The Premier League held their latest meeting at the end of last week, nothing was decided and any decisions were avoided. The top flight of English football remains committed to finishing the 2019/20 campaign at some point in a very unclear future.
Most clubs have nine games remaining, including AFC Bournemouth, others, most notably Premier League relegation rivals Aston Villa have ten fixtures to complete.
According to Sky Sports “clubs were shown different models for games restarting and being played in June, July and August, but the Premier League reiterated that the season will not resume until the government declares it is safe to do so.”
The article added…
Issues surrounding medical protocols at any future games were also discussed, with all players, coaches and match officials needing to be tested before games could be played behind closed doors.
No representative in attendance raised the idea of finishing the season by June 30 and the issues of pay cuts and transfer windows were also not debated.
Football’s world governing body FIFA has previously approved proposals to extend players contracts to a new unspecified date when it is clearer how and when the new campaign can indeed conclude. This also includes new contracts that players have agreed with new clubs to commence at the start of any new campaign.
These moves could affect AFC Bournemouth players Ryan Fraser, Simon Francis, Andrew Surman, Artur Boruc and Jordon Ibe who are all out-of-contract at Dean Court at the end of the season.
Transfer windows will also be suspended and amended when the picture becomes clearer.
Whilst it isn’t clear if the Premier League will adopt these measures, it does give scope for the Premier League to potentially complete the season during the months of June, July and August. Especially with the UEFA European Championships having been postponed until 2021.
But what happens if the government do not give approval for the Premier League to recommence and the season has to curtailed without completion?
Domestically, in the non-league levels, it has been decided to declare the campaign null and void, expunging results from the record books with no promotion or relegation through those tiers. This has been how things have happened historically when a season has had to be suspended and ended early.
In other countries such as Scotland and Belgium, they have looked at ending the season with the current tables standings becoming the final standings. In those counties the important positions such as the title winners and relegation places were more clear cut than in England, leaving this option rather messy. It would also see AFC Bournemouth relegated, despite being level on points with two other clubs, due to a goal difference of one single goal. A harsh way to be relegated under normal circumstances, but when the table is frozen prematurely, it would be very hard to take.
An amendment to that proposal could see a temporary expansion to the division, with no relegation but two new teams being promoted from the Championship.
Other apparent options appear to be using manufactured ways of creating a completed league table. With either standard points per game tally, which would also see AFC Bournemouth relegated if it remains three down and three up from the Championship, but would see AFC Bournemouth avoid the drop if only two clubs are promoted from the Championship (given the play-off situation is unlikely to be resolved).
Using a weighted calculation of using points per game for remaining home and away games to predict the remaining games of the season. This complicated method would see Watford, Aston Villa and Norwich relegated, if the boffins chose to complicate it further by adding historical data to the calculation, then once again the Cherries would be relegated.
The only other non-manufacturered way to determine the season would be to go with a table formed by the results of every club playing each other once. Some clubs would indeed have had the benefit of more home games and the advantages that brings, but at least this method would be natural with games having also previously been played. This would see AFC Bournemouth avoid the drop.
Your say…
kirsikka wrote…
Whilst to us, as AFCB fans, all these different formulae seem fairer and more equitable and so on, if you are forced to end the season early I can only see them going with the tables as is.
That’s what happened in Belgium. That’s what’s happened in Scotland. There have been no talks about any fancy calculations taking place there. Why would the PL do it any different, especially when the only club those different methods would save is us?
Whilst I don’t think there is particular antipathy towards us from the other clubs, for the most part, I’m pretty sure some of them think we’ve run our course up here now and they’d rather have a team with a big stadium and traditional football following. Like one of those that happen to be sitting at the top of the Championship.
Sure, we can try and take it to CAS but I suspect we’d lose. They’d say it’s unfortunate but the motion needed 14 clubs to vote for it and it got 16 or 17 out of 20. Tough luck but that’s life.
I hate to appear a miserabilist but if the season doesn’t resume I think we will be the big losers from it. – Join the conversation, click here.
