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

[Nii Lamptey]

Not sure if this EFL leak has been mentioned on here:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/exclusive-bristol-rovers-launch-investigation-4091367

So in that link, it sounds like they're predicting that no football can be played in front of live crowds until 2021, an unfeasible 66,000 CoVid tests would be needed to complete the season behind closed doors and they won't be able to take priority over front line workers or suspected victims (doesn't state if that's just the EFL or all pro leagues), so HOW is any football going to go ahead this year in any way, shape or form?

As I suggested a while back, just put a cap on this season until next Spring,resuming it then, taking us nicely into the Euro 2021 competition. 1 season over 2 years. Job done.

Then it's down to the leagues/larger clubs/government to protect the finances of the smaller clubs (like our grumpy neighbours). 

[cdbearsfan]

I don't really get posters with tens of thousands of posts on a Villa site, who presumably have been to plenty of Villa games saying they don't care what division we are in. Baffling.

Relegation under normal circumstances would have been bad. But with the money from the inevitable sale of Grealish (and possibly McGinn and others) we would have had the resources to bounce straight back up and compete immediately.

Going down when everyone is skint would be beyond disastrous. We would end up selling our prize assets for a fraction of their worth, with no guarantee of Premier League football any time soon.

If we avoid relegation this year, it isn't in the realms of fantasy that we could hold on to Grealish and others and be competing with the likes of Barcelona in a few years.

If we go down, we could be competing with the likes of Barnsley for years.

I don't get how anyone can be a Villa fan and say they don't care. Did you all shrug your shoulders when we got promoted? That was the best day of the last decade for me.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Outside the world wars I don't think there's any obvious scenario to look back at for guidance on how this should be handled.

Hitlers fault. He should have invaded Poland in springtime.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand got himself assassinated close season.

[Des Little]

The Mayor of Liverpool has spoken basic common sense, and got a stack of Redscouse jumping up and down at the same time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52484530

[paul_e]

I was pretty much done with football BEFORE the lockdown.... If this goes ahead, it can definitely fuck off into the sea.

The only reason it's being pushed for a conclusion is MONEY. On the one hand, you've got Sky and others paying a country's national debt for the broadcast rights, whilst viewers are pausing their contracts due to no live sport, and on the other hand, smaller clubs won't be able to stay afloat if the ban goes on for as long as it SHOULD go on for, because the money is so top heavy.

You have charlatans like Ozil earning a reported £1.4 million A MONTH at Arsenal, whilst some clubs are borderline going bust because they can't pay their basic running costs?! Something's not right.

The one thing I hope that comes out of this is that the FA somehow step in and sort this mess out (though pretty sure they don't have the power to do so?). No football club or player deserves or NEEDS that much money - Every single one of them had humble beginnings, and a large portion of that money should be spread through the lower leagues. Forget Financial Fair Play - American style salary caps could be a better solution.

More money through the leagues would mean better training/scouting/science and can only lead to a better source of players for everyone in the long term, as well as securing the future of British football for everyone - Not just armchair Man Utd and Liverpool fans in Essex.

Salary caps are almost impossible to implement. Look at rugby for example. That's a sport with 4 major competitions/leagues around the world, English Premiership, Celtic Pro14, French Top 14 and super rugby in the southern hemisphere (the european competitions are built on top of the first 3 and don't alter the rules). All 4 leagues have different salary cap rules and a lot of players transfer to the Top 14 because it has the highest cap and can therefore pay the most. Now try implementing that in football with all the extra complexity of extra leagues. A salary cap that was actually restrictive would risk driving players away from the league and if it isn't restrictive then it's pointless.

I completely agree with the sentiment though. Personally I'd go with some sort of solidarity fund where every club with earnings (not profits) above a threshold pays in a percentage of the earnings above that and the money is used to help smaller clubs and grass roots football.

While all my instincts are primed to be in favour of fleecing the rich and giving to the poor, I'm not sure what the justification would be for a fund that involves PL clubs doling out cash to fourth division or conference clubs so that they continue to live beyond their means. They are, after all, profit-seeking enterprises.

All I really mean is that it feels wrong to see clubs go out of business over a few hundred thousands pounds of debts when you've got clubs a few leagues up the pyramid paying that as a weekly wage to some of their players. I'm not thinking of this as a fund that is given straight to clubs no questions asked, more as something that they can apply for grants from and they have to give reasons for the need. I'd think of it as a replacement for clubs borrowing from banks to make repairs to their ground, training complex, or to fund school outreach programmes, that sort of thing. You could even have some of the premier league directors sit on the panel for it so they retained some control of the money.

[chrisw1]

I don't really get posters with tens of thousands of posts on a Villa site, who presumably have been to plenty of Villa games saying they don't care what division we are in. Baffling.

Relegation under normal circumstances would have been bad. But with the money from the inevitable sale of Grealish (and possibly McGinn and others) we would have had the resources to bounce straight back up and compete immediately.

Going down when everyone is skint would be beyond disastrous. We would end up selling our prize assets for a fraction of their worth, with no guarantee of Premier League football any time soon.

If we avoid relegation this year, it isn't in the realms of fantasy that we could hold on to Grealish and others and be competing with the likes of Barcelona in a few years.

If we go down, we could be competing with the likes of Barnsley for years.

I don't get how anyone can be a Villa fan and say they don't care. Did you all shrug your shoulders when we got promoted? That was the best day of the last decade for me.

Amen to that.

[saunders_heroes]

I don't really get posters with tens of thousands of posts on a Villa site, who presumably have been to plenty of Villa games saying they don't care what division we are in. Baffling.

Relegation under normal circumstances would have been bad. But with the money from the inevitable sale of Grealish (and possibly McGinn and others) we would have had the resources to bounce straight back up and compete immediately.

Going down when everyone is skint would be beyond disastrous. We would end up selling our prize assets for a fraction of their worth, with no guarantee of Premier League football any time soon.

If we avoid relegation this year, it isn't in the realms of fantasy that we could hold on to Grealish and others and be competing with the likes of Barcelona in a few years.

If we go down, we could be competing with the likes of Barnsley for years.

I don't get how anyone can be a Villa fan and say they don't care. Did you all shrug your shoulders when we got promoted? That was the best day of the last decade for me.

Spot on.

[Drummond]

I don't really get posters with tens of thousands of posts on a Villa site, who presumably have been to plenty of Villa games saying they don't care what division we are in. Baffling.

Relegation under normal circumstances would have been bad. But with the money from the inevitable sale of Grealish (and possibly McGinn and others) we would have had the resources to bounce straight back up and compete immediately.

Going down when everyone is skint would be beyond disastrous. We would end up selling our prize assets for a fraction of their worth, with no guarantee of Premier League football any time soon.

If we avoid relegation this year, it isn't in the realms of fantasy that we could hold on to Grealish and others and be competing with the likes of Barcelona in a few years.

If we go down, we could be competing with the likes of Barnsley for years.

I don't get how anyone can be a Villa fan and say they don't care. Did you all shrug your shoulders when we got promoted? That was the best day of the last decade for me.

I think in the grand scheme of things, I enjoy watching Villa play anywhere. Back streets of Barnsley for a night time kick-off was great. Football seemed in line with tradition in the Championship and less about money. That's why I don't care. But in reality of course I don't want us to go down. I don't want to lose the most exciting player we've had since Sid. And McGinn is the best since Milner.

But in the grand scheme of life and what's going on, I don't care. Just having football back would be good.

[paul_e]

I don't really get posters with tens of thousands of posts on a Villa site, who presumably have been to plenty of Villa games saying they don't care what division we are in. Baffling.

Relegation under normal circumstances would have been bad. But with the money from the inevitable sale of Grealish (and possibly McGinn and others) we would have had the resources to bounce straight back up and compete immediately.

Going down when everyone is skint would be beyond disastrous. We would end up selling our prize assets for a fraction of their worth, with no guarantee of Premier League football any time soon.

If we avoid relegation this year, it isn't in the realms of fantasy that we could hold on to Grealish and others and be competing with the likes of Barcelona in a few years.

If we go down, we could be competing with the likes of Barnsley for years.

I don't get how anyone can be a Villa fan and say they don't care. Did you all shrug your shoulders when we got promoted? That was the best day of the last decade for me.

I think in the grand scheme of things, I enjoy watching Villa play anywhere. Back streets of Barnsley for a night time kick-off was great. Football seemed in line with tradition in the Championship and less about money. That's why I don't care. But in reality of course I don't want us to go down. I don't want to lose the most exciting player we've had since Sid. And McGinn is the best since Milner.

But in the grand scheme of life and what's going on, I don't care. Just having football back would be good.

I don't think football was any more traditional, money was still the big differentiation between the top and bottom of the league and the financial problems are probably worse in that league than the premier league.

[Drummond]

Well it felt it to me.

Money has always played a part in football. Some rich, some poor. But traditionally we've been a big club and in the Premier League we've not made a dent in a decade. The reality is that in the Championship you don't really get glory hunter fans. The atmosphere was was more heartfelt.

[chrisw1]

Well it felt it to me.

Money has always played a part in football. Some rich, some poor. But traditionally we've been a big club and in the Premier League we've not made a dent in a decade. The reality is that in the Championship you don't really get glory hunter fans. The atmosphere was was more heartfelt.

But maybe that was because we were the big fish?  I imagine being at the bottom end of the Championsip with less money than those at the top is just as shit as being at the bottom of the PL?

[aev]

German Federal Gov't have postponed decision on reopening schools and restarting football games.

[walsall villain]

So cricket’s new 100 competition is postponed until 2021. The pace is gathering. It looks to me like the abandonment of all our leagues is very likely. Any solution to what happens has to be voted on doesn’t it?

[aev]

Talk NBA might be cancelled too.

[Legion]

Wish TalkSport would be.