The Prem and Championship

[Workingman]

Strong rumours that both could finish their leagues behind closed doors starting in June.

From a purely footballing angle that is probably the way to go otherwise there would have been all sorts of convoluted methods of awarding titles, promotion and relegation and play-offs. There would almost certainly have been legal challenges to any outcomes.

However, what does it say for other team sports such as cricket, both rugby codes, basketball etc.?

[TheOstrich]

Yes, I think they have announced Manchester City vs Arsenal and one other fixture on June 17th (don't treat as gospel and certainly don't buy a ticket). I haven't read anything more about it, nor about the Championship.

From a purely footballing angle that is probably the way to go otherwise there would have been all sorts of convoluted methods of awarding titles, promotion and relegation and play-offs.

Rugby Union has had no such inhibitions! The only uncertainty is whether the clubs who want to finish off the Gallaghers Premiership will get their way, but nothing is yet writ in stone. All a bit pointless in a way, as Saracens were formally relegated and Newcastle promoted to the Premiership.
The Championship, AIUI, will not be completed; Richmond have been promoted into it for next season and the ailing Yorkshire Carnegie relegated to National League 1. Yorkshire Carnegie appear to have renamed themselves Leeds for some reason.
Following on from that, the 2020/21 consists for National League 1 and National Leagues 2N and 2S have now been firmed up and published online.

Further down the food chain, the South West Rugby Pyramid has now finalized the make up of its divisions for 2020/21, after all the usual horse-trading and sideways movements, and is busily compiling a fixture list. The mandarins seem confident the new season will get under way in September. Hinckley RFC have this year drawn the short straw and been dumped in the South West structure which, at the current rate of progress north-eastwards, will be encompassing Sheffield before too long! I am happily updating my spreadsheets for next year - there are at least two new clubs entering the fray, and one that folded last year has resurrected itself.

On the soccer front locally, there has just been a deathly silence, which is about par for the course.

One interesting point is that for all this talk about 50 - 60 professional soccer clubs going bust - none have yet!

[miasmum]

Its Aston Villa v Sheffield Utd Ossie.

[Workingman]

My neighbour works for Leeds United and he claims that if the league goes to unweighted points per game then Leeds and W. Brom will be promoted.

The next four will still hold play-offs but under one game knock-out rules and at neutral grounds as there will be no spectators. So, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 .... winners of each play to decide who gets promoted.

[TheOstrich]

My neighbour works for Leeds United and he claims that if the league goes to unweighted points per game then Leeds and W. Brom will be promoted.
The next four will still hold play-offs but under one game knock-out rules and at neutral grounds as there will be no spectators. So, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 .... winners of each play to decide who gets promoted.

I think I read backalong when lockdown came in that they still anticipated playing the play-offs, despite the season being declared null and void, but I'm unsure what criteria that was based on or what the current thinking now is. It was all very much early-days conjecture back then.

In contrast, Rugby Union had it all done and dusted from the start. Where promotion / relegation involved play-offs, for example 3 relegated, and 2 league winners + a play-off winner between the two 2nd place teams promoted, they just used their concocted final table figures. There was some weird science behind the concocted figures, which for some reason went to 2 decimal places, but I think it baffled most rational people.

So, for example, with Barnstaple and Rochford Hundred, as league winners of the SW Premier and London & SE Premier Leagues, being promoted up to National League 2 South, the playoff would have been between second placers Weston-super-Mare and Guernsey. Guernsey's 115.82 calculated league points easily trumped Weston's 73.47, so the Channel Islands team got the nod.

All very simple really. And no appeals to Twickenham Towers tolerated!

I have no idea what's happening with the summer Rugby League competitions, or even county cricket Might there be some sort of truncated season July to October?

[Workingman]

Apparently it is a games played divided by points won system and does not take into account an easier or tougher end to the season based on the teams yet to play - home or away.

Bristol City might well feel aggrieved as their next home game was against Pretson North End, only one point above and in last place in the play-off places. Millwall and Cardiff, both at home to relegation threatened teams might also like to complain.

In the Prem, Bournemouth, Villa and Norwich would go down. And Villa, with a home game to play with and overtake West Ham, would be mightily aggrieved.

[cromwell]

Are they going to play nine games in twenty seven days or something? i can see a load of injuries if that is the case.
Typical Leeds luck though; top of the table and all looking good for promotion and then this. If we don't go up loads of people are going to be very upset.

[cromwell]

And we're back.
And the teams take a knee. They've just upset a lot of people by doing that.

[TheOstrich]

They've just upset a lot of people by doing that.

I walked out on the BBC News headlines as soon as I saw they were going to feature that "take the knee" to promote the BLM movement.

This campaign is now getting so much "in-yer-face" that it will inevitably polarise people into one of two camps, and it will ultimately do race relations in this country far more harm than good, IMHO.

Just sayin' .....

[cromwell]

This campaign is now getting so much "in-yer-face" that it will inevitably polarise people into one of two camps, and it will ultimately do race relations in this country far more harm than good, IMHO.

My thoughts exactly.
Plus, now that the FA have broken their own rules by allowing player's shirts to carry a slogan promoting a political pressure group, what next?
Next season Trans Rights Matter on the back of a shirt? Gay rights matter? Stick to the speed limit, you know it makes sense? Support Our NHS?

I thought this was coming years since when politicians started lying about what big football fans they were. Football is too big and popular to escape their attention and was inevitably going to be used to push their own agendas, if possible.

Be interesting to see if Sky and BT sport packages will be up or down next year. If the players are going to be used to push the views of vociferous pressure groups my BT package isn't going to be renewed. Black lives matter and the guilt ridden white liberal middle classes can get their hands in their pockets.