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

[Jon Crofts]

Well at least we'll have McGinn back and maybe Heaton?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Season extended indefinitely. Bollocks.

Oh shit!

[spangley1812]

They will start playing behind closed doors around the middle of May I reckon as they need about 6 weeks to finish the season by 30/06/2020

[aev]

So, the question is what happens if they want to restart in let’s say August but some clubs have players out with the virus?

What then happens? Can it only restart once all players are virus free ?

[nick harper]

I think they’re effectively writing off the 20/21 season bŷ doing that. Will be interesting to see what UEFA do with their own competitions.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

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

Stupid decision to put in the term "indefinitely", they've no idea when games can resume. April 30th? They're having a laugh. As things stand, Season 20/21 looks more likely to be canceled now.

[Clark W Griswold]

I reckon they’ll play it 30.4 till 30.6 behind closed doors as long as everything is in place to start it then. You never do know though with this sort of thing. It’s obviously going to be finished one way or the other though and I’m glad, not a popular view I’m sure but I like to see things finished properly, especially with so much already played.

[cdbearsfan]

They will start playing behind closed doors around the middle of May I reckon as they need about 6 weeks to finish the season by 30/06/2020

The country will be in lockdown by then. Anyone attempting to get to a football match, whether as player or spectator, should be told to stay at home. Football is not an essential service.

They are behaving recklessly, putting profits over people's lives.

[brian green]

That proposal is irresponsible

[chrisw1]

It's not going to be May or June.  It wil be Aug/ Sep at the very earliest.  They will either scrap 20/21 season or come up with a trunkated version, depending on when we get going.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

That proposal is irresponsible

Indeed. The message it sends out to the country, 'don't worry, nothing to see here, things will soon be back to normal' is today as far away from reality as you could imagine.

[mallo]

They're in dreamland - they won't get matches played then. This is just politics.

[aev]

That proposal is irresponsible

Indeed. The message it sends out to the country, 'don't worry, nothing to see here, things will soon be back to normal' is today as far away from reality as you could imagine.

If they can cancel exams after 2yrs of studying for kids you’d think they might be realise there are bigger things going on.

[SoccerHQ]

No chance of any football being played in May. Or June imo. Perhaps July through to middle of August then a few weeks turnaround and start season sometime in September or October (cue winter then hitting and everything stopping with covid again).

UEFA could of course use some common sense and make CL and europa straight knock out from the start and stop the ridiculous stretching out of round 16 games over a month but not holding my breath on that one.

Ultimately football calendar is going to be out of sync for quite a while. We are only two and a half years away from a world cup taking place in November of a season after all so would have to play in the summer of that season anyway.

[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.

Great point and just maybe that's what the premier league and this country is using - in as much as waiting for hand to be forced and absolved from responsibility.
Playing the  whole 'it's been imposed upon us' card. Extending suspension and this announcement today readily allows for UEFA to be the final decisions making as implications to European competition has knock on effects to domestic leagues.

Yup, us on here are bothered because we're currently in the bottom 3, but I don't for one moment think that the piffling matter of who might get relegated registers with the game's stakeholders in the same way that which of Arsenal, Chelsea, ManU, SheffU, Spurs or Wolves dramatically grab that last CL spot. UEFA knock it on the head, it'll be; sorry chaps, football has spoken; Liverpool, metaphorical pat on the back, here's a meaningless trophy; see you all whenever, it's as you were, and 'we go again'.