Fixture Pile-up

[YeltzDoc]

Unsatisfying, but if the Southern League are allowed to call it off now as they wish to, and the table stands (with average points per game), and we go up, job done.
Then, if the Trophy games go ahead we get either two or three games to celebrate together, we can all have a beer in the sunshine and move on to next year.
A lot of "if"s, but probably the most likely outcome and the best one for us.
Let's see.

[piearce9]

Then, if the Trophy games go ahead we get either two or three games to celebrate together, we can all have a beer in the sunshine and move on to next year.

I'm more intrigued to how they resolve the Trophy. Even the FA, the heartless old sods, will know that this there are only five fixtures needed to complete it (same for the Vase) and I'm sure they'd quite like their showpiece Finals Day to go ahead - for commercial reasons as much as any sentimental ones.

But when? If it's later in the summer then you'd need to reassemble your squad (who'd mostly be outside of contract) and get them up to playing fitness again (unless they've ALL been practicing overhead volleys with bog roll in their living rooms). Completing it next season would overcome some of those challenges, but then that introduces new ones.

What would definitely help is if the FA committed to completing the competitions, even if they didn't say when or how, as that would be good for our player retention Holding this squad of players together will be difficult - but the dangling carrot of a Trophy semi-final would certainly help

[Noggin]

Echo all of what P9 and Doc have to say.

On the league front, we were actually top of the table while the score remained 1-1 at Bedford. As it is we are top on points per match.

Regardless, I very much hope that the squad remains very much intact, because it is difficult to believe that cheque books won't be waved by other clubs hoping to to attract them on the basis of this season.

In the event of the Trophy being abandoned, there is also the question of prize money. Losing finalists get a further £45k from this point, the Trophy winners a further £75k. Even the £45k would be a huge sum to both Concord or ourselves. If the semi-final does not take place is the semi-final prize fund shared equally? do both clubs get the losers prize money?

More questions than answers again

[YeltzDoc]

I suspect (hope) that the number of blokes we’ve got on contract, plus the parlous state of most clubs’ finances post-COVID should help our player retention. Time will tell I guess.
And as for the date of the rearranged cup matches, perhaps at the arse-end of pre-season? Players would be fitter, even if they weren’t the same players that teams have today...

Or they should just have them the day after lockdown ends.
Unshaven, pallid lard boys, sweating and heaving around the pitch, pausing only to vomit on the corner flag. Fans blinking in the sunlight, all pissed on a pint and a half as booze ran out in April, used face masks knotted into a banner reading, “Thank you Dr Boris”.
I can see it now...

[HalesowenHarry]

“Thank you Dr Boris”.

Just ordered your T-shirt...............

[Westyeltz]

Unshaven, pallid lard boys, sweating and heaving around the pitch, pausing only to vomit on the corner flag. Fans blinking in the sunlight, all pissed on a pint and a half as booze ran out in April, used face masks knotted into a banner reading, “Thank you Dr Boris”.
I can see it now...

Sounds a bit like some of the games over the last 5 years
And most definitely describes The Jolly boys team in days of yore

[Yeltz7]

i Can't see how they can do it on points per game,unless its in the rules somewhere about a non completed season,i fear the whole season is going to be cancelled including the Cup's and everybody will be in the same league's next season.

[piearce9]

i Can't see how they can do it on points per game,unless its in the rules somewhere about a non completed season,i fear the whole season is going to be cancelled including the Cup's and everybody will be in the same league's next season.

I would have thought that the leagues would have some sort of rule to be applied if the season can't be completed due to external events. But, given that nobody seems to know what's going to happen now, I can only assume there isn't one!

The two options on the table are PPG and void the season. We would win the league on PPG, and I personally think this is the more likely.

If every club were to selfishly look after their own interests, the majority would favour promotion/relegation to take place. Take Corby for example - they'll stay down regardless of what option is decided, but I reckon they'd want to see Halesowen and Berkhamsted go up to clear the way for next season. The only clubs that might want to push for a void season are the ones that stand to be relegated.

Berko's manager posted an incredibly pragmatic statement on twitter this morning, saying they would respect whatever decision was made (even if that meant staying down), but that the most important thing was to see a consistent approach applied across all leagues. I guess that's what will take a bit of time, because every single league (maybe even from the football league downwards) will need to sign up to it.

[Noggin]

I think that there has to be a finishing order of some sort rather than voiding the season to aid league allocations for the next season (whenever that is). if there is no finishing order, then vacancies that will occur in leagues cannot filled by teams that are "promoted" from the feeder league below.

The alternative is that leagues decide that the next season will run with adjusted numbers: for example, I understand that the Bundesliga will run with 2 extra teams, but 5 places for relegation rather than 3.

in any case it gives us all something to ramble on about on here

[YeltzDoc]

Yer TalkSports and the like are saying that the National Leagues have voided their season - https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 97136.html
So, with those above and below us having scrubbed 19/20, our level would be isolated and forced to follow suit.

However, 'tis not the case.

The National League have just gone to the FA like the South / North / Isthmy (wtf is an Isthmian anyway?) and said that they want to call a halt to the league and we await the FA's judgement as to whether it's a PPG league table or an expungification.

A more balanced view from Auntie - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52039174