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Post by a more piratey game on Apr 30, 2020 12:17:15 GMT
Senior Bristol Rovers players and club management are understood to be furious after a voice note containing sensitive information regarding the future of the 2019/20 season was leaked to fans and rival players. The 4mins 16secs recording, which Bristol Live has heard, is of Rovers winger Alex Rodman - the club’s PFA representative - outlining the main points from a recent meeting between the EFL, owners, fellow professionals and Gary Neville, who has been acting as a bridge between the PFA and league bosses. The meetings are part of ongoing discussions between various EFL stakeholders to try and find a consensus as to how the 2019/20 should conclude with "player welfare" at the centre of all talks. www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/exclusive-bristol-rovers-launch-investigation-4091367
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2020 18:28:48 GMT
2019-20 season? What 2019-20 season? These people still expect terrace/stadium football again in 2020, do they? Good luck with that. If we finish the season, as I believe me must, however dull our own position is, I still think it'll be in 2021.
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LincsBlue
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Post by LincsBlue on May 1, 2020 1:08:04 GMT
This seaspn has already ended in my opinion. How it will be decided on matters of promotion and relegation is still to be decided. However, contrary to Shovelers post, 19/20 season will not be played in 2021, probably declare not playing if matches can't be completed prior to Sept. 30th.
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on May 1, 2020 3:02:00 GMT
IMO the season should just end where it is, all teams in winning / promotion places win or go up and those who are in relegation places go down, sounds tough but that is how i think it should be.
Everyone can then relax about in this case football and start next season whenever it starts.
There are bigger things to worry about right now.
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lostinspace
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Post by lostinspace on May 1, 2020 8:21:06 GMT
made the 5live sports repot this am, BRFC are to investigate how the leak occurred
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eppinggas
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Post by eppinggas on May 1, 2020 8:22:21 GMT
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eppinggas
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Post by eppinggas on May 1, 2020 8:38:43 GMT
So... Unlikely lower tier football can play behind closed doors as that would require taking valuable resources away from front-line services. Agree with that. If it's a moral issue - then I am leaning towards the PL also not playing behind closed doors. I think the lead will come from what Germany does. I have a feeling that Ms Merkel will step in and stop the DFL plans to play behind closed doors. And our Govt and PL will fall into line. So football with crowds - at any level, not until 2021. Conclusion - Finish the season now and award promotion/relegation as things stand, luckily there are no debatable issues with games in hand. Players out of contract in June - tough luck. This helps Clubs with their wage bill and simply existing. At least this deals with the 2019-2020 season. One problem solved. Then you can look at what football 'might' look like in the 2020-2021 season, and plan when that might start. Sounds like not until 2021 at the earliest. If the 20-21 season fails to start, then I dread to think how many Clubs would still be in existence.
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eppinggas
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Post by eppinggas on May 1, 2020 9:54:22 GMT
Update. German decision delayed til next week. Proposed May 9th Bundesliga start behind closed doors now off the table. www.espn.co.uk/football/german-bundesliga/story/4090747/bundesliga-return-delayed-by-german-governmentDifferent situation in Germany: "Players and staff from each club will be tested up to two times a week, an estimated total of 20,000 tests until the end of June, taking up less than 0.4% of Germany's current weekly testing capacity". The UK is a long way behind Germany in the ability to test large numbers for the virus.
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kingswood Polak
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Post by kingswood Polak on May 1, 2020 10:37:22 GMT
Update. German decision delayed til next week. Proposed May 9th Bundesliga start behind closed doors now off the table. www.espn.co.uk/football/german-bundesliga/story/4090747/bundesliga-return-delayed-by-german-governmentDifferent situation in Germany: "Players and staff from each club will be tested up to two times a week, an estimated total of 20,000 tests until the end of June, taking up less than 0.4% of Germany's current weekly testing capacity". The UK is a long way behind Germany in the ability to test large numbers for the virus. This is an horrific situation for us all and, given the latest update, it would seem we are in for a hellish time. I now can’t see any football being played until there is a vaccine. For the first time I’m feeling really quite scared and very anxious about this
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bluetornados
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Post by bluetornados on May 1, 2020 10:52:40 GMT
Update. German decision delayed til next week. Proposed May 9th Bundesliga start behind closed doors now off the table. www.espn.co.uk/football/german-bundesliga/story/4090747/bundesliga-return-delayed-by-german-governmentDifferent situation in Germany: "Players and staff from each club will be tested up to two times a week, an estimated total of 20,000 tests until the end of June, taking up less than 0.4% of Germany's current weekly testing capacity". The UK is a long way behind Germany in the ability to test large numbers for the virus. This is an horrific situation for us all and, given the latest update, it would seem we are in for a hellish time. I now can’t see any football being played until there is a vaccine. For the first time I’m feeling really quite scared and very anxious about this Hey KP, there are many many of us feeling the same way, but we have to put our trust in the medical experts on this killer virus, as long as everyone keeps to the very basic rules of safe distancing and cleanliness then we should have confidence in being safe...chin up, stay healthy all you gasheads. Football and all sports ect will have to wait like all of us do.
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Post by a more piratey game on May 1, 2020 11:09:18 GMT
This is an horrific situation for us all and, given the latest update, it would seem we are in for a hellish time. I now can’t see any football being played until there is a vaccine. For the first time I’m feeling really quite scared and very anxious about this Hey KP, there are many many of us feeling the same way, but we have to put our trust in the medical experts on this killer virus, as long as everyone keeps to the very basic rules of safe distancing and cleanliness then we should have confidence in being safe...chin up, stay healthy all you gasheads. Football and all sports ect will have to wait like all of us do. yes, what he said
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Post by manchestergas on May 1, 2020 11:30:52 GMT
Do you think Ken Masters got accidentally left in the Whatsapp group?
Joke, joke!
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Post by Curly Wurly on May 1, 2020 12:16:56 GMT
As it is in the public domain, you can listen to what Alex Rodman says here:
My over-riding thought is that Rodman is a very eloquent young man, performing his representation role very well.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on May 1, 2020 16:31:31 GMT
So... Unlikely lower tier football can play behind closed doors as that would require taking valuable resources away from front-line services. Agree with that. If it's a moral issue - then I am leaning towards the PL also not playing behind closed doors. I think the lead will come from what Germany does. I have a feeling that Ms Merkel will step in and stop the DFL plans to play behind closed doors. And our Govt and PL will fall into line. So football with crowds - at any level, not until 2021. Conclusion - Finish the season now and award promotion/relegation as things stand, luckily there are no debatable issues with games in hand. Players out of contract in June - tough luck. This helps Clubs with their wage bill and simply existing. At least this deals with the 2019-2020 season. One problem solved. Then you can look at what football 'might' look like in the 2020-2021 season, and plan when that might start. Sounds like not until 2021 at the earliest. If the 20-21 season fails to start, then I dread to think how many Clubs would still be in existence. The issue is surely with lower league football.
I've been following developments in Baseball in the States and they are confident that they will get the major league season going behind closed doors in the next 6 weeks or so and that makes sense commercially because they will make their money from TV. But the minor leagues will not play this year because they rely on gate money that won't be coming in so there's nothing for them to gain by playing.
This surely also applies to English football. You can see the Premier League coming back because they're incentivised to do so as gate money is relative peanuts compared with what they'd stand to lose if they can't fulfill the TV deal. That pressure will tell and they will surely playm although players are making noises about being uncomfortable doing that if they've going to be scapegoated. But the UK government is keen and I think it's probably a question of when not if at this stage.
But the EFL is a different deal. What value do Rovers get from playing games behind closed doors? Not much I'd have thought, particularly if they then have to extend contracts beyond June which might be the critical cut off here. If that scenario occurs it opens up a whole can of worms; where would the cut off point be? (League 1 almost certainly wouldn't play but would the Championship with their bigger TV deal?), how would you manage promotion/relegation or contracts and transfers when leagues are finishing at different times? When would lower league football realistically return? (Could be talking about wiping out 2 seasons not just 1 here) etc.
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Post by tenniscourtgas on May 1, 2020 18:30:47 GMT
Can’t see football starting at our level in any shape or form until late in the year, at least, behind close doors looks like the only likelihood. A lot of fans are going to be reluctant to get on a bus for a long time, especially if you are in the 60-70 bracket, if you are allowed out that is. There is a probability that older fans will be the last group to have restrictions lifted, and they make up a sizeable proportion of supporters, especially Rovers. The social distancing is going to be the massive problem at any stadium, never mind somewhere like the Mem. Just simple practical things, queuing for a toilet, buying a drink, something to eat, will be a nightmare, it is anyway. That’s for those who can afford to go. The playing squad could be virtually unrecognisable, what will happen to our youth players who will be the basis of our cheaper side philosophy.? Will we be able to hang onto even them? The only consolation is that a lot of other clubs will be in the same boat. Don’t know what the league will do with the likes of Bolton, are they still due another points deduction, and in which division? The loan system is based on clubs from all leagues being able to circulate players from division to division, so if League 1 and 2 is effectively mothballed for any length of time, clubs above our level will have players they can’t shift for playing time experience. Bad news for so many players trying to make their way in the game. All these seems so pessimistic to write, but maybe the scientists will come up with something to counter the whole situation in future months. Nobody can predict what football will look like twelve months from now. Still dreaming of queuing up for the 73 at 5.00 pm one Saturday after a Rovers win, turning on the radio to hear City fans on Radio Bristol slagging off Lee Johnson!
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eppinggas
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Post by eppinggas on May 2, 2020 8:40:20 GMT
So... Unlikely lower tier football can play behind closed doors as that would require taking valuable resources away from front-line services. Agree with that. If it's a moral issue - then I am leaning towards the PL also not playing behind closed doors. I think the lead will come from what Germany does. I have a feeling that Ms Merkel will step in and stop the DFL plans to play behind closed doors. And our Govt and PL will fall into line. So football with crowds - at any level, not until 2021. Conclusion - Finish the season now and award promotion/relegation as things stand, luckily there are no debatable issues with games in hand. Players out of contract in June - tough luck. This helps Clubs with their wage bill and simply existing. At least this deals with the 2019-2020 season. One problem solved. Then you can look at what football 'might' look like in the 2020-2021 season, and plan when that might start. Sounds like not until 2021 at the earliest. If the 20-21 season fails to start, then I dread to think how many Clubs would still be in existence. The issue is surely with lower league football.
I've been following developments in Baseball in the States and they are confident that they will get the major league season going behind closed doors in the next 6 weeks or so and that makes sense commercially because they will make their money from TV. But the minor leagues will not play this year because they rely on gate money that won't be coming in so there's nothing for them to gain by playing.
This surely also applies to English football. You can see the Premier League coming back because they're incentivised to do so as gate money is relative peanuts compared with what they'd stand to lose if they can't fulfill the TV deal. That pressure will tell and they will surely playm although players are making noises about being uncomfortable doing that if they've going to be scapegoated. But the UK government is keen and I think it's probably a question of when not if at this stage.
But the EFL is a different deal. What value do Rovers get from playing games behind closed doors? Not much I'd have thought, particularly if they then have to extend contracts beyond June which might be the critical cut off here. If that scenario occurs it opens up a whole can of worms; where would the cut off point be? (League 1 almost certainly wouldn't play but would the Championship with their bigger TV deal?), how would you manage promotion/relegation or contracts and transfers when leagues are finishing at different times? When would lower league football realistically return? (Could be talking about wiping out 2 seasons not just 1 here) etc.
Interesting parallels with US baseball. Finishing the season now (tier 3 & 4) means all the June contracted players are off the payroll. Part of the cash-flow problem solved. Sorry guys. Playing behind closed doors - what is the potential for pay per view revenue? Fortunately iFollow is up and running and IMHO a pretty good product. So 'normal' home game revenue guesstimate is (say) 8,000 X (say) £20 = £160,000. And probably another £25k in bar, food etc minus overheads? I'm only guessing. So £185k. Potential iFollow revenue. God knows. Anyone want to volunteer a guess? My hopeful guess would be 8,000 X £10 = £80,000. So the loss of revenue is potentially around £100k a game. On top of our 'normal' operating losses - I can't see this working for Rovers, let alone Morecambe, Crawley etc (though of course their home game revenues are much smaller than ours).
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Post by tenniscourtgas on May 2, 2020 9:48:27 GMT
Bradford have suspended the sale of season tickets for 20/21. The are not expecting any fans in grounds this calendar year, not sure how many other clubs have done this, or plan to.
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irishrover
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Post by irishrover on May 2, 2020 13:42:46 GMT
Bradford have suspended the sale of season tickets for 20/21. The are not expecting any fans in grounds this calendar year, not sure how many other clubs have done this, or plan to. Yes -if they can't do that then how can they play at all? I think this is something that has been missed in some of the discussion. Lower league football is surely stuffed if it can't get paying specators through the door. Mothballing (to the extent that is possible) until spectators come back is surely the only possible option.
I'm beginning to think that many of our discussions about return maybe completely offbeam here. If they can't fans through the door, we could be talking no lower league football until August/September 2021. As Epping points out, I just don't see what the financial model is that would sustain a professional game in the lower leagues without fans.
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Peter Parker
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Post by Peter Parker on May 2, 2020 14:58:06 GMT
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eppinggas
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Post by eppinggas on May 2, 2020 15:04:09 GMT
Bradford have suspended the sale of season tickets for 20/21. The are not expecting any fans in grounds this calendar year, not sure how many other clubs have done this, or plan to. Yes -if they can't do that then how can they play at all? I think this is something that has been missed in some of the discussion. Lower league football is surely stuffed if it can't get paying specators through the door. Mothballing (to the extent that is possible) until spectators come back is surely the only possible option.
I'm beginning to think that many of our discussions about return maybe completely offbeam here. If they can't fans through the door, we could be talking no lower league football until August/September 2021. As Epping points out, I just don't see what the financial model is that would sustain a professional game in the lower leagues without fans.
If someone could come up with a 'good' scenario for the EFL - I'd love to hear it. The stark reality is that we're going to lose a lot of EFL Clubs over the next 9 months unless some action is taken. The only way I think they could be kept going is with loans from the EFL. Begs the question of how they're going to pay it back when nearly all Clubs run at a loss! Perhaps the EFL actually does their job of governance (LOL) and initiates a salary cap. That would enable Clubs to actually operate at a profit and be in a position to pay back the loan. IMHO in this scenario Clubs breaking the salary cap should be expelled from the league. The only other alternative I can think of... (apart from letting go of all players who's contracts are up in June), is for players to take a 50% pay cut (or whatever the number is) until they actually start playing again. There are going to be a very small number of Clubs who could survive paying full wages to players until football does finally re-start. Surely if players insist on full pay - they risk the Club going under and actually receiving nothing. This gets worse the more you think about it. Someone tell me I'm wrong.
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