Decisions being made

[HenneysKnee]

From The Sun so pinch of salt required but they reckon League 2 clubs have organised their own urgent video conference tomorrow to discuss ending the season immediately

[Adam29]

New Bury team, i think, have been accepted into north west counties, along with a team from the isle of man.

That is correct Phil

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/sport/ ... -football/

Things have changed since that newspaper story
The declaring of null and void at that level has thrown a spanner in the works as part of the the null and void also said league restructuring wouldn’t happen until the season after

[Suffolk Blue]

From The Sun so pinch of salt required but they reckon League 2 clubs have organised their own urgent video conference tomorrow to discuss ending the season immediately

I suspect there have been worried conversations going on between clubs for some time. Not surprising given Mark Palios' comments regarding the possibility of 8 EFL clubs going bust over coronavirus. It would have more significance if it signalled a split within the EFL by L2 clubs but I still find it difficult to believe that given the EFLs declared position and its recent hand out, that clubs towards the top of L2 would break ranks at this point. Clearly if L1 clubs started to collapse then the noise level would ramp up considerably.

But it does add credibility to the idea that some form of re-structuring might be becoming more likely and that what "promotion" might actually look like might not be what we think.

[jaycarter]

That is correct Phil

https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/sport/ ... -football/

Things have changed since that newspaper story
The declaring of null and void at that level has thrown a spanner in the works as part of the the null and void also said league restructuring wouldn’t happen until the season after

Where will they play.

[Hitthebar22]

If there is a declaration of null and void in the EFL, unless I've missed something, that would mean no relegation from L2 to NL, and obviously no promotion to L2 from NL, due to lack of space, and the NL's hand would be forced and the season would have to be voided as a consequence. Cant have EFL saying "void", no relegation, and then NL saying "our season concluded", and "these two clubs must be promoted". Obvious why it would not work unless the numbers in L2 were increased.
At first sight that would prevent us from going up, but with the Bury factor there is a space.
Perhaps the fairest way to resolve that issue might be to promote Crewe (currently top of L2 on goal difference from Swindon, but Swindon have a game in hand - imagine the arguments), and then allow us into L2 to take that single space.
As I see it The Premier League and what they do will have a big influence on what happens in the lower leagues. The promotion and relegation issues are very difficult because of the revenues to be lost and gained. If you are Norwich or Bournemouth or Villa you will have a massive interest in the decision, but no bigger than e.g Leeds or West Brom. For that matter, e.g. Barnsley, Coventry etc. The knock on effect down to where we are is obvious. What the PL do ultimately will be governed by money, and nothing else. They need to be decisive and get on with announcing their decision quickly, so every club in the pyramid can start planning appropriately. Many clubs will face financial crisis because of the economic effect of the virus in any event and football - at least our league system may be very different before we know it.

[Hadrian]

Various suggestions today that L2 clubs are becoming increasingly twitchy and holding a limited confcall today to discuss the situation.

Meanwhile UEFA are also on a confcall tomorrow to discuss the end of situation with members...

[Nigel Bamford]

In her briefing today Nicola Sturgeon was very pessimistic about the prospect for large scale sporting events before a vaccine has been introduced (which could be later next year!). She was luke warm even on the likelihood of televised games because of the risk of gatherings:

[Nicola Sturgeon: Fans at football unlikely 'any time soon' - First Minister - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52355228

Meanwhile, UEFA is reporting tomorrow to national associations on their planning progress. They are expected to show a change of heart on their hard-line stance over the early termination of the season and may well listen to requests for that to happen:

Coronavirus: Uefa update due on Tuesday on plans to finish season - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52353856

[blue nige]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/amp/footbal ... ssion=true

[Suffolk Blue]

This is a really interesting piece coming as it does from a Chairman who is an influencer in the EFL. Pillay doesn't have many more friends than Chairman Dave but he can think strategically.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52363030

Almost like he's sending a message out to those L2 Chairman who might be having a Zoom-in today. Message is simple. You've taken the broadcasting money therefore you must have a finish to the season. If you dont you'll be ruined anyway. Further we must think more radically and creatively about restructuring if not right now then soon. Regionalisation of L1 and L2 may need to be considered.

[sambino]

When are our players contracted to ? Is it end of April or May ? Or till end of season is declared For ones not under contact next season must be a worrying time and I guess if IE wants to keep anyone else we wont be in a position to do that at present

[Jonty]

Its not regionalisation that is needed. The issue is the gulf in funding across the pyramid.

[mrsenario]

think regionalisation would help though, we had trips to 3 southern grounds on the trot and its relentless sometimes.

[Suffolk Blue]

Getting clubs collectively to address funding gaps is a little like trying to convince POTUS that America's trading position in the world might be better served by helping others to enrich themselves economically. We have a Pyramid constructed of several hundred clubs but it is massively dominated by relatively few. They have shown little interest in redistributing wealth. Indeed they constantly seek ways of improving their own cash flow.

We've become accustomed to thinking that the key issues exist currently between the NL (Non-League) and the EFL (Pro-Leagues). It almost certainly isn't actually the case. Somewhere towards the bottom end of L1 there probably exists the footballing equivalent of fault line. If you are above that line then you can just about hold to the EFL position which is itself heavily influenced by the Premiership. If you happen to be on the wrong side of that line the future will look horribly bleak - and this is the world that we wish to be part of.

So if the Pyramid is going to break I think it more likely that it will be within the EFL. What these quotes and views represent is a growing number of warnings that the pressure is becoming too great. The challenge will be whether these clubs out their growing pain can come up with something constructive and creative. If they cant, then their options look very limited and several will inevitably go to the wall. We might find ourselves being more thankful in a few months that we (hopefully) still have a club, and less concerned about what League they might be playing in.

If regionalisation were to be the thing that could hold the Pyramid together I'd be all for it.

[Matty]

When are our players contracted to ? Is it end of April or May ? Or till end of season is declared For ones not under contact next season must be a worrying time and I guess if IE wants to keep anyone else we wont be in a position to do that at present

Quite a number of our first teamers are on multiple year contracts. It's all on the stickied squad topic.

[jaycarter]

When are our players contracted to ? Is it end of April or May ? Or till end of season is declared For ones not under contact next season must be a worrying time and I guess if IE wants to keep anyone else we wont be in a position to do that at present

Contracts end on 30th June 2020 for all players, players that have signed to stay for the 2020/2021 season will start on new Contracts on July 1st.