OxfordVillan

Make no mistake, this break in proceedings has helped us. We were on a downward curve, in pretty poor form, not looking like scoring, tired, shell shocked. McGinn will now be at the same level of fitness as every other player when we resume, rather than needing a few games to get up to match speed. Our summer recruits from overseas will have had time to rest & reflect, it’ll almost be like their 2nd season upon resumption of play. Overall we were looking the most out of sorts team in the league.

The use of the word “integrity” is merely just that, a word. They don’t mean it. They’re just looking at ways to satisfy a small number of the elite. The Premier League lost integrity a long time ago. The only way to maintain integrity would be to finish this season in front of crowds, whenever that might be. They could have come out with a statement of that at any time, but they don’t. And the reason they don’t is because they’re working out what to do, with finance being the thing that this is being worked out around. Money comes 1st, 2nd, & 3rd. If integrity means finance then yeah, they must maintain the integrity of the competition

As things are developing, I don’t see anyone being able to sue anyone else should the season be declared void. What is happening falls very much under the umbrella of “act of god”. When governments are doing the things they are having to do then there really is no hope of suing for any perceived breach of contracts. Everyone is having to take a haircut. This is an unprecedented and unavoidable event. Football rules have long been in place, seasons to be completed by June 1st. That already seems to have been pushed back to June 30th. If the season cannot complete by then due to continuing government restrictions, nobody could reasonably argue that everything hasn’t been tried to complete. There are more reasonable legal actions waiting if they change long standing rules and timeframes to disadvantage any clubs going into a delayed and squeezed “next season”. I just think that the whole idea of massive legal actions if season gets voided might be being overstated

I’m with you on this. And I strongly disagree with the idea being touted that we throw out the FA & League Cups for the “2020/21” season so as to be able to cram in “next” season when this season is finalised. How about the “big” clubs go without European football for a season, instead? Or is that too much money to be lost for the big boys?! The feeling is more than creeping up that domestic football can go f**k itself whilst the elite keep strolling on. If that scenario happens, then every football league club, bar the top 4 in the Premier League, may as well resign and tell those clubs to go play in a European super league. I definitely see this crisis being used as leverage to drop some domestic games to support the elite European teams.

What the football authorities haven’t given, yet, is an unequivocal commitment to complete the 2019/20 season. Similar to what the chancellor of the exchequer said a couple of evenings ago, they could be saying something along the lines of, “whatever it takes, whatever the circumstances, this season will be completed. If that requires finishing this season next year, or the year after, then so be it. Whatever it takes”. And I’m not against that. All I would stipulate is that as and when games do start being played again, it is with stadiums full of fans, as it was a few weeks ago.

Possibly worth noting that Glastonbury has been cancelled, was due to take place June 24-28th.

Thursday (Tomorrow) for Premier League meeting. EFL had meeting today and have stated that they want to complete the season to protect the integrity of the competition, words we’ve heard from media ppl. They also say they are in close contact with the Premier League. Expect more of the same from tomorrows Premier League meeting, words about maintaining integrity, blah blah blah. Integrity is something the Premier League left behind long ago. Let’s see if the EFL are prepared to throw aside the FA & League Cups for a season to complete this season. Because the only way, currently, that this season gets finished is by running into what would be the 2020/21 season. And to repeat what I said in an earlier post, no behind closed doors games. If maintaining integrity is so important then all clubs must play ALL league games under the same conditions, with fans present to roar on home teams. That’s called home advantage, and 60% of our remaining games are home ties. Under no circumstances do we lose that advantage that others have enjoyed for 75% of the season.

As I’ve said in a post, Villa and other clubs should fight the idea of behind closed door games tooth and nail. All notion of home advantage is gone, other clubs have already benefited from home advantage in the reverse fixture and therefore its not a level playing field. We have 6 of our final 10 games at Villa Park. If we’re to complete the 2019/20 season then it HAS to be under the exact same circumstances as games that have gone before, ie with fans present at the games.

What will be, will be. If we have to play the final 10 games then I’m obviously not against that. What I’m against is playing those final 10 games in a way that disadvantages us compared to games that have gone before. By that I mean playing games behind closed doors when the majority of our games left are home games, thereby losing any notion of “home” advantage that any visiting club has already benefited from in the reverse fixture. I’d expect AVFC, and others, to fight tooth and nail against any move to play these games behind closed doors. If the powers that be can **** Villa over then they will, I’ve got a nagging doubt in the back of my head that keeps telling me that they are going to try and get “results” to this season come hell or high water. If you watch back on the TV footage of Purslow leaving that Premier League meeting he doesn’t seem happy to me, he seems agitated and offers a belligerent answer about the Premier League powers, sarcastically saying something along the line of “we’ve got excellent premier league bosses”. We’ll have to wait and see, but I do have that feeling that any decision made will not be to our advantage. It just doesn’t work out like that for Villa, ever!

I think what we’re seeing/hearing is the process that uefa/authorities have to go through, legally. They have to be seen to have tried every option possible to complete the season in a reasonable timescale. When the inevitable abandonment of the season happens, potential legal actions are nullified. The next part I expect to hear is the reported date of June 30th for ALL domestic football seasons to have been completed. For that to happen would require a minimum 5wks for the Premier League, which would mean returning to games by, latest, May 23rd. The peak of this virus is predicted late May into June. So games would need to restart at the expected PEAK of this outbreak. I really don’t imagine many clubs/players/staff etc wanting to return then.

I assume that you’re in possession of all the detail on our FFP situation, of player talks we may have had in January (or before), agents demands, etc etc? Because I’m pretty sure that Villa didn’t set out in January to derail their own Premier League chances. I’d imagine there were some firm plans in place in December, ready for January. And then in the space of 2-3wks we lost our 1st choice GK, CF, and CM to season ending injuries, or near season ending in McGinns case. That’s 3 Premier League 1st teamers to replace in January, over and above what you thought you needed already. And FFP has to be adhered to. And not many decent players want to go to clubs at the wrong end of the table. And neither you nor I have any idea of the players available, whether they’d have come, or the FFP implications. What I do feel more certain about is that those in charge of these things didn’t set out to do anything other than the best they could under the circumstances that we don’t know about.

Seems to me, the way things are headed, that any decision other than to void the season will fly in the face of everything else going on. Anyone seeking to carry on for financial or personal reasons will be in the middle of a PR shitstorm. And rightly so. Almost every other industry/profession is being told to stay at home, to socially isolate where possible. The football authorities have no other viable option other than to void either this season or next season, ie if this season is to be completed then it’ll have to happen sometime into what would be the 20/21 season.

I don’t think Dean has been a success this season, indeed I think he has displayed a certain naivety in this 1st season back in the top flight. But sometimes you have to be patient, be careful what you wish for etc. The Premier League is an incredibly hard place to be successful, whatever successful means to individual clubs. I look around at other clubs and there aren’t actually many content sets of fans! Spurs have a multiple winner as manager and they’re not happy, Southampton fans were apoplectic earlier in the season, Newcastle fans unhappy with Bruce, Arsenal fans unhappy. I think our situation this season is down to more factors than just the manager. We’re inexperienced almost top to bottom of the club, Purslow the exception. We HAD to buy the numbers we bought to get a squad together, and because of FFP that meant that Premier League experience would be thin on the ground. I think dean underestimated how difficult the Premier League would be, and there’s a case for him not adapting soon enough. But there are also some clear examples of awful decisions that have gone against us, costing us pts and ultimately a bit of confidence. What I’m trying to say is that a few clubs have demanded change, and been worse off by changing. I don’t see anyone out there right now that is better placed than what we currently have, and is obtainable or viable. If we remained an Premier League club next season and Pochettino was still available then it’d probably be good business to try and get him, if he could be persuaded. That’d be the type of appointment that I could understand. But FWIW I’d be sticking with Dean Smith to November next season, regardless of which league we’re in. Unless something exceptional happens which dictates a more hasty departure.

What I’ve been thinking https://www.givemesport.com/1555108-fourteen-clubs-need-to-vote-to-void-the-premier-league-which-clubs-will-vote-for-what

How do you think sacking Dean Smith during a football shutdown due to a pandemic would look, what type of press coverage do you think we’d receive? I’ve read some of your posts above where you say you don’t know who should replace Dean Smith and that’s the job of the owners, but I beg to differ. By calling for a sacking you have to have a good idea of the replacement, otherwise your argument is mute. Which alternative to Dean Smith is viable, better qualified, obtainable? Unless you can give solid answers to the aforementioned, you’re calling for a sacking with no idea of any credible replacement. And that’s not particularly clever.

The problem you’d have with that is the relegated clubs from Premier League will say that a few weeks is not enough to make the required changes needed. And sponsors of cup competitions will, rightly, argue for big compensation if other football goes ahead whilst their expensively sponsored competition gets shelved. Then there’s out of contract players and the transfer window to think about. Do we allow clubs to buy new players for the final 10 games? Or what if a club,such as Villa, lose a player like Grealish? Would that be fair for the final 10 games? Because it’d harm Grealishs career if he was forced to play the final 10 games of this season, get relegated, and have no transfer window following that to go to a club in the Premier League. The potential ramifications of trying to finish this season past June are huge. I honestly think that the football authorities need to start thinking of majority member voting to give any decisions some substance. And IMO I think a majority of members would vote to void the season.

I read something over the weekend where a sports lawyer said that the best legal option was to void the season, that was option that would bring the least problems. Im guessing, but it’s possible this will come down to what the FA & Premier League authorities rule, guided by a vote of its members, ie the clubs. So if the Premier League decided to void the season, backed by a majority of Premier League clubs, then they’d be in a stronger legal position. Ditto the FA. Majority vote could come into play.

Personally I’m crying tears of laughter at the prospect of the season being voided and Liverpool once again missing out on a Premier League title. Couldn’t happen to anyone else more deserving, effing horrible football club with effing horrible fans. This would be karma as far as I’m concerned, karma for their 5hitty fans getting English football banned from all European competition in the 80s, costing the likes of Oxford Utd history making games in European competition. Liverpool FC, ashamed of nothing, offended by everything. Heysel, Hillsborough. Always somebody else’s fault. Give them a pat on the back, say well done but unlucky, and void the season. 8ollox to them!

IMO there are only two viable options, the season either gets completed or it gets voided. Anything else would bring multiple protests/legal actions. As somebody above has said, if the season is voided then the reality is that that nobody has won or lost anything, only theoretical outcomes. The peak of this virus is predicted in June, can we realistically expect to be back to “normal” before then? I’d say no chance. So unless the authorities are prepared to scrap domestic cups, European competitions etc, and finish this season into the autumn and then immediately run into the 2020/21 season, then there is no chance of completing the current season. I can’t imagine any of the sponsors of cup competitions being content with the scrapping of them. This will have to be a majority European decision on the voiding or continuation of football seasons.

The peak of this virus is predicted to be 10-14wks time, that’d take us well into June. That’s far too late to complete the season. Today is the 1st time I’ve honestly started thinking that the season could be voided. I think the powers that be will soon be discussing how/where to distribute money as fairly as possible. There will have to be exceptions to FFP, and no doubt solidarity payments from the premier league.

Try reading all posts related to this! Personally think sucking the arse of moderators is poor form!!

Perhaps I’m in a minority of 1, but I’m not too concerned about the odd training ground set-to?! Obviously it depends how far he went, but if it is just a bust up over a tackle or something like that in training, then so what? We need a nasty bastard or two in the team, someone to get a bit growly and not take any crap. As a team I don’t think we’re in any position to cast players aside for moral reasons, and so unless Drinkwater is causing unrest amongst the rest of the players then for me he stays and we try to get some value from our outlay. His value to Chelsea at this moment is near Nil, come the summer we might be looking at Drinkwater as just the type we need to get us back out of the championship, and he might be a steal.

Flash the cash?? I was talking of a stake of £20........hardly gambling the house away! I think some of you are missing the point, the point being that somebody who was prepared to say we were so crap he gave us a less than 2% chance of winning didn’t find it quite as easy to back up those words. Because it’s easy to just say something, isn’t it? Unfortunately your punt at psychological analysis does, unfortunately, come up a tad short. But thank you for your thoughts in these stressful times.

Well you did say Villa had less than a 2% chance of beating Chelsea, so thought that you might have the courage of your convictions. Obviously not. Anyway, happy to park this and be done with it, thanks for your counter offer but I’ll also respectfully decline.

The league games will be played, the season will finish as normal. All behind closed doors in empty stadiums.