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League One and Two Seasons Could Be Ended Next Week
Wednesday, 6th May 2020 16:24

Clubs could reportedly hold a vote to abandon the 2019/20 season at League One and Two levels next week.

Currently the EFL is still officially committed to completing all three of its divisions with its remaining 113 matches played over 56 days behind closed doors and with a June 6th start date pencilled in. Players are due back at their clubs for a mini-pre-season on May 16th.

However, according to the Daily Telegraph, ending the season at League One and Two levels with immediate effect will be formally discussed and put to the vote at a conference call meeting next Thursday.

It’s reported that EFL canvassing of the 23 League One clubs and 24 League Two sides revealed that the majority of clubs want the campaign - suspended since March 13th due to the coronavirus crisis - to be brought to a premature end.

Only three League One clubs are said to want to play the season to a conclusion - Town general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill has repeatedly stated that this is the club’s preferred approach - with some claimed to be threatening legal action if they are forced to resume the campaign during the pandemic.

In addition to health concerns, the expense of staging the remaining games without paying fans - estimated at costing a minimum of £700,000 each - is beyond many clubs.

It is understood that a 75 per cent majority is required for the vote to be carried. The fate of the Championship is not similarly in question with the EFL remaining hopeful that it will be played to a conclusion.

How placings, promotion and relegation would be settled is as yet unclear. Last week it emerged that the ‘sporting merit’ system, whereby the final standings are confirmed based on points per game, was under consideration. That being the case, Town would finish 11th.

At a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday EFL chairman Rick Parry said that clubs are facing a £200 million “cash hole” due to the crisis.

He also called for the Government to make a quick decision regarding the feasibility of returning to action and stated that July 31st would be the ultimate cut-off for the 2019/20 campaign.

In addition, Parry questioned whether the 2020/21 EFL season would start before crowds are allowed back into grounds.

“I think we have to think long and hard about how we go about starting next season, or indeed whether we start next season without crowds,” he said.


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bugblatter added 16:36 - May 6
"75 per cent majority is required for the vote to be carried" – now that's how you arrange a referendum!
8

NotSure added 16:52 - May 6
I hope they do abandon it. But they shouldn't anull the season, 2 up and 2 down (Coventry and Rotherham, Southend and Bolton). No play offs.
7

essextractorboy93 added 17:11 - May 6
I think it will be abandoned but they should do 2 promoted and 3 relegated. Only automatic promotion places should mean promotion. It is the fairest solution, of course some teams will be annoyed but so much of the season has been played, you can't just say it doesn't count.

Bundesliga getting going again in mid May, although I am sure we are a few weeks behind them. I think the Premier League will be played to a finish.
-1

BlueBadger added 17:15 - May 6
I assume we're still hoping for a season to go ahead because we need a set-in-stone excuse to sack our worst ever manager, with a presumably reduced compensation package.
Merely 'ending' the season would give him grounds for legal recourse, I suspect.
2

jas0999 added 17:18 - May 6
For League one and two perspective, providing promotion and relegation can be settled, this may be a sensible approach. Either way it won't affect us and this will regardless go down as another poor season for ITFC. 11th under the sporting merit system seems right based on our performances this season.
5

62WasBest added 17:21 - May 6
If it is abandoned I cannot see how it can be fair or logical to have any promotion or relegation. If clubs threaten legal action if forced to play during the pandemic they will almost certainly be legal action from any club relegated, as the cost of such is not negligible, as we know only too well.
3

tractorboybig added 17:47 - May 6
62 wasbest quite agree. anything could happen if the games were played and who is to say the present top two would remain there. legal action by the relegated clubs as it would be most unfair.
0

Pecker added 18:35 - May 6
Hope so. The sooner it is over, the better.
2

Michael101 added 19:36 - May 6
Well the lawyers must be rubbing there hands right now ,bet there will be a lot of court cases if things don't go the way teams want.
1

COYB11 added 19:57 - May 6
Watching us play out this dead-end season on a training pitch on iFollow sounds like no fun at all.

End the season so clubs can save some money, promote Coventry and Rotherham, don't relegate anyone and just compensate by relegating more next season... whenever that is going to be!
0

Blue12345 added 20:03 - May 6
If the season is suspended I don't see how morally clubs can be told they have been relegated with so many games left.
2

bluebare added 20:33 - May 6
So abandoning the season because clubs cant afford to play the games is crazy. Surely most clubs have already got the money in from season tickets and they would save on paying for policing and stewards. Any floating fans can pay per view and season ticket holders free access to watch ifollow or something. We as a club need to take every chance to get promoted. Get the squad isolated in an empty hotel and train play and get the season finished any shortfall in income should be paid by the governing bodies or government loans. Any fans that turn up to games will cost points and fines so they hurt their own club simples
2

JewellintheTown added 03:13 - May 7
Only one obvious way to solve this.

Rock, Paper, Scissors it is then.
2

Cloddyseedbed added 07:50 - May 7
Abandon this season. Start next season with the points you had this year and the league position.
-5

TractorRoyNo1 added 09:27 - May 7
What we want / wish / want is irrelevant, health despite what they say is secondary to football authorities, the decision(s) will be made for the least worst financial reasons.
0

Razor added 10:53 - May 7
I have always been a supporter of playing the season to a finish whatever and when but we do not have the resources of the Premier League and there seems to be no genuine will or desire to help us.

This is like a long festering wound now and my instincts have changed to staunching it,making a clean break and finishing so everybody knows where they are-----it may also of course be safer.

If this done ITFC needs a clear out for when we do eventually get going again and it should be mean,lean and ruthless.

Knowing our club though they will just lumber on and hope for the best---look where that has got us!!
1

NorthLondonBlue2 added 12:20 - May 7
If there is to be promotion and relegation, then I don't see why there can't be play-offs, too. That's just 5 games, or 3 if the semi-finals are restricted to one leg.

But, surely the bigger question is how on earth do we start the 2020-2021 season?

We are just in the first wave of this virus. The second, bigger wave is going to hit in the next 2 months, if not sooner, requiring a stricter lock-down, for a longer period.

There should be proper forward planning, with a delayed start to September or even October and financial support from across football to keep the clubs solvent.
0

Michael101 added 15:30 - May 7
Yes you are dead right north London blue,but when has football ever planed ahead.also can't see the premiership giving money to help out small boys all they think of is themselves.
0

NorthLondonBlue2 added 15:40 - May 7
Agreed Michael101

Also, note the Notting Hill Carnival - which takes place at the end of August, has just been cancelled.

I don't think that there's any prospect of the next season starting before October. Would be far better to plan for that long-term and for the government to offer short-term financial support in the interim.
1

bobble added 00:56 - May 8
does this mean we will be sent back up to the 2nd division ?
0

LegendofthePhoenix added 09:34 - May 8
As NorthLondonBlue2 says, there is, very sadly, going to be a second wave of the virus. Whatever is done with the current season, there will be litigation be it for resuming play too early, or terminating the season early with or without relegation.
Surely the way to be fairest is to merge this season and next into one season that spans across from 2019 to 2021. Current outstanding fixtures could all be played when safe to do so. If the virus is under control sooner than we think, maybe an extra competition could be introduced to fill in the days where there are not enough fixtures.
0

BobbyBell added 12:04 - May 9
I like Cloddyseedbds idea. Just tag next season on the games already played this season so start again in the same positions with the points already accrued. So we would end up with 80 games played in total. Others could play their games in hand. It would make for a vary unusual and exciting season. Just my opinion but it would save so many arguments.
0

fifeblue added 15:25 - May 9
I have always been against abandoning this season because it is so close to the end. This season still exists, next season does not. This season should be completed regardless of how long it takes. Next season could be abandoned instead. The next new season could begin sometime in 2021 - why talk about starting a new season late e.g. October, when it will likely be without fans and incur costs beyond most clubs? Forget the 20-21 season. Finish 19-20 and make the next one 21-22 or just 21 if it can start safely in January. The football calendar should not depend on the actual calendar.
1

62WasBest added 22:33 - May 9
That's what gets me about this mess. No-one in an official capacity seems to have given a shred of thought to the reality that next season may be similarly affected to some degree. I repeat what I have posted previously. Try to finish this season from September onwards . If that is achieved, then begin season 20-21 a few weeks later, virus permitting, but only have clubs playing each other once, to enable the season to be extended if there are any more lockdowns.
0


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