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

[pauliewalnuts]

We are still in a situation where people are being told not to go see their family, leave the house necessarily or get near other people.

Playing out football seasons should be absolutely bottom of the pile.

[paul_e]

I also remember it being significantly higher than that.

Regardless it's a lot more than the handful of biased villa fans on a forum that Brassneck and Chrisw1 are suggesting. That it's comfortably the most popular (that would be a big working majority in our electoral system) suggests it a lot more than common a view than that. I'd also suggest that it's a view which will gain popularity as we get closer to the summer which has been my point all along. If there is any chance of starting next season in some form by mid-late September then that has to be the priority and that means giving clubs time to prepare with a pre-season, etc and not having legal cases hanging over clubs and leagues. I don't see any way to do that other than playing all the remaining games out at home and away venues by June 30th.

Lets not forget a year in the premier league is worth at least an additional £150m to the championship, any club that is relegated by a solution which sees things worked out on paper isn't going to let that money go without looking at the legality of it. If we play after June 30th then the player contract situation is a huge problem and again will likely result in all sorts of legal issues. The Liverpool shirt sponsor deal is another great example (and is a situation that would be reflected at numerous clubs for numerous sponsors).

There's really 2 possible situations I can see from this and there's a couple of options.

If next season can be started with enough time to run it's course before the euros then finish the season by June 30th or don't bother, I see no other reasonable options in that case.

If not then finishing this season next year could be an option, and there's probably enough time between now and that start point, but there would need to be a lot of work done around contracts, transfer windows, etc because in that situation there will be a number of squads missing players to end of contract or retirement. On top of that it's easily the biggest financial hit to the clubs because it wipes out their entire revenue for this summer, you'd see a lot of clubs go bust in that situation. Financially it would be better to do something like end the season now with prize money, etc distributed but no relegation and to run next year as either a 19 game season or split the league in half for a year and run 2 18 game leagues to make up next years table. I don't like any of those options but I think the 19 game option is probably the best of a bad bunch.

[john2710]

I think they should void the season.

But I'm as certain as I can be that they won't. Football will be back early June, unless the Government or the PFA stop it.

[Legion]

We are still in a situation where people are being told not to go see their family, leave the house necessarily or get near other people.

Playing out football seasons should be absolutely bottom of the pile.

Exactly this.

[Ads]

Behind closed doors makes my teeth itch. That is not and never has been football for me.

[Pete3206]

We are still in a situation where people are being told not to go see their family, leave the house necessarily or get near other people.

Playing out football seasons should be absolutely bottom of the pile.

100%

[old man villa fan]

Unless the season can be completed by 30th June, it should be void.  That would then allow the workings of how next season could be played behind closed doors and agreeing a one-off TV deal (the current one suspended for one season) to the benefit of all.  Premier League games should be played more frequently and spread through the week so more games could be televised live.  This could generate more revenue for the clubs.  Lower down the leagues games would have to be televised and shown live but probably still with full programmes of matches on the relevant days.  Think of all the ways to maximise revenue for the clubs and spread this down the leagues.  Scrap FFP for this season and next season.

A line has to be drawn under the losses for this season and not allow them to increase by dragging out the season.  By cutting off the season on 30th June, this would allow the clubs to 'cut their cloth' for next season by getting rid of players if needed.  I would also scrap the transfer windows for next season so that clubs could buy and sell through the season.  Football behind closed doors is not real football but if you made it a one-off season, there is no reason why the 'rules' cannot be consigned to the bin for one year.

[sid1964]

Lots of companies are now getting back to work and by middle of May most companies will be back - which is fantastic news

Once this happens then hopefully we will see a return to some sort of normal life "whatever that will be"- for me they ought to void this season but there are multi millions at stake in the premier league, so I guess that is why they are waiting to see if they can resume at the beginning of June.

If the season is voided, I don't think we will still be in the premier league as I expect top 2 to be promoted from Championship and I cannot see a Premier League with 22 sides next season - they complain about the amount of football at the moment?

Obviously if we are relegated, then as most say on here we could sue the premier league - but that could take months before it comes to courts and by then the new season will be well underway, also I am sure that if the premier league took this decision they would be backed by EUFA

[NeilH]

Anyone here in insurance? Haveany thoughts on the cost of public liability insurance for matches either with or without crowds? Would the government’s position have a significant effect on cost? Or would the insurers be looking solely at the underlying scientific evidence (likelihood of a 2nd wave etc)?

The Bundesliga have stated they are good to go from May. Just need the green light of the government (there’s the rub).

And the Dutch governement have I think said nothing until Septmeber.

Yep and it’s debatable even then that it will be played in front of a crowd. Both here and in Belgium the season as voided. The future of my surrogate Dutch second division clubs survival hangs very much in the balance as to when crowds will return.

[OzVilla]

You need to look at the quotes from those that actually matter. This will not be a PL decision as much as it will be a Govt and Chief Medical Officer decision. Sturgeon’s comments the other day about the reservations they have regarding BCD games betrayed quite a bit of their thinking at the moment.

I’d be amazed if the Govt risk an uptick in cases from a restart of football knowing that there is a tendency for people to group together during and after matches.

Regards Villa being relegated, I still think we’ll stay up if we play the games however if they can’t the Brighton chairman basically ruled out any appetite to relegate anyone from the PL with so many games still to play.

These are the people to listen to as they are in the room currently while discussions are taking place.

 

[andyh]

I have said many times, football restarting, in any guise, will not be footballs decision.

[mr underhill]

Totally this. I'm definitely going to renew my ST though for the 2028/29 season.

[Gareth]

Scrap FFP for this season and next season.

A line has to be drawn under the losses for this season and not allow them to increase by dragging out the season. 

There is no way on earth the ‘big’ clubs will allow FFP to be scrapped, the money that our owners, Everton’s owners or those about to take over Newcastle have would allow them to clear the decks properly and compete - they won’t let that happen. 

Personally I think that the PL are now so invested in finishing the season to protect that TV income that they are happy to leave it in that limbo state.  They care zero about anybody below their league so any knock on to Leeds/West Brom etc is not their concern.

As for voiding, I just can’t see how you stay out of the courts if you relegate a team who actually took a Cup competition seriously, if you do then expect under 16’s in all domestic cups going forward - as an aside the prospective winners of the league who are crying over the possibility of losing their first league in 30 years had the chance to negate the game in hand scenario when they did disrespect the cup and gave us a bye while they went on a jolly to Qatar.

Will restarting the league in June/July be a level playing field? Nope, the wage issue will have huge implications, morale at different clubs will be affected massively by how the discussions & agreements are done - for example at Villa we have barely heard a word about what has been discussed and whether there is agreement/ dissent in the camp - how clubs deal with it may well lead to some players being less than motivated when they restart.

Ps - the league should have been voided long before Covid-19 after the shambolic implementing of VAR :-) :-)

[DrGonzo]

The Grauniad:
"Government already out of home tests for key workers, website shows

Our digital editor, Claire Phipps, has noticed that all the home tests for key workers have already gone. It comes as health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the new online booking system will be key to the government reaching its target of 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said: “Not as many people have been coming for (a test) as we had expected. "

10,000 a day spare?  Don't believe the tory spin,  They are praying for those tests to hide the sheer scale of their incompetence.

[DrGonzo]

And UEFA say decide final standings on "sporting merit" (vague huh?) and:

"Uefa has laid out two primary conditions under which it would accept the abandonment of a league. The first would involve being instructed to do so by a government, which is the case in the Netherlands; the second is “insurmountable economic problems”."