League Suspended

[BigAl]

Starting with tonight's game at Fir Park

Suspect we have seen our last game this season

[Elgindon]

Just coming down a hill as we speak,before I was going to head to for park.Spose I'll head up another one

[rocket_scientist]

Yeah it's fucking shite. Apparently it is the right decision but I need fitba and golf. Can't understand why they decided to cancel The Players. They decided no fans for today and the weekend but now they've scrapped it totally. Bastards didn't want Hideki to embarrass all their superstar duds. I've got less matches to bet on and need to cash out almost all of my bets, and they were all going to win too. At least my drink tracker app will look better now that the big Friday night sesh ain't happening. Not that it would've been bigger than last Friday when King Joey gave me and 4 others a lift to the next pub and I eventually got home at 3 a.m. Cunts.

[Slim]

If the season can't be completed, not fair to leave the league table as it stands because not all teams have played the same amount of games.

 

Best void all results and revert the league table back to how it was before any games were played 

[tom_widdows]

Opportunity to switch to summer football.

 

Restart the season in September/ October and have the scottish cup final on St Andrews day.

 

New season starts in March 2020

 

Doesnt answer the question of european places but who knows if that will happen next season?

[Ten Caat]

Opportunity to switch to summer football.

 

Restart the season in September/ October and have the scottish cup final on St Andrews day.

 

New season starts in March 2020

 

Doesnt answer the question of european places but who knows if that will happen next season?

 

 

If extending the season into June turns out not to be viable then I'd propose finishing this season off in July (if poss)/August/Sept. Scrap the League Cup for 1 season. European places for next season to be given to the sides in the qualifying positions on the final cut off date, should the season not have been completed.

[LA-Don]

I’m assuming the euros will be cancelled/moved to 2021 and leagues will just be delayed. Could be a good experiment for Scottish football, see how fans take to summer football.

[Ten Caat]

But the more you think about extending into summer the more problems you encounter. Contracts generally run out at some point between the end of May and the end of June. There will already be players who have signed pre-contracts with other clubs. If we took the league into June....their contract might already have run out. I'm sure the SPFL/SFA would find a way of extending their registrations if necessary. But the player himself might not be so keen....what if he picked up an injury (especially a Durrant or the like) prior to his new teams contract kicking in? He could be left high and dry so therefore won't be all  that keen to play at all in an extended season.

 

Summer football I think will happen eventually. But it becomes a mess if some countries move over but others retain the status quo....it would horrendously affect European football. So it'll only happen when the majority, if not all countries decide to do so. It works fine stand-alone in Ireland at present purely because their clubs only are of the qualifying rounds standard, played at a time when their league is in full swing.

[RicoS321]

It really doesn't matter if we want summer fitba. There are two teams that can and will prevent it.

 

A lot of clubs may struggle to make it to the start of the new season (please make it the huns).

[dons8321]

I suppose they could restart the league at the beginning of May behind closed doors and only play the pre-split games and that's the league and Euro places sorted; one team up and one down and no play-offs.  Then we play our semi final on the 3rd weekend and the final the week after.

[wee toon red]

I see one club is calling for the season to be declared null and void but for prize money to be paid on current positions. I wonder who on earth that could be 

[RicoS321]

I see one club is calling for the season to be declared null and void but for prize money to be paid on current positions. I wonder who on earth that could be 

 

There is only one club in Scotland who could anonymously make that call and have that anonymity respected. If it was Hamilton, for example, they'd just say it was them.

 

Anyway, there should actually be a pay out (or the offer of a payout) based on the top/bottom six split. Basically, pay those that can finish in the bottom six the payment for finishing bottom, and those guaranteed to finish top six the payment for finishing sixth (not us unfortunately but Motherwell are guaranteed top 6). Or they could make a payment based on lowest possible finish, but given that Hearts could still overtake us - by winning all remaining fixtures and us losing all our - that approach would probably be pointless. The bottom placed payment might give a brief bit of relief for struggling clubs.

[rocket_scientist]

Discussion on The Nine on BBC Scotland just now including Gordon the Moron, ex hun and administrator.

 

Why don't any of them THINK?

 

It all depends on when football resumes. You can't make a decision now.

 

If football comes back late summer, you play out this season, crown the winner, relegate etc. and immediately start next season but on a reduced scale. For the SPFL, play 11 games before a split and then a further 5. If football can't start until towards the end of the calendar year, play out this season then have an 11 game season next year.

 

A good football administration would set out contingencies based on the one and only unknown which is the timing of restarting, on a month by month basis. Then build next season based on the amount of games that can be played from after this season can be resumed and concluded until the middle of May 2021.

 

It's not fucking difficult and this is the ONLY solution. So tell everyone already, starting with UEFA's direction. They need to earn the big bucks. It's a simple fix.

[rocket_scientist]

When most clubs in the EPL have played more than 75% of their fixtures and most clubs in Scotland have played almost 80% of their fixtures, there's no debate about the possibility that the current season can be made void. It can't.

 

Some may argue that we could finish the season now, based on current positions (on a points per played basis naturally) but that makes no sense either. Why make this season less important than the next one? We've come too far not to finish this season. The timing of the resumption determines what the next season (and possibly the one after that as well) looks like.

[RicoS321]

Maybe. What if Motherwell lose 5 players out of contract and we gain 5? We could potentially be finishing this season with an entirely different team to that which we started (or at least after the winter break). I'm in general agreement that we should finish the season, but I think voiding would be the right call if we go into October time with no movement. It'll forever be known as the tainted title otherwise, probably correctly. Obviously, that would face legal challenges from several clubs, fans who didn't get their season ticket's worth and the broadcaster so it would never happen, but I'm just talking from an integrity perspective. Money aside, I think voiding would be the right thing to do if a huge delay occurs.

 

Also, I've always assumed that the hun will tail off and disperse (back to their early 80s crowds, and then bust) if the Tim won 10 in a row and I was sort of hoping that might occur. I think if Celtic are given the title or even if it resumes with vastly different squads then it gives them that glimmer of argument that the Tims cheated or some shite and they might keep returning. If they don't go bust waiting for the season ticket money, I think they come out of this quite well either way. Cunts.

[rocket_scientist]

Void = scrapping, like it never happened.

 

Finishing the season = either playing out the remaining fixtures (which I advocate), or making the decision to terminate the remaining fixtures and handing out the prizes based on fixtures already played.

 

So there's only three possible outcomes.

 

Armed with these basic facts, we might want to use these to frame our position.

 

Void can't happen for me because we are too far down the line. Handing out the prizes now can't happen now because the future is invisible i.e. we don't know when football will resume.

 

If UEFA are professionally competent, they will take the lead on this, assuming they have persons in office capable of making good decisions based on critical thinking basics. Another big reason why I feel we have no option but to pick up this season and finish it are the various cup competitions, including the ones they administer, which includes arguably the biggest and most prestigious club cup competition in the world.

 

The next season or two can make room for the conclusion of this one. It can't be any other way.

 

Edit: and of course if it is determined that this season will be concluded, there is no transfer window before the end.

 

 

[Ten Caat]

Voiding the season after close to 80% of the season has been completed is every bit as lacking sporting integrity as crowning a champion and relegating the bottom club. My preference would be to finish this season if at all possible but I'd put a definite time limit on doing so....probably completing by October 31 (I would push the Scottish Cup Final as late as December to let it complete if necessary, but semis and all league matches to be finished by 31/10). The issue of possibly having new players signed in the summer with others having left is insurmountable and just too bad.

 

If it became apparent that this couldn't be achieved...and at the absolute latest a resumption would need to be underway by September 20th give or take a couple of days......then I'd reluctantly settle for taking average points per game achieved to settle final positions. Which would obviously confirm Celtic as champions and send Hearts down the gurgler. And have sevco crying for years. Fuck 'em….

 

Obviously it follows that next season would also have be foreshortened given that there would be no wriggle room at the end of the season with the Euros having been moved to next June. No League Cup and no January break should be announced, with a league programme of 22 matches followed by the split with every team facing each other home and away post split giving a 32 match league. Guarantees an even split of home and away matches.

[rocket_scientist]

What's the point of putting a definite time limit on it?

 

Why? What's the rush? What do you know that we don't?

[RicoS321]

What's the point of putting a definite time limit on it?

 

Why? What's the rush? What do you know that we don't?

 

I'd have thought that because players contracts will run out in June and, unless the SFA offer a bail out for those players' salaries, they will be let go in due course. Unless, they've got something written in that covers for a season extension, which I suppose they might have. You could be talking completely different squads by September/October time unless the players have been given a guarantee of when games will be re-started by the time their contracts expire. All things considered, Hibs would be significantly more likely to be able to hold a squad together for several months than Livingston (and probably Motherwell) and thus will likely finish ahead of them. Several clubs might not even survive months without gate or season ticket receipts. I'd have thought that greater time that passes, the less likely a club's playing staff will resemble that which started the season/post-winter-break.

 

To be honest, if there is a big layoff, then it can really only be a farce whichever way it goes (and I hope/think that it will be completed).

[rocket_scientist]

If there's no football, other clubs won't be bidding for their services.

 

Whilst there is no football, clubs aren't making any money and you're right, some will go to the wall.

 

Instead of coming out with we want the seasons ended by 30th June, which UEFA have, without possibly knowing if this is possible or not yet, they need to take the lead. The only proper position is that the current season needs to be completed and depending on when that might be, these are the possible implications for 20/21 and even 21/22 as well.

 

Until they know when it's possible to restart, date-specificity is impossible.

[Slim]

I think the "least worst" scenario would be to complete the pre-split games and finish it there, if no improvement in the situation by end of April, play the games behind closed doors. Avoids issues with contracts and transfer windows and at least gives everyone closure for a couple of months.

 

I don't envy the people that need to make the decision.

 

 

[tlg1903]

There's literally no answer to this that isn't shit. 

[TheDeeDon]

I see Hearts are looking to cut salaries by 50% across the club, money must be tight as I have been contacted by the ticket office everyday for the past week and even got an email from a lass who is my contact for renewal which I have never had before.  I have to shift seats as ours cannot be renewed due to the red shed going into to Merkland.

 

Wasn't going to renew as so bored with what I have seen on the pitch for the past two seasons and have no idea how my own job is going to pan out due to current conditions, so shelling out £800 for 3 tickets doesn't seem right somehow.

 

It's all a bit of a mess.

 

 

[Ten Caat]

Supposedly Motherwell, St Johnstone and St Mirren are also in real trouble. Opens a whole can of worms if any of them are forced into administration and the SPFL try to finish off this season at all costs. Would they still apply the statutory points deduction despite circumstances being totally unique? If they did it would seem pretty harsh to me, especially if it happened from July onwards when we should really be into the new season.

 

Sevco's financial model predicates on them almost selling out on season tickets and getting the cash in early. If this stretches out for any length of time I wonder how many huns will shell out under blind faith that they can actually attend the amount of games that makes a season book a worthwhile investment?

 

Further down the leagues, Partick and Raith are struggling, asking fans for donations. Both famous old names in Scottish football, would be horrendous if they (or anyone other than sevco tbh) went to the wall.

[tom_widdows]

Brora just been awarded the Highland League title with 6 games left of their season

They had a 13 point lead over 2nd placed Inverurie who only had 4 games left so couldnt catch them

HOWEVER

they had a 17 point lead over 3rd place Fraserburgh who had 9 games left,

and a 19 point lead over 4th & 5th placed Rothes (also 9 games left) and Buckie (8 games left)

 

Personally don't agree with it but if it helps the clubs then so be it. Consensus Ive gotten is many of the Highland league clubs want to win the title but have no great desire to win the playoffs to get into the SPFL so maybe that had an influence on the decision?

 

Also rumours of league reconstruction which might remove the need for playoffs