Site-Wide Activity

AFC Wimbledon released a club statement on Friday saying they will be voting to curtail the season when the vote is taken by clubs expected next week.

AFC Wimbledon statement

A statement of firm, principled intent, removing doubt/innuendo/motives, congratulations to the fans-owned club for its stance on the Covid season imbroglio..

"Of course, our priority has to be to protect the health of everyone involved with the club – players, fans & staff.

— wombles downunder (@WDownunder) May 22, 2020

Shrewsbury Town put out a statement on the same day along the same lines as Wimbledon with some interesting…[Read more]

SEASON UPDATE:
The EFL board has (finally) drafted a framework to complete the 2019-20 season.

– Preference to finish season
– In event of early curtailment – UNWEIGHTED points per game
– Promotion and relegation retained
– Playoffs played but not extended

The EFL’s possible options for deciding the League One season

The BBC…[Read more]

The latest missive from the EFL concludes with…

“The EFL Board has always acknowledged that a single solution to satisfy all Clubs would always be hard to find, but we are at the point now where strong, definitive action is needed for the good of the League and its members.”

That’s not a phrase I’d use!

So the outcome of the EFL league season is liable to rumble on for a while yet. It is unsurprising, but still very sad, to see the bickering dominated by the self interest of many club owners. Greed, ambition and ego seem to be dominating much of the debate, which is as expected to those of us who have been watching football for many…[Read more]

League One sides face further talks after failing to come to an agreement on Friday on the remainder of this season and are now set to meet again on Monday in an attempt to find a resolution.
Here are a couple of reports/views…

League One play-offs could be extended to include more clubs

League Two clubs vote to end season, but League One…[Read more]

Rochdale chief executive David Bottomley said the campaign had to be stopped now and decided on a points-per-game basis.

Our view now is that you have to end the season… how can football possibly, from a moral point of view, even consider returning to training and playing right now when we’re still not adequately testing people who have got m…

[Read more]

Peterborough among SIX clubs determined to finish League One season… litigation on the horizon?

Six clubs ‘collective in goal’ to complete League One season

League One and Two to be called off next week with EFL clubs facing uncertain future amid coronavirus nightmare.
The vast majority of L1/2 clubs believe there is no chance of reaching the finishing line and want to focus on planning for next season.
Clubs must then decide how to calculate the final tables to determine promotion and relegation…[Read more]

League One and League Two could be abandoned next week (Thursday 14/5) with planned EFL vote.

The 23 clubs in League One and 24 in League Two will be told to cast their votes at next week’s meeting with the EFL having already spent the last few days informally canvassed opinion which appears to show there is an overwhelming desire not to carry o…[Read more]

English Football League chairman Rick Parry says the current season needs to be concluded before 31 July and clubs face a “£200m hole” by September.

Our end date realistically is 31 July because of the situation with contracts. We can’t go beyond July.

Players and staff have been furloughed and to expect clubs to bring them back in now, to…

[Read more]

A year ago today …

https://twitter.com/WDownunder/status/1257132630199250946

Just thinking, as we all battle the attractions of the demon couch, I wonder how difficult it will be to keep players match fit during lockdown. Depending on when the resumption actually happens, I can see quite a few injuries due to lack of fitness coming up.

The only thing I want to see happen with this season, is for Liverpool NOT to be awarded the Premier League title 🙂

EFL players below Championship [i.e. League One] told it is likely season will NOT be finished with too many coronavirus tests needed to resume action..

EFL players below Championship told it is likely season will NOT be finished

Amid the misery, loneliness, anxiety of the coronavirus lockdown, the community work of the Dons Local Action Group has been inspiring..
Cormac van der Hoeven talks about his work with other Dons volunteers in the community.

We’re adding another great chapter to what fans can achieve

I think its fair to say that this FIFA announcement makes the resumption of league football for this season more unlikely, which is a shame. I would have liked to see some league football played this season behind closed doors and in as hygienic environment as possible so it could be shown on free to view.

FIFA’s medical chief Michel D’Hooghe believes there should be no football until the start of next season with concerns over a “second attack” of the coronavirus.

FIFA medical chief calls for all leagues to be cancelled

The French league closes down for the season..

Ligue 1 season over, no sport in France before September

Bit of light reading…
Each year, the EFL send out a questionnaire to their clubs, asking how much they pay playing and non-playing staff. The resulting report — marked ‘strictly private and confidential’ (snigger, snigger…) — is meant to provide useful benchmarking information for those who make up the three divisions. Alert: This is a Daily M…[Read more]

One further point which I forgot:

There appears to be almost a straight read across from those currently in the Chemflow end (365 responders) to those who wish to sit in the South stand behind the goal (381 responders).

My estimate of the capacity of the temporary South stand is around 1100, not much different from the capacity of the Chemflow…[Read more]