How much will Coronavirus (COVID-19) impact Aston Villa's season?

[Lastfootstamper]

I don't think anything will be settled on until UEFA confirms that its 20/21 club competitions are either abandoned or going ahead. If it's the former, I expect every 19/20 domestic European league will be abandoned within minutes.

[chrisw1]

It is only about money - if there was any vestige of integrity they would have already announced the voiding of the season. Football is a business like any other and is driven by money, cash flow, profit and loss. Other businesses and their employees are facing an uncertain future, football is no different. You seem to be willfully trying to defend the indefensible - the only thing that matters at the moment is public safety and welfare.

I just disagree with you.  They'll lose more money cancelling next season which becomes a high probability if they choose to finish this one.  Whether they finish this season starting from Sept / Oct/ Nov etc or start the new one at the same date has no impact whatsoever on public safety and welfare.  All they are saying is that they want to finish the season, whenever that may be.

Again I can think of lots of rerasons why it's impractical and would prefer the season voided, but money and public safety are not one of them.

[Mister E]

I see Sky are completely being impartial by getting the views of Jamie Redknapp, Phil Thompson and John Barnes!

Can't do a link but the Times has an article stating that the league table would finish up with exactly the current positions, factoring form, quality of opposition, depth of squad, etc. It's based on a sophisticated algorithm designed by the analytics experts you have cited.

Problem with algorithms is that they cannot allow for the type of Watford 3-0 Liverpool result that often happens in the final quarter of a season: the bottom of the table is too tight to call it.

[cdbearsfan]

June 30th is the cut off, isn't it? The only way they can possibly get it finished by then is by forcing players to play midweek then weekend over and over until all the games are done. Even though many have had no training and others will have been self-isolating either as a precaution or due to actual infection.

The season is over. The only discussion should be what format the next one takes.

[chrisw1]

June 30th is the cut off, isn't it? The only way they can possibly get it finished by then is by forcing players to play midweek then weekend over and over until all the games are done. Even though many have had no training and others will have been self-isolating either as a precaution or due to actual infection.

The season is over. The only discussion should be what format the next one takes.

There is prospect of it being played by 30th June.  With that said I don't think it's an unmovable cut off.  It seems to me the general sentiment is to play it later in the year, whenever that may be.

[Towser]

June 30th is the cut off, isn't it? The only way they can possibly get it finished by then is by forcing players to play midweek then weekend over and over until all the games are done. Even though many have had no training and others will have been self-isolating either as a precaution or due to actual infection.

The season is over. The only discussion should be what format the next one takes.

And with little or no training comes the added risk of long term injuries, what happens then?

[Mister E]

It's not about money, it's about trying to be fair to all clubs ... if they do chose to finish it then it's not about money it's about integrity.

I think the League's current stance is actually about hope over reality: they want to complete because then next season can kick off in reasonable time, safeguarding future income streams.
Unfortunately, I don't think it's integrity.

Reality will kick into today's meeting when they accept that we are actually dealing with a global crisis which far transcends football and this season. But - as someone above said - the League are unlikely to make any firm decisions until EUFA decides on the currently-incomplete Euro competitions.

[algy]

June 30th is the cut off, isn't it? The only way they can possibly get it finished by then is by forcing players to play midweek then weekend over and over until all the games are done. Even though many have had no training and others will have been self-isolating either as a precaution or due to actual infection.

The season is over. The only discussion should be what format the next one takes.

I don't see what the issue is with having the season go on after 30th June.  As I'd mentioned before, players get transferred mid-season (e.g. January transfer window), and for some players their contracts end sort-of mid season (e.g. Irish players during the UEFA Cup / Scottish Challenge Cup - if you mind the Bohemians 'situation' last season!).  It's not ideal, but I don't think it's a particularly major issue in the grand scheme of things.

A lot of this will depend on how long everything goes on for.  If football can resume in August 2020, that's a very different proposition from it resuming in April 2021, or August 2021.

If it's April 2021, it makes sense to just start the season where this one has finished off.  Either that, or choose to restart in August 2021.

If it's August 2021, you'd have to start asking how valid the results of matches that happened in 2019 were, and if it would be better just to start from scratch / void everything

However, if it restarts this summer (August 2020), you have a dilemma of trying to fit both the end of the 2019/20 season and whole of the 2020/21 seasons in to 11 or 12 months.  Probably involving cancelling the league cup and reducing the number of games in other cup competitions.

I don't think we'll get a decisive decision other than 'postpone for the next N weeks' until all of it's over.  The solution will need to be so closely tied to the date the season resumes that I can't see you could realistically make a long term decision on it just yet.

[sid1964]

I would not be surprised if games cannot be completed, then the current league position will be the final position and only the bottom 2 will be relegated, likewise the top 2 will be promoted from the Championship.

[SoccerHQ]

No chance of anything being finished by June 30th.

Will be interesting to see when other major european leagues restart (if they do of course given the grim situation in Italy and Spain atm). Premier league will take their cue from that.

Football will be back eventually but we're talking many months. Same for the other major sports.

[Brassneck]

June 30th is the cut off, isn't it? The only way they can possibly get it finished by then is by forcing players to play midweek then weekend over and over until all the games are done. Even though many have had no training and others will have been self-isolating either as a precaution or due to actual infection.

The season is over. The only discussion should be what format the next one takes.

I don't see what the issue is with having the season go on after 30th June.  As I'd mentioned before, players get transferred mid-season (e.g. January transfer window), and for some players their contracts end sort-of mid season (e.g. Irish players during the UEFA Cup / Scottish Challenge Cup - if you mind the Bohemians 'situation' last season!).  It's not ideal, but I don't think it's a particularly major issue in the grand scheme of things.

A lot of this will depend on how long everything goes on for.  If football can resume in August 2020, that's a very different proposition from it resuming in April 2021, or August 2021.

If it's April 2021, it makes sense to just start the season where this one has finished off.  Either that, or choose to restart in August 2021.

If it's August 2021, you'd have to start asking how valid the results of matches that happened in 2019 were, and if it would be better just to start from scratch / void everything

However, if it restarts this summer (August 2020), you have a dilemma of trying to fit both the end of the 2019/20 season and whole of the 2020/21 seasons in to 11 or 12 months.  Probably involving cancelling the league cup and reducing the number of games in other cup competitions.

I don't think we'll get a decisive decision other than 'postpone for the next N weeks' until all of it's over.  The solution will need to be so closely tied to the date the season resumes that I can't see you could realistically make a long term decision on it just yet.

So in a season where we'd built the team around Jack and relied heavily on him, we could possibly lose him for the final few games.  That goes against all principles of what a season is about.

To continue, you would need to add another 2 weeks minimum for play off places.

We can't possibly have a decisive decision as things are changing so rapidly.  This time last week, everyone was planning on going to the game against Chelsea.

The new issue for me is that training has been suspended.  I know it's the same for everyone but I don't see how you can prepare a professional side for games with no training.  Surely they'd want 2 weeks together minimum, prior to starting back up?  This 2 weeks would eat into the window left for finishing.

I agree with Mister E - The season is dead and it is just wishful thinking to think that it can be completed (without impacting the following season)

[Percy McCarthy]

Season extended indefinitely. Bollocks.

[Jon Crofts]

Suspended until April 30th just announced apparently.

More likely way past that date.

[jwarry]

2019-20 season to be extended indefinitely so we are going to have to finish our games no matter what

[adrenachrome]

Sam Wallace
@SamWallaceTel
·
3m
Premier League announces that, along with FA & EFL, it has scrapped rule that season must end by June 1 & extended "indefinitely". Message is clear: season 2019-2020 will be completed. No games until April 30 at earliest