Season a write off?

[Cowden Cowboy]

Most will be if they are eligible.  

[true fan]

so if finish of season grossly delayed and next one delayed in starting (obviously there is no longer a lockdown) will there be

 a stand-off?  players saying " I demand a 1 year contract" to play the 2 remaining games of the old season - after my current contact ends. clubs saying

we cannot commit to that because, depending on the outcome of the 2 games left (playoffs for example)' we may be relegated, promoted or staying put.

If relegated we cannot afford current squad, if promoted we will want/need different players. Clubs saying they will go bust by offering 1 year contract for 2 games.

Players and their union waving a piece of paper in the air. If another season runs into trouble should the government pay furlough under these circumstances?

Fun times

(Does the furlough scheme include people newly taken on?  i'm guessing not - would be easy scam. small firm employing 6 suddenly hires 36 new employees, straight on to

furlough and they each give 25% to the boss)

Edited January 26, 2021 by true fan

[Guest The Phoenix]

5 minutes ago, true fan said:

so if finish of season grossly delayed and next one delayed in starting (obviously there is no longer a lockdown) will there be

 a stand-off?  players saying " I demand a 1 year contract" to play the 2 remaining games of the old season - after my current contact ends. clubs saying

we cannot commit to that because, depending on the outcome of the 2 games left (playoffs for example)' we may be relegated, promoted or staying put.

If relegated we cannot afford current squad, if promoted we will want/need different players. Clubs saying they will go bust by offering 1 year contract for 2 games.

Players and their union waving a piece of paper in the air. If another season runs into trouble should the government pay furlough under these circumstances?

Fun times

 

You're a real bundle of sunshine! 

Cheer up! The scenario you paint will not come to pass. 

[true fan]

hope not

 

[Clayhole Blue]

are div 1 and div 2 players on furlough? (forgive my ignorance)

Yes

[EdinburghBlue]

Any news on the SFA response to the clubs’ proposals?

[theoriginalhedge]

17 hours ago, true fan said:

so if finish of season grossly delayed and next one delayed in starting (obviously there is no longer a lockdown) will there be

 a stand-off?  players saying " I demand a 1 year contract" to play the 2 remaining games of the old season - after my current contact ends. clubs saying

we cannot commit to that because, depending on the outcome of the 2 games left (playoffs for example)' we may be relegated, promoted or staying put.

If relegated we cannot afford current squad, if promoted we will want/need different players. Clubs saying they will go bust by offering 1 year contract for 2 games.

Players and their union waving a piece of paper in the air. If another season runs into trouble should the government pay furlough under these circumstances?

Fun times

(Does the furlough scheme include people newly taken on?  i'm guessing not - would be easy scam. small firm employing 6 suddenly hires 36 new employees, straight on to

furlough and they each give 25% to the boss)

As said above , hopefully it won't come to that , but in the unfortunate case that it does it will certainly show the players just in it for the money.

After the lay off and the clubs'  endeavours to keep them all in employment , surely a bit of loyalty in return is not much to ask for ?

[Thom & Gerry]

17 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:

Any news on the SFA response to the clubs’ proposals?

The proposal was discussed between Ian Maxwell and representatives of League 1 and 2 clubs on Monday.  According to the P&J “this is understood to just be the beginning of a lengthy process before they can restart”

” No decision was taken about when the lower divisions may return or if all the proposed protocols will be required”

 

• Quote

[EdinburghBlue]

13 minutes ago, Thom & Gerry said:

 

The proposal was discussed between Ian Maxwell and representatives of League 1 and 2 clubs on Monday.  According to the P&J “this is understood to just be the beginning of a lengthy process before they can restart”

” No decision was taken about when the lower divisions may return or if all the proposed protocols will be required”

 

•  
• Quote

‘`lengthy process’... so restarting next season then

[Brazilianlex]

1 hour ago, Thom & Gerry said:

 

The proposal was discussed between Ian Maxwell and representatives of League 1 and 2 clubs on Monday.  According to the P&J “this is understood to just be the beginning of a lengthy process before they can restart”

” No decision was taken about when the lower divisions may return or if all the proposed protocols will be required”

 

•  
• Quote

That just sounds like kicking it into the long grass until the point of no return. All the SFA want is to keep the Premiership going so they can get the TV money and every other league in Scotland will be sacrificed to achieve that.

However, when 20 spfl member Clubs get together to try and persuade the SFA to restart, you would expect the Chief Exec to come out fighting for them. Doncaster has disappeared.!

 

[craigkillie]

The SFA don't get a penny of TV money from the SPFL's deal. One of the SFA's biggest sources of income is the Scottish Cup, which is currently halted as a direct result of this stoppage - it is very much in their financial interest to get the season up and running.

[Guest The Phoenix]

2 minutes ago, Brazilianlex said:

 

However, when 20 spfl member Clubs get together to try and persuade the SFA to restart, you would expect the Chief Exec to come out fighting for them. Doncaster has disappeared.!

 

Where exactly were you expecting him to "appear"?  All the work to secure a return to playing is rightly taking place "behind closed doors" between all the relevant parties.  

[FairWeatherFan]

3 minutes ago, Brazilianlex said:

However, when 20 spfl member Clubs get together to try and persuade the SFA to restart, you would expect the Chief Exec to come out fighting for them. Doncaster has disappeared.!

 

He's there. He sits on the SFA Board as well as his role in the SPFL.

[EdinburghBlue]

From today’s Daily Record:

 

[Brazilianlex]

4 hours ago, EdinburghBlue said:

From today’s Daily Record:

 

Yet the COVID cases are plummeting and far lower than when they stopped the season for lower leagues.

[Thom & Gerry]

Personally think stopping the football will do little to quell the spread or not of the virus but we can’t justify starting playing fitba when the schools are not even back by then. It goes against all the stay at home and no travelling message, whether you agree or not with the strategy.

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, Thom & Gerry said:

Personally think stopping the football will do little to quell the spread or not of the virus but we can’t justify starting playing fitba when the schools are not even back by then. It goes against all the stay at home and no travelling message, whether you agree or not with the strategy.

This.

At the end of the day, players playing football will largely leave their homes, drive direct to training or matches and directly back afterwards. The checks at stadiums are fairly rigorous, certainly far more than in most work environments still working. They are temperature checked. There are fairly stringent social distancing protocols in place for changing. Masks are worn at all times when not actually on the pitch. There is inevitably some contact whilst playing, it's a contact sport, but it's not (generally) a full on grappling sport, and it takes place outside where risk of transmission is very low. I work at a football club on matchdays, I also have a day job that I'm still attending. I'm far more stringently checked at the football than at my own work.

Football is unlikely to cause much in the way of additional spread of the virus but the signal it sends out to continue to playing part time stuff when the schools are closed and other businesses are avoiding contact is a difficult message to justify. Whether we like it or not it's easier to justify in the full time environment when players have lesser interaction with other careers, colleagues, customers, etc.

[theoriginalhedge]

7 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

This.

At the end of the day, players playing football will largely leave their homes, drive direct to training or matches and directly back afterwards. The checks at stadiums are fairly rigorous, certainly far more than in most work environments still working. They are temperature checked. There are fairly stringent social distancing protocols in place for changing. Masks are worn at all times when not actually on the pitch. There is inevitably some contact whilst playing, it's a contact sport, but it's not (generally) a full on grappling sport, and it takes place outside where risk of transmission is very low. I work at a football club on matchdays, I also have a day job that I'm still attending. I'm far more stringently checked at the football than at my own work.

Football is unlikely to cause much in the way of additional spread of the virus but the signal it sends out to continue to playing part time stuff when the schools are closed and other businesses are avoiding contact is a difficult message to justify. Whether we like it or not it's easier to justify in the full time environment when players have lesser interaction with other careers, colleagues, customers, etc.

Schools pencilled in for returning at start of March which ties in with the proposed earliest start of games being played again .  I can't really see  much reason not to give the green light to restarting  . I think the  decreasing figures  also raises hope that an announcement might not be too far away. 

[Skyline Drifter]

3 minutes ago, theoriginalhedge said:

Schools pencilled in for returning at start of March which ties in with the proposed earliest start of games being played again .  I can't really see  much reason not to give the green light to restarting  . I think the  decreasing figures  also raises hope that an announcement might not be too far away. 

If you are referring to Boris Johnson's statement that English schools won't return before March 8th, it has no standing in Scotland and was no more than a "hope" anyway. There's been absolutely no hint of a return date for schools from the Scottish Govt who are unlikely to rush back earlier than England. Think you are jumping the gun a bit there. Much as I'd prefer they were, I don't see schools returning before the Easter holidays.

[The Moonster]

12 minutes ago, Skyline Drifter said:

This.

At the end of the day, players playing football will largely leave their homes, drive direct to training or matches and directly back afterwards. The checks at stadiums are fairly rigorous, certainly far more than in most work environments still working. They are temperature checked. There are fairly stringent social distancing protocols in place for changing. Masks are worn at all times when not actually on the pitch. There is inevitably some contact whilst playing, it's a contact sport, but it's not (generally) a full on grappling sport, and it takes place outside where risk of transmission is very low. I work at a football club on matchdays, I also have a day job that I'm still attending. I'm far more stringently checked at the football than at my own work.

Football is unlikely to cause much in the way of additional spread of the virus but the signal it sends out to continue to playing part time stuff when the schools are closed and other businesses are avoiding contact is a difficult message to justify. Whether we like it or not it's easier to justify in the full time environment when players have lesser interaction with other careers, colleagues, customers, etc.

I hate to have this dig here as I know you aren't responsible for it and are likely against all of the breaches which have taken place so far, but see when folk say things like "there's no justification to keep the part time stuff going" when we've seen full time clubs rip the pish out of everyone with players heading out on the lash, players fucking off on holiday without obeying quarantine rules, clubs sending 60 folk over to Dubai for a piss up and others inviting despicable politicians in for a jolly with his family, it fucking pisses me off. What "message" does that convey to the general public when their wee Justin canny get to school?

My club is as much a member of the professional leagues as yours. We're offering to test our players as much as full time clubs and deal with the consequences of that. We've already spent as much money as full time clubs on getting our stadiums COVID compliant.  When the SG hit their vaccination targets in the middle of February we should be given the go ahead to get started again. The proposal from Leagues 1 & 2 seems extremely reasonable to me and I'll be disappointed if it's knocked back.