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

[The Edge]

How can anybody not see that changing the conditions of the game, BCD, neutral venues, 5 subs, no VAR 3/4 of the way through the season is completely trashing the integrity of the competition?

Im honestly amazed they haven’t concluded you can’t have relegation already. It shouldn’t even be an argument quite frankly.

The only reason we're still having this debate is money. Liverpool want their title and the others want their place in europe so they can earn lots of money. It's as simple and as grubby as that.

[devilla]

there must be some way outta here, said the joker to the thief...

There’s too much confusion...

I can't get no relief...

[Richard E]

I read there is talk of suspending the use of VAR if the season is played out. Which would be the shit flavoured icing on the cake.

Which in itself is another nail in the coffin of the ‘integrity’ bullshit.
All games have been played using VAR so far, it has even been the deciding factor in some games in that time.
But a restarted season won’t use something that was pivotal before?

As shit as VAR is, and even if it’s dropped for evermore, it is wrong to playout the rest of this season without it.

Mind you, it’s wrong to play out the rest of this season.....full stop.

I would genuinely take Liverpool going down if it meant VAR was scrapped forever.

FTFY

[devilla]

Now tin helmet time, if the mega teams of the premiership get their way we will be relegated.  This might be an opportunity for us to get properly sorted, we already have 40 percentish squad members with recent championship Experience ,and because the likely hood of the match’s being played behind closed doors, just maybe we could reset regards squad, management, using the parachute payments, and make a quick return in much better shape than we find ourselves presently. This scenario assumes Jack is sold.

I think our squad will highly likely be minus Jack, Mings and McGinn and we will be left with a lot to do to get back up.  We have no pace, a complete lack of physicality and for every half useful player, we have a crap one standing next to him. Sorry, but going down would be a disaster.  It did us absolutely no good last time.

It wasn't a disaster last time and it wouldn't be a disaster if we went down again. The squad is much better, we have more money, and a better manager.

I don't think McGinn or Mings would go - the virus will rip the arse out of the transfer market and we've got minted owners. Why would we sell them?

The three years in the 2nd division were a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the three years before it and resulted in a renewed optimism around the club, with sell outs every game and talk of major stadium expansion. 

It's really not that bad.

I disagree. Jack would definitely go as would Mings as he's an England player now. I'm sure McGinn would want Premier League football and I don't think our owners being minted would be a factor in that.

The Championship is a difficult league to get out of. It took us a remarkable run at the end of last season to get out of it and after after 3 years hard work to get out of it, relegation would be a real kick in the teeth. If it happened in a normal season then fair enough we'd have to accept that we were shit enough for it to happen but if it happened this season as a result of some farcical decision to relegate teams by PPG, there's no integrity in that.

[David_Nab]

Jordon is right about TV deals , SKY and BT need football as much as Football needs the cash it's why they both invest so much into it

If we did go down we may bounce back easily as the championship will be a mess , FFP will be suspended as the league are going to reply on owners pumping cash in to stay afloat.Losing player's hard to say , if the player pushes for it maybe but I suspect fee's are going to be alot lower so is it worth say taking 20 mil for Jack when we can hold of for a season and use him to get us back up

[p_ad]

The Watford chairman has came out against neutral venues, it's on the BBC sports channel I'm rubbish at links sorry

[Steve67]

I've just read the article and he is saying what we are all thinking.  I wonder if he will be thought of as negatively as Brighton and Villa CEO's. 

[olaftab]

If the season doesn't get finished they will use current positions or PPG, I don't think null and void is an option. I was on Reddit earlier and there was a link to a Times article saying the FA would block any attempt by the PL to get rid of relegation. Apparently they can do this because of some agreement made when the PL started.

Is that is same FA that has nulled and voided Leagues under their direct control without promotions and relegations?

[OzVilla]

The FA won’t step in, they’re cash strapped and the last thing they need is to get caught up in litigation.

More like newspapers printing anything as they’ve no actual football to report on.

[dave.woodhall]

If the season doesn't get finished they will use current positions or PPG, I don't think null and void is an option. I was on Reddit earlier and there was a link to a Times article saying the FA would block any attempt by the PL to get rid of relegation. Apparently they can do this because of some agreement made when the PL started.

Is that is same FA that has nulled and voided Leagues under their direct control without promotions and relegations?

They've allowed it to happen, not done it themselves.

[brian green]

All of this, if I read it correctly, assumes that all the clubs in whatever positions in whatever leagues they happened to be pre coronavirus, will survive.  I can't see there being no fatalities, Small Heath being a typical example.  They can arrange the Titanic deck chairs however they like but professional football as we knew it is holed below the waterline.

[ChicagoLion]

Now tin helmet time, if the mega teams of the premiership get their way we will be relegated.  This might be an opportunity for us to get properly sorted, we already have 40 percentish squad members with recent championship Experience ,and because the likely hood of the match’s being played behind closed doors, just maybe we could reset regards squad, management, using the parachute payments, and make a quick return in much better shape than we find ourselves presently. This scenario assumes Jack is sold.

I think our squad will highly likely be minus Jack, Mings and McGinn and we will be left with a lot to do to get back up.  We have no pace, a complete lack of physicality and for every half useful player, we have a crap one standing next to him. Sorry, but going down would be a disaster.  It did us absolutely no good last time.

Agree, we just about got away with it last time, it would be a disaster.

[mr underhill]

Totally Brian - as soon as something started to fuck with the bucks the game was over. Now, it hasn't happened yet, but it will.

[ChicagoLion]

All of this, if I read it correctly, assumes that all the clubs in whatever positions in whatever leagues they happened to be pre coronavirus, will survive.  I can't see there being no fatalities, Small Heath being a typical example.  They can arrange the Titanic deck chairs however they like but professional football as we knew it is holed below the waterline.

Well put Brian.

[old man villa fan]

I was reading in one of the papers yesterday and I do not know how true it is but the writer was saying that the EPL and SKY/BT haven't even discussed the contracts and financial implications if the season was cancelled.  Is it a case of the PL not asking the question because they know the answer will not suit their agenda.  When you read many articles they generally say "potentially losing …", although some of the more 'sensational' types say it as if it is fact.

You would think that the EPL would be discussing if income was down this year, how they could make it up in the future.  Or the PL could be saying to the broadcasters "You screw us now and after the current deal runs out, you will never get to broadcast the EPL in the future as there are plenty out there that will take your place.  Further, you have made fortunes out of us in the past, time to give some back".