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

[Three Spires Villa]

They cant stop games because of the fixture pile up, but a UEEFA Conference league or whatever its called is ok?

[ChicagoLion]

It does all make for a very awkward dilemma for many people. Of course we want to go to football on Boxing Day, but with numbers heading the way they are, many will have a tough call to make. I appreciate that the simple answer is ‘don’t go if you’re unsure’, but it’s not as easy as that is it?! Personally, I’d prefer the League to pull the games or make them close door games - either would be the right thing to do in my opinion.

I don’t want to live in a country where the Government decide everything, there comes a point when individuals need to take responsibility for themselves.
There is enough information to enable you to make an informed decision and as you say if you are unsure......

I broadly agree with your first point. My issue is that there appears to be a growing number of people who will happily jeopardise everyone else whilst doing what they want.

I know and that is part of the risk assessment, the frustration is that there is zero enforcement of the rules regarding face masks for example.
If there was then I am sure people would feel much more confident about getting on public transport.

[amfy]

It does all make for a very awkward dilemma for many people. Of course we want to go to football on Boxing Day, but with numbers heading the way they are, many will have a tough call to make. I appreciate that the simple answer is ‘don’t go if you’re unsure’, but it’s not as easy as that is it?! Personally, I’d prefer the League to pull the games or make them close door games - either would be the right thing to do in my opinion.

I don’t want to live in a country where the Government decide everything, there comes a point when individuals need to take responsibility for themselves.
There is enough information to enable you to make an informed decision and as you say if you are unsure......

I know it’s ‘only money’ against a potentially significant health risk, but many people have paid £40/£50 each for several tickets which they won’t get back if the game is on.

It does become a factor for people. I hate to say it, but it was a factor in my decision to come down to Brum on Saturday that I’d spent about £170 on gig tickets and a hotel.

Also - things being on does send a message that it’s OK. Many people do make their own minds up that it’s not OK, but it is understandable for many people to think ‘If it wasn’t safe they’d call it off’.

[Risso]

There's no national lockdown and the venues are all open, so if after doing what I've been asked to in getting two vaccines, a booster, wearing a mask and disinfecting my hands several times etc etc etc, then if the football is on, I'll be going.

[sickbeggar]

Individual choice init. Personally I haven't had COVID as far as know but I did get Flu about 5 years back and after losing about 3 stone in weight and still suffering the effects 6 months later, I have no desire to go through that again. Being vaxed-up and not dying is one thing, being ill for weeks is another.

[Ad@m]

It does all make for a very awkward dilemma for many people. Of course we want to go to football on Boxing Day, but with numbers heading the way they are, many will have a tough call to make. I appreciate that the simple answer is ‘don’t go if you’re unsure’, but it’s not as easy as that is it?! Personally, I’d prefer the League to pull the games or make them close door games - either would be the right thing to do in my opinion.

I don’t want to live in a country where the Government decide everything, there comes a point when individuals need to take responsibility for themselves.
There is enough information to enable you to make an informed decision and as you say if you are unsure......

I know it’s ‘only money’ against a potentially significant health risk, but many people have paid £40/£50 each for several tickets which they won’t get back if the game is on.

It does become a factor for people. I hate to say it, but it was a factor in my decision to come down to Brum on Saturday that I’d spent about £170 on gig tickets and a hotel.

Also - things being on does send a message that it’s OK. Many people do make their own minds up that it’s not OK, but it is understandable for many people to think ‘If it wasn’t safe they’d call it off’.

This is the thing for me aswell.

All things being equal, I obviously want to go on Boxing Day.  I've got a season ticket so I've paid for it.  But on the flip side, covid is so rife and people are generally such knob-heads, the risk of catching covid is huge, despite the fact I'm double-jabbed and boosted.  If I catch it, there's much more chance of spreading it to my massively at risk family members.

So CL's view of life is that I need to choose - chuck my money away or run the risk of killing my family members.  What a fucking choice.

Instead, where it comes down to public health, a competent government would mandate the simple things which would keep most people safe.  But they won't and as a result, people will act like dicks.  In as much as there's personal choice over the risk to take, there should be personal responsibility over keeping that risk to everyone as low as possible.

So I'm left crossing my fingers that someone somewhere make the decision for me so I don't have to choose.  The Premier League have chosen money over safety, so I'm left with the government making a decision or the Villa convincing the Premier League we can't get a team out.  But yesterday's Premier League meeting seems to have made that much less likely.

Overall, I'm not hopeful.

[Smithy]

I'm guessing the "13 players and a goalie and the game can go ahead" is a new benchmark for cancellations? i.e. we had enough players out to cancel the Burnely game, and those same players will obviously still be out against Chelsea, but the game CAN still be played with what we have left?  Assuming no more cases of course?

[sickbeggar]

It's a daft rule. For example, do you select a player who's just recovered from COVID? Clubs have had to, but just because you're now negative and "fit" to play, doesn't mean you've recovered or 100%. What happens if you've recovered from delta and then pick up omicron in the dressing room because you've had to wait for your booster?

[amfy]

It's a daft rule. For example, do you select a player who's just recovered from COVID? Clubs have had to, but just because you're now negative and "fit" to play, doesn't mean you've recovered or 100%. What happens if you've recovered from delta and then pick up omicron in the dressing room because you've had to wait for your booster?

I’d guess that is the same as recovery from any other injury. They aren’t saying you can only count your covid isolations, they are asking if you can put a team out.

[Drummond]

It's a daft rule. For example, do you select a player who's just recovered from COVID? Clubs have had to, but just because you're now negative and "fit" to play, doesn't mean you've recovered or 100%. What happens if you've recovered from delta and then pick up omicron in the dressing room because you've had to wait for your booster?

If they are recovered to being fit, then yes they should play. However, if they aren't, I'm pretty sure the doc would sign a note to say they aren't yet fit.

[ChicagoLion]

If it came losing money or risking my family then then that is an easy decision.
The only way this gets resolved, is if the club offers refunds for games that ticket holders decide not to attend because of Covid.
Surely you should write to Pouslow.

[sickbeggar]

It's a daft rule. For example, do you select a player who's just recovered from COVID? Clubs have had to, but just because you're now negative and "fit" to play, doesn't mean you've recovered or 100%. What happens if you've recovered from delta and then pick up omicron in the dressing room because you've had to wait for your booster?

I’d guess that is the same as recovery from any other injury. They aren’t saying you can only count your covid isolations, they are asking if you can put a team out.

yeah but who decides that?

"yes we have player A who's now negative from COVID. He's been ill for 3 weeks and hasn't trained but could possibly go on the bench but wouldn't last 30 minutes"


The reality is he wouldn't be risked normally.

[Ad@m]

If it came losing money or risking my family then then that is an easy decision.
The only way this gets resolved, is if the club offers refunds for games that ticket holders decide not to attend because of Covid.
Surely you should write to Pouslow.

And how do you think that pans out?

Don't be so naive.  I'm all for personal responsibility where the risk is only to you.  But this is a public health matter so personal responsibility to everyone else is more important, and as one of about 3 people I saw wearing a mask at the last home game it's clear there's almost zero personal responsibility where anyone else is concerned.

Covid's going nowhere.  So following your logic, I'm meant to give up my season ticket because knobheads can't wear a mask or get themselves vaccinated.  Is that the selfish society we should aspire to live in?

[sickbeggar]

It's a daft rule. For example, do you select a player who's just recovered from COVID? Clubs have had to, but just because you're now negative and "fit" to play, doesn't mean you've recovered or 100%. What happens if you've recovered from delta and then pick up omicron in the dressing room because you've had to wait for your booster?

If they are recovered to being fit, then yes they should play. However, if they aren't, I'm pretty sure the doc would sign a note to say they aren't yet fit.

I dunno. Wasn't that what Tuchel was complaining about. Having to stick players on the bench who had just recovered from COVID and normally wouldn't be selected?

[ChicagoLion]

If it came losing money or risking my family then then that is an easy decision.
The only way this gets resolved, is if the club offers refunds for games that ticket holders decide not to attend because of Covid.
Surely you should write to Pouslow.

And how do you think that pans out?

Don't be so naive.  I'm all for personal responsibility where the risk is only to you.  But this is a public health matter so personal responsibility to everyone else is more important, and as one of about 3 people I saw wearing a mask at the last home game it's clear there's almost zero personal responsibility where anyone else is concerned.

Covid's going nowhere.  So following your logic, I'm meant to give up my season ticket because knobheads can't wear a mask or get themselves vaccinated.  Is that the selfish society we should aspire to live in?

as I said above, the problem is enforcement of the rules, there isn’t any although I am more concerned with getting to VP than being in the stands.
Unfortunately that is the society we live in.