Settle The Season – Don’t Void It

Will the current football season make its weary way over the line?

Life is more important than football whatever some of the great football scholars may have said on the matter. It’s hard to envisage a scenario where players are running around in close contact with each other, spitting on the turf while the rest of the world has to remain at least 2 metres apart.

Plenty of people are saying cancellation will cause untold financial problems to the clubs but the coronavirus is not the only cause of that. For a long time now clubs have been living beyond their means with many struggling to stay afloat on a daily basis. The virus has served to highlight those problems.

In the early days of the virus we were keen for football to attempt to finish the season. It would certainly have provided a much-needed boost to everybody stuck indoors with the excitement of a 9-game season to help brighten the mood. Now the extent of the outbreak is becoming clearer that doesn’t seem feasible any more.

Why are there calls to void the season? 29 out of 38 games have been played – over three quarters of the matches. The majority of the action has been played yet I know there will be people claiming that this isn’t the final result and anything could happen in those final games. Well, a lot can happen, but anything?

Look at the tables. Teams have worked hard throughout the season to get where they are. The chances of Liverpool not being crowned champions are virtually non-existent but the main point is that they are there on merit.

Taking the positions of where teams are now, adjusting for a points per game average to allow for games in hand, is about the fairest way to progress.

There will be clubs who will be upset but let’s take the Championship as an example.

To void the season would be remarkably unfair on Leeds and WBA who have dominated the division for a long time now. Fulham might like to claim that they are in the mix but, in their heart of hearts, must be preparing for a play-off spot. Below them teams just outside the play-offs could be reasonably disappointed by a settlement but, based on what’s fair, I suggest that they would only be slightly disgruntled.

Preston would be a beneficiary of a play-off place when that could be arranged but, again, they are there on merit and have done the hard work to be in that position. Perhaps you plan for play-offs but if these cannot be arranged provide a boost to the team just below the automatic promotion positions and give them the ticket to the higher division or a play-off against the potential relegated side. Somebody would be happy.

At the bottom Luton and Barnsley would have been fearing the worst already. Charlton would be incredibly upset to be relegated but their current form does little to suggest they have the wherewithal to escape trouble. If I were a Coventry fan I would be outraged to think that this season counted for nothing.

All the way through the divisions you wonder how voiding the leagues makes any sense.

Bolton and Southend would have been thinking they needed a miracle (in this case a catastrophic event) to stay up with Swindon and Crewe anticipating promotion from League 2.

Only 1 trap-door place open in League 2 and Stevenage have done little to suggest they wouldn’t be standing right over it at the end of the season.

All the way through the divisions there are several teams who would like to see the season voided but not many who have a valid claim as to why that’s a reasonable thing to do. Even Norwich fans would struggle to claim they have done enough to be given another crack at the Premier league for next year.

I suspect that the outcome will be down to who has the hardest hitting lawyers. Does relegation for Aston Villa trump the claims of Leeds United in court?

For once it would be heart warming if authorities arrived at a sensible conclusion and clubs accepted it or even vote on it and a decision be binding.

Looking slightly further ahead it would also eradicate several issues for the next season . Who should be playing in the Champions League? Well, the teams in the relevant positions when the season was brought to a close.

Job done, apart from a pending legal claim by Manchester City.