see how they can go on). In among this, the EPL alone will try to salvage the end of a dead season. With players isolated, fans unable to attend and a genuine nervousness arounf infection that is going to last for months, let’s call it a day and work out how to finish it. If Liverpool really wanted to win it so much, they wouldn’t have jetted off to play the pointless World Champions thing and abandoned their game with us; had they been made to play the game against s in parallel, the reserve team they would have fielded would have been the one that drew with Shrewsbury, which even we might have had a chance against. Just saying….
Agree the intimated proposal by some PL Chairpeople is the fairest & most realistic solution given this unprecedented as yet undetermined problem.
Also if PL games cannot be accomodated to conclude before usual season end, which is probable becasue of the virus peak is yet still to arrive; allocate the PL European places based on current positions with financial awards on that basis too. That’s what our current teams earned before the virus became pandemic. (I am a West Ham season ticket holder so no self interest in those financial awards.
Then hopefully we can commence next season as close to usual start date as the virus allows. Otherwise it will take years to restore the usual season schedule & will put fatique pressure on our international teams for Euro 2021.
Sounds somewhat bias and will lead to continual arguments and law suits.- start the next season by finishing the games of this 2019 season and go straight into the 2020 season with those going up and those going down from the conclusion of the 2019 last 8 or 9 games. No winter break, no FA Cup games for 2020 as the season will have an extra 8 or 9 games from 2019 to finish – use this way for all the English leagues..