Originally Posted by Jimmy Floyd
My thoughts exactly.
My thoughts exactly.
If it's Glenn Murray you can wave goodbye to PROJECT RESTART.
And say hello to Project Bankrupt.
It will be genuinely interesting (not having too much of a stake in all this other than the general hope that football can continue before my 40th birthday in a decade) to see how far the relegation threatened six are willing to take this. A voiding simply isn't going to happen, for a number of reasons, so given that you're basically waiting for a vaccine.
I know there could be a 14/6 vote but I really can't see that actually happening and then the six going out to play against their will. The most likely scenario I could see would be the league buying them off, but then to buy someone off there has to be money, which is by no means a given.
The Germans already down a team bodes well for everyone else restarting.
The only way the rabble at the bottom of the league are going to be whipped into line is if they are given the option of completing the season in some way behind closed doors OR the option of having the table finalised where it was (perhaps on a PPG/or last completed round of games basis) as they've done in France.
Obviously Brighton would probably be still holding out in that scenario.
The most bizarre thing is I really would have thought the Amex would very likely be one of the neutral grounds for the south of England. It's all new, the media love it, it's in the middle of nowhere (presumably none of the students are going to be around it in the summer for one reason or another). That said, I have no idea how this neutral ground thing would work. Training grounds can't work as how do they support tv coverage and, surely, by definition there aren't going to be enough neutral grounds to actually go around (seeing as a normal completion needs ALL the stadiums).
All told it's hard to see how they are going to manage to get things up and running again without just saying fuck it and letting teams use their own grounds to the greatest extent possible.
I haven't been to every ground but there are some (Goodison, Stamford Bridge, Selhurst) where it must be almost impossible to have social distancing etc in the surrounds.
Maybe they can change in the fromagerie at Spurs.
Jimmy mentioning bankruptcies there has made me realise I don't really give a fuck about relegation. If Villa went bankrupt over this then so be it. We'd reform and start 10 divisions below. I'd much rather that than pressuring a group of young men, most with families, to play close contact sport, during the worst pandemic for 100 years, just for the sake of a contract.
What would be genuinely interesting is if the return of football was directly linked to further deaths. I'd certainly be looking for corporate manslaughter charges. It's obvious how it may play out and people would need to be held accountable.
We as (relatively hardcore) fans don't, but every single person who makes a living from football does - whether it be players and coaches, people who work for the clubs, media, catering, hospitality, businesses clustered around the stadiums, gambling firms, etc etc - which is why it will eventually come down to a choice between risking covid infections vs professional sport suffering a catastrophic shrinkage and tens of thousands in the dole queue.
We obviously need to preserve businesses as best we can, because covid will be nothing compared to the collapse of society doomsday scenario Yev dreamt up in his work meeting. But I don't for one second believe that any Premier League clubs are close to the wall just yet, so whilst we're smashing death rate records left, right and centre, a restart shouldn't be on the table. I said a week or so back it should be 1) Health, 2) Integrity and 3) Money in that order. If we're talking bankruptcies you could argue reversing the last two to keep people in work, but it's quite clear that number 3 is the priority, whilst trying to be seen as caring about number 1, with number 2 out the window (hence all this mess).
Last edited by Mellberg; 10-05-2020 at 01:37 PM.
We all know what it should be. More interesting is what it will be.
Using 1 and 2 as smokescreens for 3 is why the bottom 6 are raising the bullshit alarm at the moment.
I think we'd all be willing to sacrifice Aston Villa.
Seriously though, this is going to fuck a fair few lower league clubs. Southend can barely pay the players at the best of times.
I dunno what shape Gateshead's in since the takeover but it can't be good.
True. Don't think it's worth getting wound up about anyway. So long as you and yours are healthy. Just watch the shitshow play out and then at the end decide if it's become too grubby to associate with.
I'm sure you would Cov lad.
Lower league football is a different breed and I have no idea where you go with that. A few clubs will go under you'd imagine. A real shame as what else do you have in Southend, other than the local football team and wading through sewage on the seafront.
Well, if legit, we may have some wait for Football.
Presumably that means attended events.
Possibly. Although it's also a non-essential job with a high amount of close contact.
Extremely close contact. I've been physically closer to some oaf of a centre half who needs marking than some ex-girlfriends.
Somehow about prison.
Monday 11th May
England v Switzerland - 6:15pm - ITV Hub & ITV4
Tuesday 12th May
Spain v Bulgaria - 1pm - ITV Hub
Germany v Czech Republic - 4pm - ITV Hub
Denmark v Portugal - 7pm - ITV Hub
Wednesday 13th May
Scotland v Netherlands - 3pm - ITV Hub
France v Romania - 7pm - ITV Hub
Thursday 14th May
Italy v Russia - 3pm - ITV Hub
Croatia v Turkey - 7pm - ITV Hub
Friday 15th May
Bulgaria v Romania - 3pm - ITV Hub
Switzerland v Netherlands - 7pm - ITV Hub
Saturday 16th May
Portugal v Turkey - 1pm - ITV Hub
Czech Republic v Italy - 7pm - ITV Hub
Sunday 17th May
France v Spain - 3pm - ITV Hub
Scotland v England - 6:45pm - ITV4 & ITV Hub
Monday 18th May
Russia v Germany - 3pm - ITV Hub
Croatia v Denmark - 7pm - ITV Hub
Tuesday 19th May
France v Bulgaria - 7pm - ITV Hub
Romania v Spain - 7pm - ITV Hub
Wednesday 20th May
Scotland v Switzerland - 7pm - ITV Hub
Netherlands v England - 6:30pm - ITV4 & ITV Hub
Thursday 21st May
Croatia v Portugal - 7pm - ITV Hub
Turkey v Denmark - 7pm - ITV Hub
Friday 22nd May
Russia v Czech Republic - 7pm - ITV Hub
Italy v Germany - 7pm - ITV Hub
Saturday 23rd May
Quarter-Final 1 - 6:45pm - ITV4 & ITV Hub
Sunday 24th May
Quarter-Final 2 - 3pm - ITV Hub
Monday 25th May
Quarter-Final 3 - 3pm - ITV Hub
Tuesday 26th May
Quarter-Final 4 - 7pm - ITV Hub
Wednesday 27th May
Semi-Final 1 - 3pm - ITV Hub
Thursday 28th May
Semi-Final 2 - 6:40pm - ITV4 & ITV Hub
Friday 29th May
Final - 6:40pm - ITV4 & ITV Hub
I'm a twit
Ah, those heady days when we thought Hagi and Stoitchkov were in talks with Keegan over a move. We bloody should've instead of Shearer.
Can't wait for this.
It will confirm how shit the tournament was.
I do have a very strong suspicion that football from the mid 90s, at least in this country and at that tournament, was a bit crap.
The Switzerland game was an eye bleeder even at the time, so I can't see the passage of time treating it well at all.
Yeah, the Switzerland game was awful. Fucking Turkylmaz or whatever his name was. Was Woy the Boy their manager back then?
I think he was.
What’s this?
All of Euro 96 is being shown (sort of) as live on ITV.
The schedule for the European Ireland-hating championship (conducted this year via Zoom). Some countries have been practising hard since 2019 but I'm confident we'll retain the crown.
Why are there no fixtures for the knockout stages then? It’s already happened.
@Yev obviously.
England v Cameroon '90 is on the iplayer.
Because that’d be spoilers.
Although all the bold dates/ITV4 fixtures are England ones so that’s already a spoiler but I figured everyone knew where England got to, but mightn’t know what happened in the other groups, hence the teams being undecided.
I'm a twit
What you on about? England are playing tonight.
I'm a twit
It's been cancelled.
England about to kick off.
This is awesome. Such an innocence about the whole thing.
I’m pretty sure I’ve still got the Euro 96 ball at my mum and dads.
I'm a twit
A 39 year old Rodger Milla was the best player on the pitch. We really are shit.
The one we were never allowed to even bounce on the path, only on grass!
Henchoz will be hard to get past but they aren't much cop the Swiss. 2-0 for me.
Shouldn’t be starting Shearer, not good enough to do it in and England shirt. Get the youth of Fowler in for me. Disgusting we haven’t sent Gazza home too, won’t be starting coz he’s probably drunk.
Redknapp’s looking good.
I'm a twit
Pele comparing Dunga to Gazza.
This was just the beginning of Roy Hodgson's long career cock blocking England fans at major tournaments.
I'm shocked Steve Howey made the squad.
Finish.
Imagine VAR giving that goal as offside
Whinging about newfangled dohickeys.
Well, I enjoyed that you miserable pricks.
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