Well, things are unravelling at quite a pace. No sooner had Arsenal announced that Mikel Arteta had been downed by the cursed Covid-19, Leicester, Chelsea, Bournemouth and City also leaked that they had players and staff being isolated.
The Premier League, facing pressure from all angles eventually did the right thing and announced a suspension of the season until at least early April.
This still felt a bit fantastical, but it at least kept the season alive. Today, the reality is dawning on many that the season has a very, very low chance of seeing its logical conclusion. The UK Gov scientists, whilst pushing their odd strategy of herd immunity, have declared that they don’t think we’ll be hitting Peak-Covid-19 until the middle of June. By then, any hope of rescuing the season will be well and truly buried.
So before we jump into that, the good news is Mikel has told the virus that he is disappointed in it and it’s not living up to his exacting principles of the game.
‘Of course I am disappointed, this is not how we want to play’
He’s beating it into shape and expected to make a full recovery. It’s great to see the world of football fandom supporting his recovery tweets. Look at those numbers man, outrageous.
Thanks for your words and support.Feeling better already.We’re all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge.Everyone’s health is all that matters right now.Protect each other by following the guidelines & we’ll come through this together.Well done PL for making the right decisions pic.twitter.com/0rnwHmQWha
— Mikel Arteta (@m8arteta) March 13, 2020
In Le Grove news, we had our first victim of the virus. Ernest from the comments, we all wish you and your wife the speediest of recoveries. That goes for anyone else, BIG love from this .co.uk.
So back to the Premier League.
This situation could turn into a bit of a debacle for fans, clubs and players.
Settling the League
I think we’re all fairly ok with the idea of handing Liverpool the title. It works out nicely for everyone. Obviously they won, but their fans can never obnoxiously bray about it. Firstly, they won it part-time. Secondly, they were beaten (lololol). They’ll never have full bragging rights because they didn’t finish it from a mathematically conclusive position. They’ve basically won Wembley Doubles on the technicality that the sun went down and there are no floodlights in the park… there’s also a guy in the bushes who looks like a pervert.
Imagine the song:
‘We won the league, we won the league because of Covid-niiinteeen’
The big question is what happens to the positions of the other clubs? Karen Brady has said she thinks they should be given their positions from last season.
‘Suspension or cancellation of the league was always a certainty.’
‘There is no dodging the possibility that all levels in the EFL, as well as the Premier League, will have to be cancelled and this season declared null and void because if the players can’t play the games can’t go ahead.’
This comment stands out more aggressively than a sneezer on the tube. She’s laid her stake in the ground early on. It’s very crass. But if we dig into the reality of what that would mean… it’d take Arsenal to 5th in the league and back into the Champions League.
Clubs in yellow would benefit from the PL season being voided. If City’s ban is upheld, Arsenal stand to be the biggest winners of all after finishing 5th last year. United would be among biggest losers with two trophies to play for & implications to their Adidas deal #MUFC pic.twitter.com/VHoHvVfFS2
— James Robson (@jamesrobsonES) March 14, 2020
Am I going to fight this sort of righteous thinking? Absolutely not. I kid, I kid. It’d be lunacy to dumb it down to something like that. Next years football season wouldn’t start, there’d be protests strong than Steve Bruce in that cup game, and a whole host of clubs would file legal complaints. Remember, right now 12th to 5th is only 8 points. You could literally have Everton lodging a complaint here. It might be unrealistic, but on paper, it’s far from it.
How would you decide who was relegated? 20th to 16th is currently a gap of 6 points. That is NOTHING.
Who would tell Leeds and WBA that they weren’t allowed into the Premier League next season? How do you decide the playoffs? 6th to 13th has a miserly 6 points splitting them!
It’s almost too complicated to engage with. You look at the dramz it’d cause, you wonder if there is any way they can cancel the season? Maybe they have to pick it up again. Maybe the entire football calendar globally has the chance to be resynced to something more normal. How would you feel about the season starting in January and running through the summer? I’d be down for it. Let’s fucking do it. Summer football here we come!
The money
Soooo, about the cash/money. Firstly, Arsenal are going to lose about £10m in gate receipts. Then there’s the hefty question of fan compensation. This is a force majeure, no doubt, but there are going to be a lot of fans fearing for their jobs right now, so getting a refund on a ticket they didn’t get full use out of is going to be a top, top priority.
Will football take the route of big business? The Delta CEO has given up his salary. Google are paying their contractors. Most are resisting layoffs (he says after week one). They are all keen to take a stand that keeps their businesses intact / doesn’t leave them hate figures when all this settles down. Will the club ask players to take a hit for the fans? That is a huge question. We’re not in great shape as it is financially, so how we deal with this will be interesting.
… but it gets more complicated. The TV beasts pay for sport. If the clubs don’t complete the season, the cash goes. At the minute, that looks like it could be a further £37.5m per club. That is absolutely huge if you’re any size of club, but damn, think of the small ones. How can Aston Villa absorb such a loss with money committed? Can you really ask media companies to take that on as a gesture? Will advertiser pony up to put their brands against Sky Gold Classics? I have my doubts. Every money challenge you read about has another tied to it. This is not simple.
What would be interesting is this: If TV firms ask for the money back, does that annul the contracts that have been agreed? Then does that open up an opportunity for the Premier League to take a begging bowl to Jeff Bezos or Tim Cook? That could be leverage. After all, Apple and Amazon aren’t getting into bed with content to sell ad space… they also both see the VERY long game. The rundle (recurring revenue bundle) is key to their future. Is there a better way to drive an uptick in recurring subs than Premier League football distributed through their expansive pipes? I don’t think so.
At risk staff
The final concern would be all the folk that help support Arsenal during match days. Are we doing anything for them? They don’t earn a lot as it is, but the idea that these folks have had their finances blitzed, with no other clear way to earn money is quite a nasty thought. It’s also dangerous because they are the sort of people that’ll go to work sick to pay the bills.
… challenge is this: The club is literally bleeding money if all of this goes down the pan. So again, we land in a situation where you have to look to the elite of sport and billionaires to come forward and do the right thing. If I was Josh K, I’d look at this as an opportunity to be the hero, ingratiate yourself with the fanbase, and do something that is absolutely Arsenal class. Look after those vulnerable to the shocks to the economy when times are rough.
Concluding thoughts
I think this situation is unbelievably challenging and extremely complex. I think we have to go easy on Arsenal, because however they handle this, there will be parties that are affected negatively. Regardless, I really hope we take a positive stand and lead the way on doing the right thing, especially with zero hours contract type folk… more broadly, I hope that the entire Premier League can come to a resolution that puts the safety of people first and preserves the league with integrity.
Outside that, I’m going to grab the popcorn (gloved/no sharing) and see how this plays out.
Stay safe, stay distanced, and come back often… I’ll be here daily with words and sounds. See you in the comments x
Roger Milla vs Colombia will never be forgotten
Just a point.?
Has anyone noticed the peanuts in the pub taste different
now everyone is washing their hands..
.
I’m so bored. I was supposed to be watching the Grand Prix and then the Spud ManU match today and was looking forward to it.
I can’t see any way football’s going to get going again until at least August – maybe even later.
Anyone who comes up with a vaccine to Corona is going to make an awful lot of money out of this and they’ll deserve every penny!
Could be a few quid in it for vaccine trial subjects if anyone wants to volunteer. If you are likely to get it anyway why not take the money?
Yes Marc.youre right.Israel already have one.awaiting clinical trials.roll out hoped for later in year if successful.uk also have a vaccine apparently.but roll out not expected till next year.mske of this what you will…..
Still think it’s a huge overreaction.
Social media and those muppets at the WHO have created this monster.
The Herd Immunity program was a quack’s prescription. That Boris Johnson would adopt it in the first place shows callous concern to people. Guess it comes from being programmed to win at all costs. Social engineering gives a back aisle to morality. Alas since the days of the Trump victory and of the Modi in India , these are the new ways. As correctly pointed by China1 , large scale infections will lead to mutations and then even some specific vaccine might not work. That herd immunity theory might have been relevant in the Middle Ages but that bullshit is… Read more »
“The virus does not resist heat and dies if exposed to temperatures of 26-27 degrees”
I have been accused of being high handed over the outbreak and acting like I’m some sort of expert – never claimed to be one and have only said don’t panic or over react.
So rather than point out how stupid the above comment is I’m going to ask does any one else see the issue in saying the virus cannot survive temperatures over 27 – 28 degrees?
If I’m 100% wrong on that I’d love someone to explain why it’s a valid point.
Un
Mate how you doing?
Not wanting to start an argument in anyway but do you see what to me is the glaring issue with saying the virus cannot survive temperatures over 27 – 28 degrees?
Even with most World Govts taking extra precautionary measures, the number of recorded cases has now crossed 150000. If such decision making were up to some of the wilfully ignorant on here, the numbers would likely be 450000.
R V P goal vCharlton was incredible
What’s the average temperature in Singapore for example? I think that you can knock that one on the head quite easily.
27 – 28 degrees on surfaces
Temperature treatment would be around 50C. One takes it in a 5 minute spell. There would be dryness on rest of face so can simultaneously use a mist sprayer on face to keep moist. A couple of 5 minute spells would do per day. But 2_3times during infection. Please Note this is to contain it during the first stage of dry cough . When it goes down to lungs and starts causing fibrosis that stage you need to be in a hospital. This heat treatment will arrest it before it goes further. About humans not being damaged at 50C. Lots… Read more »
A convenient way to disinfect things is to use a steam cleaner mop one uses in the house. By the way it really shines up the window panes. An useful occupation during quarantine. Will impress your partner and might earn a bj too !
I hope my fellow Le Grove patients are well and not bickering with each other too much. May I suggest : Meditation. Some wonderful smoothing apps out there to get the meditation newbies started. (I have been doing it for years.) Close those eyes , focus on that breathing… Count 1 for inhale. Count 2 for exhale. And repeat…..etc Meditation and consuming water. That will release any corona anxieties you may have. Our Wenger was a great believer of meditation from his Japanese Adventures. And it certainly worked for him and us. Keep it simple and we will all defeat… Read more »
Andy / Sid
Why 27 – 28 degrees on surfaces and not other places?
The internal temperature of the human body is 37 degrees if the virus can’t survive over 28 degrees it shouldn’t be able to survive in the body.
That claim strikes me as internet bullshit – it’s this type of myth that is dangerous.
Can humans survive 50 degree?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20956421
I’m not sure I’d breath in very hot air if I had a respiratory condition.
Paulinho ‘Still think it’s a huge overreaction. Social media and those muppets at the WHO have created this monster’ Death from SARS -774 Death from MERS -500 Death from Corona – 5500 + and counting. Spread across 118 countries and more than 150000 people infected despite unprecedented precautionary measures taken by numerous countries. Thanks to social media people know more about precaution to be taken than they would have if there were no social media. I don’t think we have witnessed any virus which can spread as fast as COVID. Besides who knows how many casualties are there in China.… Read more »
The debate over Singapore got me intrigued and this is an interesting read and hopefully one for e future here too
https://time.com/5802293/coronavirus-covid19-singapore-hong-kong-taiwan/
Marc
It is only the damp areas , namely the upper respiratory tract and sinus which are good hosts for the virus which are targeted with heat. Hence water spray to face. Up to
26-27 C survival temperature for virus looks has inadvertently cropped in Samesong piece. Let it go. It starts to perish from 40-45 C. So normally these snuffles stop in summer.
When this is finally over then China needs to be seriously held to account over its appalling blind eye to its disgraceful live animal markets. It has spawned so many epidemics and now a pandemic that enough is enough.
Paulinho
No surprise Italy suffered hard with Ramsey vacating his defensive duties. Another L for you to hold.
TR7
The worst part of Covid19 is that it is infectious even during incubation stage so one can’t even hazard a guess who could have been transmitted to.
Strangely seems to host predominantly on humans which has thrown up Jose M type of joke theories.
Guys, get on the new post, and make sure your first comment is about the podcast you just listened to.
I’m not messing around today, it’s as mandatory as social distancing.
OK
Off to Netflix
“Up to 26-27 C survival temperature for virus looks has inadvertently cropped in Samesong piece”
It hasn’t cropped up inadvertently he typed it and it’s false information – that’s my whole point people believe this shit when it’s clear there’s a major issue with it.
Charlie – On hold? Ramsey was just about to lay Serie A to ruins and shut up the usual clowns and he’s been robbed of his glory.
Pedro,
I made various comments about the podcast the early hours of this morning.
‘@Gentlebris I noticed you quite comfortably use the word ”fucked.”’
I use a lot more.
I’m a Pentecostal Christian, not an angel.
If God has not STRICTLY commanded against it in the Holy Bible or through a personal message to me, then I don’t have a problem with it.
So can we leave this alone already and get back to the fucking soccer?
Thank you.
More concerned you used the word ‘soccer’ lol
Coronavirus is the same as flu by infection rate.
As repetitively say flu kills up to 25,000 people in the uk each year and most of these deaths are people with existing problems.
We don’t panic with flu because we do not associate it with it’s ability to be deadly with old people.
Anyway back to football