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

[steamer]

After our last few games , there is no doubt in my mind, we would have been relegated.
After the win away at Burnley  I thought we were up for it. the performances after were mainly dire.
We have a game in hand, S.Utd at home ,hands on heart, who expected to win it ?
we can play the its not fair, home games etc  but the reality is we had a crap season
If we stay up because of voiding the season or expanding the teams for the next season, fantastic.
but I am getting a bit bored with it all

[Meanwood Villa]

Listened to a bit of Fighting Talk earlier and caught Richard Osman (who I've got a lot of time for) saying it would be a morale boost to have the "normality" of football back. Then the next contestant gave the idea of hosting every game at Wembley with all the players staying at the hotel on site (?) while the next two suggested five a side and zorbs respectively. Hardly normality is it? There is no workable plan to restart it and it is hard to envisage there being one for weeks.

[Ad@m]

What's really annoying about the PPG calculations is that had we actually turned up against Leicester in that final game and picked up a point, rather than roll over for them we'd be safe in a PPG basis, no matter how you cut it.

Ultimately, whilst it would be a ridiculous way to get relegated, if we do end up going down it's difficult to see how we could blame anyone else.

I’d like to blame VAR a bit.

And having 10 games left, 6 at home.

Our six home games include Wolves, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. I'd have some sympathy for the home Vs away game argument if we had an easy run in, but the reality is that we've played all the shit teams at home and we've still only got the 17th best home record in the division.

We can't kid ourselves - if we stay up because of this we'll have been extremely lucky. If we go down, as silly as all the suggestions being made about how that's decided are, we'll only have ourselves to blame for being in this position in the first place.

[old man villa fan]

It does feel like the chatter about a return to playing has been ramped-up - though in my opinion that has more to do with a failing Government looking to distract the masses than it does to any sincere wish to "lift the nation's spirits" or being the next sure step in "following the science".

Everything was running along relatively quietly until the media (probably doing the bidding on behalf of some clubs) started to sense the running out of time and started to ramp it up.  I think the Government were quite happy to stay out of it until prodded by the media via the police.  The 'holding' statement by the police of neutral venues was to try and bounce it back to football to make a decision.  It has been bounced back at them and a fairly bland statement of "it would be good to get football back" has been spun to say this is what the Government wants.  The last thing they want is to say that it would be ok for football to carry on.  They want football to say that and so they should.

The media (again on behalf of some clubs) are saying that the only way football can carry on is behind closed doors because the Government have said so which is not exactly correct as it is the police that are saying it and the media are using this as a strong arm tactic against the bottom six clubs.

Two questions that stand out a mile to me and that are not being asked are:

1.  EPL to broadcasters "Will you want the advance payments made paid back if the season is abandoned?"
2.  EPL to police "As the matches will be played out in June and July and it looks as the lockdown will be relaxed a little by then, would you review your previous stipulation that matches are played at neutral venues and allow them to be played where they were intended?"

Answers to both of the above would go a long way to resolve the current impasse.  It's as though nobody wants to resolve it, only steer it in a certain direction.  In the meantime, the acrimony is growing dangerously for the health of football.

[Toronto Villa]

What's really annoying about the PPG calculations is that had we actually turned up against Leicester in that final game and picked up a point, rather than roll over for them we'd be safe in a PPG basis, no matter how you cut it.

Ultimately, whilst it would be a ridiculous way to get relegated, if we do end up going down it's difficult to see how we could blame anyone else.

I’d like to blame VAR a bit.

And having 10 games left, 6 at home.

Our six home games include Wolves, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal. I'd have some sympathy for the home Vs away game argument if we had an easy run in, but the reality is that we've played all the shit teams at home and we've still only got the 17th best home record in the division.

We can't kid ourselves - if we stay up because of this we'll have been extremely lucky. If we go down, as silly as all the suggestions being made about how that's decided are, we'll only have ourselves to blame for being in this position in the first place.

I was thinking that the other day. For all this “have to remember 6/10 games are at home” argument it’s not like we’ve been great against anyone at Villa Park. Quite frankly overall we’ve been fucking mince against most teams and the games we actually played really well in we royally fucked up. Toss in all of the games we had a man advantage and threw away. As shit as it would be if we went down like you say it wouldn’t be entirely unfair.

[Gareth]

I can imagine all the other teams in the bottom 6 are all equally writing off their chances of staying up if the games are played - if and when the season restarts we are in a 9/10 game season with absolutely no idea how our team or opponents are motivation wise - we have at least one of our better players back so I fit one will be backing us to stay up.

[Dave P]

If we complete the season on the pitch, even at neutral venues, and still finish bottom 3, we deserve to go down. What I won’t accept is getting relegated by PPG. If the season cannot be completed, they have to void relegation. Simple as that.

[David_Nab]

Dynamo Dresden have 2 cases , 14 day quarantine for the whole squad

[PaulWinch again]

If we complete the season on the pitch, even at neutral venues, and still finish bottom 3, we deserve to go down. What I won’t accept is getting relegated by PPG. If the season cannot be completed, they have to void relegation. Simple as that.

See I just don’t see that on the playing side. It is materially unfair to play one less game in front of your home fans than everyone else around you. Don’t get me wrong we’ve played poorly, but we’re hardly cut adrift.

[SamTheMouse]

We only deserve to go down once it's mathematically impossible for us to survive.

Anything else can fuck right off.

[aj2k77]

I take that we've been shit. There's no denying. We are only 3 points off 15th with a game in hand though. It only takes one result and you are out of there. It's way too close. If we had played the same amount of games as everyone else, I'd be more accepting of it but there's no way I'd accept it having played one less match. PPG, no thanks, there's been more shock results this season than I care to remember, our one game in hand is Home to Sheff Utd.

It would hardly be the biggest shock in the world for us to win it. It must be played at Villa Park, with 3 subs, VAR and a crowd, like the rest of the season, if it can't be I'm afraid it's null and void and the standings don't stand up to scrutiny.

[Legion]

Nothing can legislate for results like Watford 3 Liverpool 0.

[Richard]

We only deserve to go down once it's mathematically impossible for us to survive.

Anything else can fuck right off.

Well said !

[Toronto Villa]

Nothing can legislate for results like Watford 3 Liverpool 0.

No that was an anomaly. But then again we had plenty of chances to pull off excellent results against the top sides and blew every single of them.

[Toronto Villa]

I see that Dynamo Dresden have two new cases of Covid-19 and now will go into 14 day quarantine. They were due to get back to action next weekend. And that is exactly what would happen everywhere they try to restart playing at this time.