Coronavirus in sport

Not that controversial really but inevitably will end up in a fight because it's Rangers and Celtic.

Celtic were miles clear at the top and highly unlikely to be caught by Rangers.

Hearts were 4 points off at the bottom and form guide hardly suggests they were on the march 5 points from the last 18 the team above them had taken 8 points from 18.

No idea what the remaining fixtures looked like.
 
Rangers still had Celtic twice though. So 13 becomes 7 and it’s not so much miles clear. Though I’m sure most will concede it was probably too much of a gap to bridge!
 
Assuming Rangers would win the game in hand that's 10 points to overcome in 8 games against a team that has dropped 10 points in 30 games this season.

Even the most die hard blinkered Rangers fans knew they needed a miracle to stop Celtic as the goal difference is miles in Celtic's favour too.
 
www.bbc.co.uk

Surprise inspections planned for clubs

Clubs can expect surprise inspections during training as they prepare for the resumption of the Premier League under new safety guidelines.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Stage One approved premier league players to train in groups of up to 5 no use of changing facilities or canteen you turn up train and go home.

Article suggest the 12th June is no longer a viable start date but it's the first step of many so guessing new date will be 26th June so would likely finish the league season end of August.

In terms of the EFL my guess is League One will be cancelled this week in the same way league two was and the championship will be looking at the cost of the testing to the PL clubs before deciding if they can afford to go ahead.

Still no word on FA Cup plans but my guess is that competition is dead in the water.
 
IDFD said:
Celtic crowned Champions. Hearts relegated. Scottish league called as is.
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Does anybody really give a toss? I don't think the Scottish game will ever become a decent enough spectacle again within my lifetime to reignite my interest. So if a Scot says that god knows what others think.
As they would say in Glasgow. It's pure pish!
 
jsp said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Project Restart to move a step closer

Premier League clubs hope to give their players the go-ahead to return to training in small groups this week.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Clubs to vote today over plans to resume group training in England under strict medical protocols which limit groups to 5 people this sounds similar to what they did in Germany. Needs approval from 14 of 20 clubs to pass the vote isn't about resuming games it's only about resuming training. The issue of neutral venues apparently needs more time with the police to get them to back down and allow clubs to play the games in home grounds.

Players have not yet agreed to the proposal and report is no player will be forced to resume training they have been asked to sign a waiver by clubs which is being reviewed by PFA. I'm guessing if they have any sort of personal life insurance they'd probably want to make sure they haven't voided that by going back to work.

Players reported to clubs over the weekend for a coronavirus test which clubs have arranged through a private company these results should be back today that will tell them if any players are currently carrying the virus. They have an agreement in place for on going testing which clubs will be paying for.

No update yet on out of contract players/loan deals that expire at end of June my guess is it'll be a case of leaving that to clubs to sort themselves if you can't do a short term deal then the deal expires and you can't use the player. New signings or players returning from loans surely won't be allowed to play.

A few players/managers have spoken out over the weekend mainly saying they're still a bit in the dark in terms of details but if it's safe to go back then they'll go back the general vibe is they feel June 12th is to soon to start games might get pushed back to end of June.

UEFA have said over the weekend they want to complete this years CL & EL in August I believe leagues have to tell UEFA by end of this week if they're going to finish games or not in terms of qualification for next seasons competitions.

Feels like the momentum is gathering towards a restart a few hurdles still left to clear but it sounds like they're pushing to finish this season and delay the start of next season.
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We know, we get the news here as well. Lovely punctuality though, did the missus sit next to you when you wrote this post :);)
 
Shoot said:
Does anybody really give a toss? I don't think the Scottish game will ever become a decent enough spectacle again within my lifetime to reignite my interest. So if a Scot says that god knows what others think.
As they would say in Glasgow. It's pure pish!
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I guess Hearts players and fans care a little.
 
jsp said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Surprise inspections planned for clubs

Clubs can expect surprise inspections during training as they prepare for the resumption of the Premier League under new safety guidelines.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Stage One approved premier league players to train in groups of up to 5 no use of changing facilities or canteen you turn up train and go home.

Article suggest the 12th June is no longer a viable start date but it's the first step of many so guessing new date will be 26th June so would likely finish the league season end of August.

In terms of the EFL my guess is League One will be cancelled this week in the same way league two was and the championship will be looking at the cost of the testing to the PL clubs before deciding if they can afford to go ahead.

Still no word on FA Cup plans but my guess is that competition is dead in the water.
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I cant for the life of me think why they would not finish the FA Cup if they are to finish the premier League
 
Shoot said:
We know, we get the news here as well. Lovely punctuality though, did the missus sit next to you when you wrote this post :);)
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I suppose since the buckfast ran out a few weeks ago your lot have had time to watch the news.

Yeah I got 1 star on the reward board if I get to 5 get to take the class pet home for the weekend.
 
Shoot said:
Does anybody really give a toss? I don't think the Scottish game will ever become a decent enough spectacle again within my lifetime to reignite my interest. So if a Scot says that god knows what others think.
As they would say in Glasgow. It's pure pish!
Click to expand...

Rangers seemed to be closing the gap slowly on Celtic but they've got no chance really and half decent player moves south for the money. Didn't Salford sign a player from Aberdeen to play in League Two? I know they've chucked a lot of money around but Aberdeen are a decent Scottish side and they can't even match league two wages?
 
jsp said:
I suppose since the buckfast ran out a few weeks ago your lot have had time to watch the news.

Yeah I got 1 star on the reward board if I get to 5 get to take the class pet home for the weekend.
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I have yet to see Buckfast in Hertfordshire, and if I did I would turn my nose up at it in favour of the now widely available Punk IPA or Elvis Juice.
 
Troy Deeney becomes the first footballer to refuse to go back. 5 month old kid with respiratory issues.

Wonder if now we’ll see quite a few follow once there’s been a first.
 
Big statement from Troy and good luck to any man who stands up to him and tells him he's being stupid.

Big problem for Watford facing a relegation battle without your talisman striker and captain.

The PFA will surely be looking to speak to it's members to find out what the feeling is amongst them how many players have at risk family members in the household etc.

You'd think this sort of stuff would have been done in the 2 months we've been without football.
 
Six positive tests across three clubs. Guessing this includes the Brighton players already mentioned but it doesn’t specify whether they are players or staff.
 
I assume those who test positive will be kept away from group sessions.

I know in Germany part of the testing is if you test positive you have to return two negative tests before being allowed to return to work which makes sense I guess.
 
SuperRash said:
Six positive tests across three clubs. Guessing this includes the Brighton players already mentioned but it doesn’t specify whether they are players or staff.
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I read it was six players tested positive. But we can afford to lose 6. Let's say it's only Salah, DeBruyne, Aguero, Bruno, Pogba, and Kane. Get back to work you lazy bastards! I can't help but thinking that if the 6 players were marquee names the Project Restart would shut down immediately, but the owners are probably assessing which tier these players fall in.
 
Cosmic Slop said:
I read it was six players tested positive. But we can afford to lose 6. Let's say it's only Salah, DeBruyne, Aguero, Bruno, Pogba, and Kane. Get back to work you lazy bastards! I can't help but thinking that if the 6 players were marquee names the Project Restart would shut down immediately, but the owners are probably assessing which tier these players fall in.
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It is 6 positive tests between players and club staff.
 
jsp said:
Big statement from Troy and good luck to any man who stands up to him and tells him he's being stupid.

Big problem for Watford facing a relegation battle without your talisman striker and captain.

The PFA will surely be looking to speak to it's members to find out what the feeling is amongst them how many players have at risk family members in the household etc.

You'd think this sort of stuff would have been done in the 2 months we've been without football.
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He is indeed entitled to make that decision. I presume he has also negotiated an appropriate decrease in pay for the period until such times he feels safe to go back.
 
So a Watford player and two staff are among the people who have tested positive. I guess this will make Troy Deeney even more reluctant to go in for training. Also the Burnley assistant manager is among the 6.

Obviously there is only a small number of people within the clubs testing positive but it’ll put a lot of players and staff on edge about returning.
 
Shoot said:
He is indeed entitled to make that decision. I presume he has also negotiated an appropriate decrease in pay for the period until such times he feels safe to go back.
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I'm sure he's aware of the repercussions no work no pay I guess. If he's looked after his money he should be more than comfortable if that means sitting out for a few months.

I would not want to be the club official who has to answer the phone when his first non playing pay cheque comes through though Troy Deeney is not a man to be messed with. Ha!
 
So from 19 clubs there's been 6 positive tests Norwich have only just tested their players/staff.

Adrian Marriapa of Watford confirmed as one of the players, two staff members at Watford also tested positive

Burnley assistant manager Ian Woan tested positive.

The two unnamed people are players both from the same club but currently they haven't revealed this information for the public.
 
I didn't read it properly, something about Kante I caught, might be just he missed training.
 
Given permission to not return to training because of Covid fears. Long running family history of heart problems
 
www.bbc.co.uk

EFL to keep promotion and relegation

Promotion and relegation will remain in the English Football League if seasons are ended amid the coronavirus crisis.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Sounds like we might see the EFL called off pretty soon.

51% of clubs in each division need to vote in favour of ending the season the final positions decided on points per game with relegation, playoffs and promotion remaining.

Not sure how I feel about clubs voting when they already know their fate as they're not voting on what is right for the league they are voting for what is right for them.

Championship
Promotion ~ Top 2 are 6 points clear of 3rd
Playoffs - Preston are 3 points clear of 5 teams below them
Relegation - 3rd bottom Charlton are within 3 points of 5 teams above them.

I think there's 8 teams unlikely to vote in favour of scrapping it 5 teams chasing playoffs and the 3 relegation teams so that's 66% in favour.

League One
Promotion - 2nd place is only 3 clear of 6th.
Playoffs - 2 teams on same points as last team Peterborough
Relegation - Bottom 2 are way behind 3rd bottom is 3 points from safety.

I think in this league 3rd to 8th would all vote to carry on so that's 6 teams, 1 relegated team votes to carry on so that is 7 out of 23 so that's 70% in favour of ending it

League Two
Promotion - 3rd place is 3 points clear of 4th
Playoffs - Northampton 1 clear of Port Vale
Relegation - Only 1 down this year and Stevenage are 3 behind.

So in League Two you'll probably get 3 teams out of 24 who'd be voting to carry on.
 
Coronavirus: Premier League 'as confident as we can be' about June return
Coronavirus: Premier League 'as confident as we can be' about June return

Think it’ll be a slow crawl monitoring the test results if the number of positive test results stay very low then they’ll increase the numbers, then allow contact training then finally resume matches.

Outside of football would be nice to see some cricket played. Even if there’s no internationals due to quarantine would be good to see the county game happen with the England boys actually playing regularly for their counties.
 
Looks like La Liga will be back on June 8th.

Yeah would be good to see some cricket soon. I imagine it’ll be early/mid July before we see any as I believe the ECB have said nothing before July 1st.
 
Yeah be good to try and get a summer country tournament of some sort going even if it’s one day games or something though July/August then see about a touring side coming over for a few matches in September if quarantine regulations have eased.

More likely they’ll go for international cricket first as it brings a bigger tv audience but the cost for a touring team would be huge.

Will miss my day out at the cricket this summer such a great atmosphere nice going to a sport where you aren’t treated like a yob.

Think all sports are just accepting there’s a risk to playing and adapting to minimising that risk as much as possible just to get some money coming in.
 
Second round of tests completed by PL clubs 2 new cases identified.
 
www.espn.co.uk

Coronavirus: WSL, Championship cancelled

The remainder of Women's Super League (WSL) and Championship seasons have been cancelled, the Football Association announced on Monday.
www.espn.co.uk www.espn.co.uk

Women’s season cancelled as not financially viable to continue.

Premier League teams given government permission to begin contact training sessions but still some restrictions on numbers so we are now at step 2.
 
IDFD said:
I’m honestly not sure if you’re naive or obtuse.
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@IDFD The above was your response to me for saying I believed the country would be much busier and coming out of lockdown by the end of May and football would likely return in June
Shoot said:
I shall remind you of this at the end of the month
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So, as promised, I am reminding you as we approach the end of the month. Well, when I have visited my high st over the last few days it appears to be at around 70% as busy as it was prior to lockdown both in people and traffic on the road. People busying themselves shopping in the garden centre, M&S, the local bakeries etc.
When I visit our area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for my hike all the car park areas that were previously closed are now open and chocablok with cars, there are ice cream vans a plenty doing roaring trade and folk milling around all over the place and sunbathing. I have never seen the place even close to this busy in the 10 years i have been going there. What I see now is a million miles away from what I was seeing prior to lockdown easement.
Lots of people have returned to work and it is now even more likelier that football will return in June.

So, please be assured that it was actually your own naivety that led you to believe the world would wrap itself up in cotton wool until the virus disappeared, failing to recognise that the economy is king amidst your seeming belief that we would be in lockdown possibly as long as the end of the year.
You can give yourself some credit in the fact you were not on your own here with such misguided perception.
 
Shoot said:
@IDFD The above was your response to me for saying I believed the country would be much busier and coming out of lockdown by the end of May and football would likely return in June

So, as promised, I am reminding you as we approach the end of the month. Well, when I have visited my high st over the last few days it appears to be at around 70% as busy as it was prior to lockdown both in people and traffic on the road. People busying themselves shopping in the garden centre, M&S, the local bakeries etc.
When I visit our area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for my hike all the car park areas that were previously closed are now open and chocablok with cars, there are ice cream vans a plenty doing roaring trade and folk milling around all over the place and sunbathing. I have never seen the place even close to this busy in the 10 years i have been going there. What I see now is a million miles away from what I was seeing prior to lockdown easement.
Lots of people have returned to work and it is now even more likelier that football will return in June.

So, please be assured that it was actually your own naivety that led you to believe the world would wrap itself up in cotton wool until the virus disappeared, failing to recognise that the economy is king amidst your seeming belief that we would be in lockdown possibly as long as the end of the year.
You can give yourself some credit in the fact you were not on your own here with such misguided perception.
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Were you patting yourself on the back as you wrote that post? Because if you weren’t then you should have been.
 
I had no doubt the country would come out of lockdown. However I do think it will spur a second wave. And I still think this is going nowhere until there is a vaccine.

I also think things like football should not come back, but shops have to open.

went out here this week, all shops you need a mask, use the provided hand wash on the way in and they have limited numbers.

I'm off to see my specialist next week, I am interested to see what the hospital will be like.
 

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