[Football] The “No Relegation” debate

ringmerseagulltoo · May 7, 2020

I have much sympathy with the view that neutral grounds should only be accepted if relegation would not follow. However, I also understand that this would result in matches becoming somewhat meaningless.

Would a compromise be that the bottom three Clubs remain in the Premier League, but start next season with negative points based on their end of season points tally?

The Optimist · May 7, 2020

No. Although I really don’t know what the solution is. I’m starting to think that this season should be declared null and void, all the alternatives just seem wrong.

Mellotron · May 7, 2020

If "No Relegation" was enforced I'm not convinced I'd even watch. It would then feel very much akin to heavily corporate pre-season friendlies, purely being played to meet financial and contractual obligations.

Grombleton · May 7, 2020

Mellotron said:
If "No Relegation" was enforced I'm not convinced I'd even watch. It would then feel very much akin to heavily corporate pre-season friendlies, purely being played to meet financial and contractual obligations.

This.

If holding the matches at neutral venues ruins the integrity of the game, then no relegation would kill it, hold its funeral and giggle manically as it shovels dirt into its grave.

Brian Fantana · May 7, 2020

Mellotron said:
If "No Relegation" was enforced I'm not convinced I'd even watch. It would then feel very much akin to heavily corporate pre-season friendlies, purely being played to meet financial and contractual obligations.

Agreed. This whole exercise has nothing to do with the integrity of the sport or the competition. If the broadcasters waived their fees that would be due back, the season would be declared void in a heartbeat, IMO.

herecomesaregular · May 7, 2020

Brian Fantana said:
Agreed. This whole exercise has nothing to do with the integrity of the sport or the competition. If the broadcasters waived their fees that would be due back, the season would be declared void in a heartbeat, IMO.

The old Liam Brady quote springs to mind: "if my Granny had balls she'd be my Grandad".

Triggaaar · May 7, 2020

ringmerseagulltoo said:
Would a compromise be that the bottom three Clubs remain in the Premier League, but start next season with negative points based on their end of season points tally?

No.

Tom Hark Preston Park · May 7, 2020

Mellotron said:
If "No Relegation" was enforced I'm not convinced I'd even watch. It would then feel very much akin to heavily corporate pre-season friendlies, purely being played to meet financial and contractual obligations.

Yup, this. Would reduce the remainder of the season to just a series of meaningless dead rubbers. There HAS to be something at stake for it to qualify as competitive sport worthy of anybody's attention shirley?

A1X · May 7, 2020

I just don't get why they're so desperate to restart the season. It makes no sense. Nothing (so far as I'm aware) is mathematically confirmed anywhere in the leagues so it's all scrapped. If you want to give Liverpool the title hold a vote among the other 19 PL clubs, simple majority to decide to award them it or not. Other than that, tough shit.

blue-shifted · May 7, 2020

We have to select one of a list of bad options.

The worst of these bad options is playing on without relegation.

There's a lively debate about which is the least worst option. I'm not sure too many will argue that no relegation isn't the worst choice we could take.

Barham's tash · May 7, 2020

The Premier League solution to this won’t be no relegation but most likely more money. Just throw money at the relegated clubs.

Increase parachute payments to give those relegated an even unfairer hand in the league below effectively bank rolling their squads to stay together for one more crack at getting back. An extra £30m should do it along with suspended FFP rules for next year.

Most likely we’d lose several players - Dunk, Pröpper and Bernardo for example - but the rest I expect would stay on proviso they take a modest pay cut (c25%) but with a huge bonus scheme to get straight back up - recoup the lost 25% on promotion and say additional 10% bonus on top.

blue-shifted · May 7, 2020

A1X said:
I just don't get why they're so desperate to restart the season. It makes no sense. Nothing (so far as I'm aware) is mathematically confirmed anywhere in the leagues so it's all scrapped. If you want to give Liverpool the title hold a vote among the other 19 PL clubs, simple majority to decide to award them it or not. Other than that, tough shit.

Have you really no idea?

Lincoln Imp · May 7, 2020

No relegation makes perfect sense if the season is curtailed early. If there is still football to play then it would turn almost all games into unwanted friendlies.

(If games are to be played our best hope is that our opponents regard them as can't-be-bothered friendlies. Notwithstanding the fact that player bonuses and club incomes are based on final league position, six of our remaining games might fall into this category.)

blue-shifted · May 7, 2020

Barham's tash said:
The Premier League solution to this won’t be no relegation but most likely more money. Just throw money at the relegated clubs.

Increase parachute payments to give those relegated an even unfairer hand in the league below effectively bank rolling their squads to stay together for one more crack at getting back. An extra £30m should do it along with suspended FFP rules for next year.

Most likely we’d lose several players - Dunk, Pröpper and Bernardo for example - but the rest I expect would stay on proviso they take a modest pay cut (c25%) but with a huge bonus scheme to get straight back up - recoup the lost 25% on promotion and say additional 10% bonus on top.

Plausible. The talk of not agreeing to complete the season without relegation, is the lower clubs, (including us) holding a gun to the heads of the non relegation threatened teams to give us a bigger slice of the pie to compensate us for voting to take the risk of continuing the season. The likes of Palace and other broke mid table teams will have to agree to it, because it will be a lot cheaper than handing back the sky money.

Napper · May 7, 2020

no relegation would be my choice.

Us not going down , can relax and watch some football whilst putting some money on it.

blue-shifted · May 7, 2020

Lincoln Imp said:
No relegation makes perfect sense if the season is curtailed early. If there is still football to play then it would turn almost all games into unwanted friendlies.

(If games are to be played our best hope is that our opponents regard them as can't-be-bothered friendlies. Notwithstanding the fact that player bonuses and club incomes are based on final league position, six of our remaining games might fall into this category.)

That's pretty optimistic. There won't be a single opposing manager who won't finish their team talk by reminding his players that we've publically admitted to being not up for playing these games.

Papa Lazarou · May 7, 2020

blue-shifted said:
Have you really no idea?

Are you going to tell them?

beorhthelm · May 7, 2020

Tom Hark said:
Yup, this. Would reduce the remainder of the season to just a series of meaningless dead rubbers. There HAS to be something at stake for it to qualify as competitive sport worthy of anybody's attention shirley?

its pointless, so why do it. and how are we sure Championship will be able to fullfill their fixtures to conclude their season and determine the 3 teams coming up, by no means clear. and they have the same problem with relegation, promotion from L1 (even tighter, about 8 teams in contention). and so on.

so to maintain sporting integrity all professional leagues need to complete or its just a sham.

East Staffs Gull · May 7, 2020

The TV companies are desperate to show competitive live football on TV. The EPL clubs need to oblige in order to avoid financial penalties. The solution: Create a new one-off tournament to last perhaps a couple of months. Games behind closed doors, but with one or more European places up for grabs. The EPL clubs should then be compelled to bail out the EFL.

Restart the 2019-20 season at some point in the far-off future, when it is safe and crowds can attend.

dazzer6666 · May 7, 2020

If I was a broadcaster I'd tell the PL to **** right off with this idea - contract is for screening of competitive matches that have something material riding on them, not a collection of soulless, fanless, neutral-ground, irrelevent friendlies between mostly youth squads because we don't want to injure our prize assets in a meaningless game. It's the worst of all options.

Either scrap it or get it done behind closed doors. If it's scrapped the EPL and broadcasters will come to some form of compromise over money - no way the TV companies will withhold everything and risk ruining their long term interests for the sake of one season. Pain will be shared.

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[Football] The “No Relegation” debate

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