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Scouseinthehouse said:
Liverpool set to be given Premier League title amid coronavirus chaos
Options for next season include a 22-team Premier League, possibly played to dovetail with the winter World Cup

ByBen Rumsby ; Jason Burt ; Sam Wallace and Matt Law13 March 2020 • 10:18pm

Liverpool are still likely to be crowned Premier League champions, even if the coronavirus crisis causes the season to be abandoned amid mounting fears it would be impossible to complete it this summer.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport last month, there is no regulation governing what happens if the 2019-20 campaign is curtailed. But a senior club executive revealed on Friday night that there was little opposition to awarding Jurgen Klopp’s men their first English title for 30 years following what threatened to be the longest suspension of the professional game since the Second World War.

Leaders Liverpool are 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City and two more victories for the Anfield club will give them the title. Such is the gap that there is no appetite among their rivals to deny them the crown.

The coronavirus hiatus is in danger of plunging football in England into anarchy, with governing bodies and clubs desperately trying to devise ways to avoid the unprecedented meltdown that could ensue if Government projections over the spread of the deadly disease prove correct.


On a day when more sport fell by the wayside, including the London Marathon, the Masters, Wales’s Six Nations match with Scotland, England’s cricket tour of Sri Lanka, the start of the Formula One season, and the Giro d’Italia, one senior figure at a Premier League team told Telegraph Sport: “There is so much more at stake. There is a focus on whether Liverpool will be champions, but that will be an irrelevance in the scheme of things. There is an intent we will recommence, but will that be possible?”

The Premier League had devised a plan in which the season would finish on schedule provided it resumed on April 3. That was the date to which it, the English Football League and Football Association agreed to suspend the men’s and women’s professional game following crisis talks on Friday. But with the virus forcing seven Premier League clubs yesterday to put players into isolation and the disease not forecast to peak until May or June, an April resumption appeared optimistic in the extreme.

FA chairman Greg Clarke told Premier League clubs it was not “feasible” to expect their remaining matches to be played, while another senior figure told Telegraph Sport: “You tell me whether you think there’s the remotest possibility that anything in the science is going to tell us that it’s going to be safer to play on April 3 than now.”

This summer’s European Championship is expected to be postponed at an emergency meeting of European football stakeholders on Tuesday in order to allow the club season to continue into June and July – and potentially even beyond.

The same senior figure raised the prospect of the calendar being redrawn to dovetail with the next World Cup in Qatar, the switch of which to the winter of 2022 had already been accommodated by the game.

“One scenario could be that you just work backwards from it and you say, ‘Why don’t we have a calendar season in 2022 and a calendar season in 2021 and we play the rest of this season in October?’” he said.

But many players will be out of contract on June 30 and will also have lost match fitness, raising major questions about the integrity of competitions.

Calling a halt to the season would be no less chaotic. That has resulted in discussions taking place inside some Premier League teams over proposals that could be put forward if the season could not be played to a conclusion. One would be to void the season, but there is an acceptance that would cause many of its own problems with Liverpool so close to winning the title.

There would also be the issues of relegation and promotion from the Championship, together with Champions League qualification, which carry huge financial implications for the clubs involved.

One proposal that could be made would be for the top two in the Championship, currently Leeds and West Brom, to be promoted and for 22 teams to compete in next season’s Premier League. The EFL Cup would be postponed for one year to allow extra space in the fixture list and five clubs, instead of three, would be relegated at the end of the season.

One suggestion regarding Champions League qualification would be to allow the teams who qualified for this season’s tournament to keep their places next season and then enter any additional sides currently in qualification positions into an expanded qualifying phase.

That would mean third-placed Leicester going into a qualifying round for the Champions League, with Liverpool, Manchester City – subject to the Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing – Chelsea and Tottenham holding on to their places in the tournament. But Manchester United, Wolves and Sheffield United, who are all above seventh-placed Spurs, would no doubt object to this.

Christian Purslow, the Aston Villa chief executive, attended Friday's emergency meeting of the Premier League. Asked if he thought the current season will be completed, he replied: “We have no idea. Let’s hope so.”

Failure to do so would in turn jeopardise billions of pounds in television money, with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters having already stressed to clubs in an email on Thursday night that “contractual commitments” needed to be taken into consideration.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, it would also risk sending EFL clubs – who depend on match-day revenue – out of business. That might be one reason why the non-League game did not follow the lead of its professional counterpart yesterday by calling off matches.
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****** mess and a half. Legit no correct way to do this as someone or one club will have a problem with any solution made. Rightly so as well. Pffft.
 
I mean 80% of season is played so it would be silly if they just made it all void. Far as I'm concerned every league should award promotion but no relegation, leader at the time of suspension gets the title and people who are in CL/EL palces at the time of suspension qualify to these competitions. Seems sensible enough.
 
No way this will work Tyton, you've got Utd, Sheff Utd, and Spurs all competing for CL places... they're just going to accept being in Europa for another season. This has massive implications for clubs both on and off the pitch.

Also 5th place is a CL spot if Fifa have the bollox to keep up the City ban.
 
Tough luck, they should compete harder and be in top 4 at the time of suspension. I only see two ways to solve this. One, as I described, two, just void everything and reset the entire season come September. First one is much more fair since at least it would award the title and European spots based on what happened on the pitch.
 
Don’t mind Pool getting the title as much as it pains me. But the other clubs that are fighting for things such as promotion, relegation, European places there’s just to much at stake to leave as is and can’t see clubs agreeing to what Tyton is suggesting. Surely the euros will be cancelled though.
 
It's a tricky one, isn't it? There's no precedent for this obviously to draw from so someones going to be unhappy whatever they ultimately decide.

On the one hand, there's a historical, ridiculous 25 point gap. With a League that's been over for months now.

On the other, it's still 'mathematically' possible for City to win the league with L'pool needing anything up to 6 points.

So, if the season was cancelled, and L'pool anointed Champions, then, aside from all the other places to sort out, (Europe/ promotion and relegation etc), there'd always be that 'they never really won the league'slight being levelled at them. Utter bunkum of course. But you know it'd be forever slung.

I hope at the very least we can somehow get the next couple of games played and put that totally to bed. (Ironically, the first game 'due' back after this break will be at City. Which would clinch the league with a win. But there's next to no chance of that game going ahead and they'll doubtless be another suspension to get through and see where we are again.). It wouldn't totally sit right with me for the league to be cancelled and L'pool to be declared Champions.

I mean they definitely deserve to be crowned as such for the magnificent year they've had and if people look at this objectively without club rivalry I don't think anyone rationale would disagree. L'pool being this years Champions shouldn't really be an issue if the integrity of the major football league in the World is to remain intact. But this isn't just about L'pool. And that's what troubles me most. There are the likes of Sheff Utd, who I think I' right in saying have never played in Europe in their entire history, looking not only nailed on for that but who are battling Wolves and Manchester United hard for a Champions League slot. Leeds United, having their best season in 16 LONG years trying to return to where they fell from back in 2004. West Brom, on the last year of their 'parachute' payment. If they can't go up, that squad is likely to be totally ripped apart and sold off. All the playoff teams below them in the Championship. And so on right through the football league. If the season was cancelled and declared null and void, you're putting not only a whole host of peoples livelihoods at stake but some clubs very existence.

I really don't know how you resolve this when we're at the total disposal of nature/ God/ wherever this horror we find ourselves fighting against has come from? And it's not helped by clubs just looking after there own self-interests as we've seen again today with that gobshite Brady and West Ham wanting the league vetoed. Funny that as they are in SERIOUS danger of going down as we currently stand!

All we can do is take a 'wait and see' approach and hope against hope, as much as I fear it will, it doesn't get to a complete cancellation of the season and these decisions have to be made.
 
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The clubs can disagree but like I said, tough luck, there's onlly one impartial criteria - points in the table. Points are impartial, any other solution would have to involve some backroom shady deals.
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
It's a tricky one, isn't it? There's no precedent for this obviously to draw from so someones going to be unhappy whatever they ultimately decide.

On the one hand, there's a historical, ridiculous 25 point gap. With a League that's been over for months now.

On the other, it's still 'mathematically' possible for City to win the league with L'pool needing anything up to 6 points.

So, if the season was cancelled, and L'pool anointed Champions, then, aside from all the other places to sort out, (Europe/ promotion and relegation etc), there'd always be that 'they never really won the league'slight being levelled at them. Utter bunkum of course. But you know it'd be forever slung.

I hope at the very least we can somehow get the next couple of games played and put that totally to bed. (Ironically, the first game 'due' back after this break will be at City. Which would clinch the league with a win. But there's next to no chance of that game going ahead and they'll doubtless be another suspension to get through and see where we are again.). It wouldn't totally sit right with me for the league to be cancelled and L'pool to be declared Champions.

I mean they definitely deserve to be crowned as such for the magnificent year they've had and if people look at this objectively without club rivalry I don't think anyone rationale would disagree. L'pool being this years Champions shouldn't really be an issue if the integrity of the major football league in the \world is to remain intact. But this isn't just about L'pool. And that's what troubles me most. There are the likes of Sheff Utd, who I think I' right in saying have never played in Europe in their entire history, looking not only nailed on for that but who are battling Wolves and Manchester United hard for a Champions League slot. Leeds United, having their best season in 16 LONG years trying to return to where they fell from back in 2004. West Brom, on the last year of their 'parachute' payment. If they can't go up, that squad is likely to be totally ripped apart and sold off. All the playoff teams below them in the Championship. And so on right through the football league. If the season was cancelled and declared null and void, you're putting not only a whole host of peoples livelihoods at stake but some clubs very existence.

I really don't know how you resolve this when we're at the total disposal of nature/ God/ wherever this horror we find ourselves fighting against has come from? And it's not helped by clubs just looking after there own self-interests as we've seen again today with that gobshite Brady and West Ham wanting the league vetoed. Funny that as they are in SERIOUS danger of going down as we currently stand!

All we can do is take a 'wait and see' approach and hope against hope, as much as I fear it will, it doesn't get to a complete cancellation of the season and these decisions have to be made.
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Great post ??
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
Our manager. From the heart and not some standard PR bollocks.

More honest, compassionate and dignified than most World leaders could communicate on the current Worldwide crisis-

www.liverpoolfc.com

Jürgen Klopp's message to supporters

Jürgen Klopp has today issued the following message to supporters following the Premier League's decision to postpone all football activity until April 3 at the earliest.
www.liverpoolfc.com www.liverpoolfc.com
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1238785024884903942
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1238885210831425537

I could not be prouder than to have this group of players representing this City and football club that bears its name.

The wonderful fella' that the manager is sets the tone. But they ALL TOTALLY get it.

PROPER F Scousers every last one of them!
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www.liverpoolfc.com

LFC backs Fans Supporting Foodbanks with £40k donation during league suspension

Liverpool's first-team squad, LFC Foundation, Red Neighbours and club staff will come together to back Fans Supporting Foodbanks during the suspension of Premier League football.
www.liverpoolfc.com www.liverpoolfc.com

I loved reading within that too that 25% of all donations for the North Liverpool Foodbank are received on matchdays at both clubs.

I don't live in the perfect City by any means. And we still have a lot of social problems like anywhere else. But this just reiterates the sense of community here and taking care of our own.

Massive kudos to the people of the City, and anyone else that travels in on a matchday and brings food and supplies to help out those less fortunate.

Really heartwarming pride at doing the right thing where you can.
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
www.liverpoolfc.com

LFC backs Fans Supporting Foodbanks with £40k donation during league suspension

Liverpool's first-team squad, LFC Foundation, Red Neighbours and club staff will come together to back Fans Supporting Foodbanks during the suspension of Premier League football.
www.liverpoolfc.com www.liverpoolfc.com

I loved reading within that too that 25% of all donations for the North Liverpool Foodbank are received on matchdays at both clubs.

I don't live in the perfect City by any means. And we still have a lot of social problems like anywhere else. But this just reiterates the sense of community here and taking care of our own.

Massive kudos to the people of the City, and anyone else that travels in on a matchday and brings food and supplies to help out those less fortunate.

Really heartwarming pride at doing the right thing where you can.
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On something similar generosity wise. Fair doos to CR for converting all his hotels in Portugal into hospitals and paying for all the staffs wages himself.
 
Theatre of Dreams83 said:
On something similar generosity wise. Fair doos to CR for converting all his hotels in Portugal into hospitals and paying for all the staffs wages himself.
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Awesome.

Really is a top fella' him. The work and generosity he does away from the limelight is superb.

But idiots just see the ultra-professional persona that has him down as one of the genuine GOAT football players and paint a totally false picture of the guy.
 
www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: English football suspension extended until at least 30 April

English football will be suspended until at least 30 April because of the continuing coronavirus outbreak.
www.bbc.co.uk

The FA’s Rules and Regulations state that “the season shall terminate not later than the 1 June”…However, our Board has agreed for this limit to be extended indefinitely for the 2019-20 season in relation to professional football.

Additionally, we’ve collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than Thursday 30 April.

The progress of COVID-19 remains unclear and we can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.


'..... Just like the team, that's gonna' win the Football League ..... '

And a MASSIVE FU to Karen Brady the S*n loving ____! SERIOUSLY hope West Ham go down!
 
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Theatre of Dreams83 said:
On something similar generosity wise. Fair doos to CR for converting all his hotels in Portugal into hospitals and paying for all the staffs wages himself.
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Utter bulllshit for social media sheep to repost.
None of the Pestana CR7 Hotels have or will be turned into hospitals.
Are you going to tell me to rub Vicks on my feet for a cold next?
 
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