Is this weekend the last match we get to go to this season?

[johnnydun]

3 minutes ago, Hendo said:

If the season has to end now, I think the 14-10-10-10 proposal is the best, no relegation, next season split the top league into two groups of seven after 26 matches, giving a further 12 post split games. More teams relegated to get it back to normal. No real losers, apart from teams currently third and fourth in the lower leagues who don't get play off opportunities, but if you are in that position in a ten team league do you really deserve promotion?

It helps teams that I have a soft spot for like Partick and Brechin, while possibly saving ICT from financial meltdown. Only downside is we won't be able to laugh at Hearts.

f**k you and your "Am alright Jack" nonsense.

[Guest JTS98]

The problem with finishing this season in, say, October, then starting next season immediately is three-fold, for me.

Firstly, as I mentioned above, it just seems silly. A season lasting way too long, with multiple transfer windows and a huge turnover of players with eight games to go. As far as I'm concerned, it's silly to the point of worthless.

Secondly, the practicalities of it are more complicated than they seem. For example, how do teams sign players for an eight-game end of season when they do not know which division they'll be going to after it? Hearts, for example, would be unwise to sign players on long-term contracts when the budget available after those eight games is as yet unknowable.

I don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility that FIFA allow an extra transfer window, but which players want to sign for a team for eight games? Eight games where they might pick up a long-term injury and cost themselves a better deal going forward.

So, now we have a season that has limped on for way too long, with three transfer windows, and where the teams arguably with most left to play for could potentially struggle to put together a good side. How many players are out of contract at each club in May or June? Why should players accept a short-term deal and the risk that entails? How can clubs offer them anything else?

The third problem is the issue of when. Some people seem to think June or July. That's not going to happen. Some people are saying September. Some people think we wait till November. What if the virus is seasonal and comes back over the autumn? Do we wait till January? What if the weather is bad? February? March? How long do we wait for the infections to go down? When can clubs do a pre-season? When can they commit to signing players? What if they sign players then the infections rise again?

At some point we need to just draw the line and accept that the season is goosed. It's not worth the bending over backwards required to get it done.

And let's not forget, all this will be taking place against the background of a wider society in which people will be dying, old people will be cut off from their families, businesses will go bust and people will lose their jobs(my boss sent me a text today saying my employer is right up against it due to the virus and to consider any alternative work that comes along, and nothing has really happened where i am yet), possibly their homes and savings, shops may well be short of important supplies. I don't think this is going to be a priority and in a few months this will seem a wonderfully frivolous discussion to have had.

Edited March 15, 2020 by JTS98

[RandomGuy.]

19 minutes ago, Hendo said:

If the season has to end now, I think the 14-10-10-10 proposal is the best, no relegation, next season split the top league into two groups of seven

This is an absolutely fucking shite plan. Two groups of 7 and having one team sitting out every week is just horrendous.

[rainbowrising]

34 minutes ago, johnnydun said:

Have you won the league?

If its determined the league is 'complete' by UEFA etc then they will have. As discussed earlier the SPFL Board can determine what the 'season' is outwith the normal 38 game season we all expect.  Same with Liverpool (2 wins short I think?) and other teams across Europe.  The playoffs and relegation are huge issues really. In England the pay off for being promoted is enormous. 

[Lex]

There can’t be a final decision on this season till the beginning of May. Then you either decide to get the season back on the road, which would be doable.

Game days:
Sat 9th May
Tue 12th May
Fri 15th May
Mon 18th May
Thur 21st May
Sun 24th May
Wed 27th May
Sat 30th May

There’s 8 Match days and the season could get done. St Johnstone and Rangers would need to work out how to play their game in hand in the midst of that lot. Playoffs and Scottish cup games would need to roll into first week of June.

If - as is likely - by the beginning of May it’s clear that we won’t be able to get the season done that month you either declare current league table final and relegate Hearts and promote United or void the campaign and we all start again in the same division in August with no titles being awarded. The latter probably being the fairer way, even if it upsets Celtic and United fans.

I don’t see a cohesive argument to allow it to affect next seasons campaign. Either get it done by early June or put a red line through it.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

Of course, you'd be saying the same if Celtic were second and Rangers first.

I think Celtic will be given the title, and I'm fine with that. But you can't really argue with anyone who points out that you didn't actually win it.

There will forever be an asterisk.

 

You mean something like

 

 

 

 

Ten in a row*

 

 

 

 

 

 

* not actually in a row

[bennett]

1 hour ago, Jinky67 said:

Not sure what would be tainted about something that was a forgone conclusion 

That's not what Neil Lennon was saying earlier in the week. 

[ThomCat]

The only solution ....

The Covid 19/20 Season (decided by Scrabble scores)

2 up/2 down. Longest name in event of a tiebreaker

 

Hamilton Academical	30
Heart of Midlothian	29
Kilmarnock	22
St Johnstone	21
Motherwell	18
Ross County	15
Livingston	14
Hibernian	14
Aberdeen	11
St Mirren	10
Celtic	10
Rangers	8

 

 

Inverness Caledonian Thistle	35
Queen of the South	33
Dunfermline Athletic	30
Partick Thistle	25
Greenock Morton	23
Alloa Athletic	18
Dundee United	15
Ayr United	13
Arbroath	13
Dundee	8

 

[DC92]

17 hours ago, DC92 said:

Unless the league can restart by May, which seems unlikely, I can't see this season being finished. Player contracts, prize money and the knock-on effect it'll have on future seasons makes it a non-starter IMO.

Voiding the season would be unfair, but so would relegating teams when there's still plenty of time to go. Either scenario opens up the possibility of legal challenges.

To me, the least unfair scenario is a compromise between the two. The league table is taken as final and Celtic are declared champions*, teams are given 80% of the prize money based on league position and the rest is distributed equally. No-one is relegated from any division and the top league is (temporarily or otherwise) expanded to accommodate two more teams.

This solution rewards clubs based on their current position and also protects them from the most severe consequences. It isn't ideal, but in the absence of actually being able to finish the season, I think it's the least bad option.

Semi-interestingly, there is some precedent for this in Yugoslavia in 1999. The 98/99 season was ended after 24 games and Partizan Belgrade were awarded the championship, but no-one was relegated. Instead, they promoted 4 teams from the league below and temporarily expanded from 18 to 21 teams for season 99/00. 5 teams we're relegated and 2 promoted at the end of the year.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998–99_First_League_of_FR_Yugoslavia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999–2000_First_League_of_FR_Yugoslavia

Edited March 15, 2020 by DC92

[Bohemian]

5 minutes ago, rainbowrising said:

If its determined the league is 'complete' by UEFA etc then they will have. As discussed earlier the SPFL Board can determine what the 'season' is outwith the normal 38 game season we all expect.  Same with Liverpool (2 wins short I think?) and other teams across Europe.  The playoffs and relegation are huge issues really. In England the pay off for being promoted is enormous. 

Who gets the champions tag is really not that important.  If Liverpool were not going for their first in 30 years or Celtic for 9 in a row I doubt anyone would care, most of us dont anyway.

The relegation, promotion and European places have massive financial implications and they should be the main priority. 

This is Scotland so who gets the title will probably get all the headlines rather than who  gets relegated/promotion/Europe unfortunately 

 

[PauloPerth]

Draw a line under the current season, accept it's over, and put the focus on how to keep clubs alive until at least August.  

If we still have the same number of clubs, and actually get to start the season in August, the decison which would upset the fewest number of clubs:

No relegation from Premiership and the top 4 clubs from the championship come up for a 16 team Premiership.  Play each other twice then an 8/8 split for a 37 match season. 

The championship merges with league one and the top four of league two for a 20 team second tier, play each other twice for a 38 match season.

The third league is the remaining 6 clubs plus the current top two from the Highland and Lowland leagues.  Play each other four times as now.

Its quite old school for a season, but everyone starts the season knowing league reconstruction at the end of it to get the leagues back to where they are now.  So a lot to play for, even in mid-table across the leagues. Four relegated out of a bottom 8 in the Premiership would be quite interesting..

Would also be a pilot to see how an expanded top league would be for all those that go on about it (shite for any longer than a season is my guess).

[DieDee]

It looks likely the leagues will be finalised where they are, which in terms of sporting integrity is fairly good. There is the issue of the financial implications throughout Scottish football to consider. The biggest implication is for Hearts who could escape relegation and Falkirk being 1 point behind Raith, with potential legal ramifications. An option is league restructuring with next season having a 20 and 22 team league, based on current league position (effectively same league or promotion). As for spending the cash the SPFL should look to pay Celtic the same as the 2nd position and then spread the difference in earnings evenly over the clubs positioned 17 - 42 (probably the ones most in need). 

If we are to keep the leagues the way they are then the play offs which are part of the league need to be resolved, If, as seems likely these games wont be played, even behind closed doors, then they could be decided by toss of the coin eg Dundee v Ayr then winner v Inverness then v Hamilton.   

[HibsFan]

Hearts fans aren't even subtle about this "let's give Celtic the title but keep us up" patter are they?

You've deserved to go down since you appointed Cathro and you've been very fortunate with the way your bad spells have worked out.

It's time to go, Jambos.

[Bohemian]

I think the fact that its Hearts sitting bottom and Dundee United waiting to come up might also have a big impact on the final decision.  Those are two of the bigger Diddy clubs than say if it was Accies and Morton in the those spots.. 

[Gianfranco]

I’d like to think we’ll finish the season, players who are out of contract in June stay on month to month contracts until the season is finished and then have the transfer window stay open in the whole shortened 20-21 season.

 

[Bohemian]

4 minutes ago, Gianfranco said:

I’d like to think we’ll finish the season, players who are out of contract in June stay on month to month contracts until the season is finished and then have the transfer window stay open in the whole shortened 20-21 season.

 

I think we would all like that but I think it's pretty obvious that is not happening. 

[RandomGuy.]

6 minutes ago, PauloPerth said:

Draw a line under the current season, accept it's over, and put the focus on how to keep clubs alive until at least August.  

If we still have the same number of clubs, and actually get to start the season in August, the decison which would upset the fewest number of clubs:

No relegation from Premiership and the top 4 clubs from the championship come up for a 16 team Premiership.  Play each other twice then an 8/8 split for a 37 match season. 

The championship merges with league one and the top four of league two for a 20 team second tier, play each other twice for a 38 match season.

The third league is the remaining 6 clubs plus the current top two from the Highland and Lowland leagues.  Play each other four times as now.

Its quite old school for a season, but everyone starts the season knowing league reconstruction at the end of it to get the leagues back to where they are now.  So a lot to play for, even in mid-table across the leagues. Four relegated out of a bottom 8 in the Premiership would be quite interesting..

Would also be a pilot to see how an expanded top league would be for all those that go on about it (shite for any longer than a season is my guess).

Youd have Cowdenbeath getting fans from Hearts, Dundee etc., while Queens Park are stuck with Highland League sides, despite 5th placed Queens being just 3pts off 3rd.

Theres no fair way of ending the season now. Theyd be making some major decisions for clubs in the lower tiers based on guesswork, which just isn't right.

One way or another they have to finish the season and then work out what theyll do next season. Scrapping the Betfred Groups and just going straight into knockout stages could cut 3 game weeks off the start of next season.

Footballing season here could start on August 1st with the Betfred knockouts taking place with all those in the Groups. Could maybe push that forward even further dependent on midweek dates/International dates.

That's roughly 20 weeks to finish the current season. Really you just need to force them to play Sat-Wed-Sat and you can batter through the league fixtures in 4 weeks. Cup Semi pushed that to 5, then you have a Cup Final and single leg Play Off taking it to 6. Scotland games and Euros pushed to next year.

So 6 weeks left of the season to play in 20 weeks. Ideally you give players 2/3, maybe even 4, weeks to recover. So to me we could 10-11 weeks without a game and still complete the season, and have a full 20/21, without all the fucking about unfairly punishing sides.

[DC92]

3 minutes ago, HibsFan said:

Hearts fans aren't even subtle about this "let's give Celtic the title but keep us up" patter are they?

You've deserved to go down since you appointed Cathro and you've been very fortunate with the way your bad spells have worked out.

It's time to go, Jambos.

What is there to be subtle about? I don't want us to be relegated.  Nor is there any reason we should accept relegation, given that the season didn't finish and survival was still in our own hands.

Who knows what'll happen, but thankfully, Hibs fans' definitions of what we "deserve" don't really come into it. Also, given that we've finished in the top half every season apart from this one since appointing Cathro, that's a pretty daft conclusion anyway.

[Snifter Pee Rot]

3 minutes ago, DC92 said:

What is there to be subtle about? I don't want us to be relegated.  Nor is there any reason we should accept relegation, given that the season didn't finish and survival was still in our own hands.

Who knows what'll happen, but thankfully, Hibs fans' definitions of what we "deserve" don't really come into it. Also, given that we've finished in the top half every season apart from this one since appointing Cathro, that's a pretty daft conclusion anyway.

 

It was in your hands, but If the season is over you'll  just need to take your medicine for being tam kite and ply your trade in the Championship with United coming up. Just how it's going to have to be. 

[Bohemian]

9 minutes ago, DC92 said:

What is there to be subtle about? I don't want us to be relegated.  Nor is there any reason we should accept relegation, given that the season didn't finish and survival was still in our own hands.

Who knows what'll happen, but thankfully, Hibs fans' definitions of what we "deserve" don't really come into it. Also, given that we've finished in the top half every season apart from this one since appointing Cathro, that's a pretty daft conclusion anyway.

Been in your hands all season, you're six points behind County Hamilton dont count, everyone knows they dont get relegated.