What if they shut down the season?

[Emsca]

On 6/8/2020 at 5:29 PM, Colognejag said:

Again, can only go by my experience over here, but the B teams tend not to get crowds, most often because they are not played at the main stadium, The fans do not really care about how well the B teams do.

The following is completely based on a gross assumption and national stereotype . I have never been to Germany in my puff however my impression is that in general terms German people are fairly level headed ; rational ; some might say dull.

There is a fairly large section of the Scottish population, however, who base a lot of their decisions in life on a religous bigotory which most of them do not even understand. These people will attend B, C ,D or  even E teams of their beloved Peeple and Bhoys. The football has and always will be secondary to these people - what they crave is an opportunity to join like minded persons in an environment where they can vent their collective bile.

It is a phenomenon which normal people find difficult to understand but sadly it is a very real feature of life in the West of Scotland and beyond.

[sandy]

At its core, bigotry is tribalism. Most of us have grown up however

[Jaggernaut]

5 hours ago, partickthedog said:

A Bee team playing at Cappielow would be the Sting in the Tail of the Bank.

Termite be more puns on the way.

[exiledjag]

16 hours ago, javeajag said:

interesting ....
 

France's national court has blocked the relegation of Toulouse and Amiens from Ligue 1. French officials at the LFP will likely need to decide on a new league format for season 2020/21. Season 2019/20 won't resume. Interesting to see where they go with this.

 

16 hours ago, elevenone said:

Given our previous statement I still cannot see us going down legal road however with this news it may get Hearts to get their legal challenge wheels in motion if this is seen as a precedent.

I recall our CEO saying a few weeks ago that all options were being considered including the prospect of legal action. It seems therefore there has been a change of heart (not a pun). 

Other than accepting relegation and getting on with playing football  legal action  is the only other possible course for Heart, Thistle and Stranraer, preferably acting together perhaps with Falkirk, East Fife and any other club(s) who feel disadvantaged or just disagree with what has happened over the past few months. IMO collective legal action will carry more weight given the Scottish Legal System's (and I suspect the Scottish Govt's) reluctance to get involved  in sporting issues - our  previous experience! I am not sure to what extent if any  a Scottish Court will be influenced by a legal decision made in France or in fact that the English Leagues now appear to be following the approach taken by the SPFL! 

I also suspect everyone is getting tired of this whole matter and just want to draw a line under it one way or another! A real dilemma for our Club! 

I certainly know that my attitude towards lower league clubs has hardened given recent attributed and unattributed media statements from managers and officials and feel more that ever that as fans of PTFC we should not be putting money into their coffers.  I for one shall not be attending away games but will donate gate money to PTFC! 

BB'S shirt PTFC Tour of League One sums it up beautifully! 

[a f kincaid]

The reality is that Thistle are almost certainly condemned (not "relegated") to League 1 (assuming there is such a thing). The results of votes on the reorganisation proposals from Hearts and Rangers are still not known but today's Herald carries a piece from the Dunfermline chairman telling us that Championship clubs are already discussing various options for the Championship (possibly 18 or 27 games and an October start) but admits he doesn't know what Leagues 1&2 are doing.  Thistle could be left stranded (along with Falkirk) as a full-time team in the lower reaches of the SPFL dominated by part-time clubs many of whom have said they may have to go into  mothballs rather than play on without crowds and hospitability. Somebody's stolen the ba' and left us standing.  Would like to know what the club are doing!

[fifexile]

Apologies if this has been put forward previously. I wonder if there is any appetite for a championship to include clubs willing and able to play behind closed doors if necessary for part of the season and for other clubs to go into hibernation. If so who would be included, Thistle?, Falkirk?  and possibly Queens Park if the stories of them being bankrolled are accurate. 

[a f kincaid]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52992075

And so, the money arrives.  Thank you Mr Anderson.

A grant of up to £50,000 for any club can be sought from the SPFL Trust.  So much for it being  just for lower league clubs.

[Lenziejag]

2 hours ago, fifexile said:

Apologies if this has been put forward previously. I wonder if there is any appetite for a championship to include clubs willing and able to play behind closed doors if necessary for part of the season and for other clubs to go into hibernation. If so who would be included, Thistle?, Falkirk?  and possibly Queens Park if the stories of them being bankrolled are accurate. 

The championship clubs have shown over this whole affair that they are a more closed shop than the Premiership and the discussion about thinking about their own league only proves it.

[Lenziejag]

37 minutes ago, a f kincaid said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52992075

And so, the money arrives.  Thank you Mr Anderson.

A grant of up to £50,000 for any club can be sought from the SPFL Trust.  So much for it being  just for lower league clubs.

Any indication on the criteria required to get the grant ?

[javeajag]

More detail emerging now on the James Anderson money.  £2.1million available for clubs to access now, £50k each.  A further £1m going to the SPFL Trust. And more to come in future which will take his consortium’s donation, in time , to well over £4m.

[a f kincaid]

According to  someone from the charitable trust on the Sportsound podcast the only condition is that the money must be spent on mitigating the costs of Covid-19 bio security. If not all clubs apply the limit of the grant may be increased.  Mr Anderson wanted the money to be available to all 42 clubs equally - initially at least.

Apparently Board announcements on the Hearts and Rangers discussion papers are expected today as well.  Canny wait, haud me back. Looks like Thistle's fate could be known today - but we've thought that before!

 

[Alan Murray]

1 minute ago, javeajag said:

More detail emerging now on the James Anderson money.  £2.1million available for clubs to access now, £50k each.  A further £1m going to the SPFL Trust. And more to come in future which will take his consortium’s donation, in time , to well over £4m.

This looks very good news. Think lower league clubs will need more than 50k each though. 

Is thier a possibility other avenues of money could forward like sponsorship of the testing? 

Looking much more positive for the restart of football this year.

[ARu-Strathbungo]

I'm assuming this money is available to those that need it, rather than just a handout to any of the 42 teams who ask for it? I don't think the likes of Celtic will need £50,000 when they have just told their season ticket holders to renew their tickets now or face the possibility of loosing their allocated seat. 

At more than £500.00 for the cheapest season ticket for those self proclaimed, 'best fans in the world' I wonder if any of them are thinking they have been well and truly had? ….. Bear in mind there is little likelihood of football being a spectator sport for the foreseeable future

[Alan Murray]

37 minutes ago, ARu-Strathbungo said:

I'm assuming this money is available to those that need it, rather than just a handout to any of the 42 teams who ask for it? I don't think the likes of Celtic will need £50,000 when they have just told their season ticket holders to renew their tickets now or face the possibility of loosing their allocated seat. 

At more than £500.00 for the cheapest season ticket for those self proclaimed, 'best fans in the world' I wonder if any of them are thinking they have been well and truly had? ….. Bear in mind there is little likelihood of football being a spectator sport for the foreseeable future

Depends on what happens with the virus of course, but many countries are are planing on having supporters in stadiums. 

[Lenziejag]

6 minutes ago, Alan Murray said:

Depends on what happens with the virus of course, but many countries are are planing on having supporters in stadiums. 

But if they get 50,000 renewing and a 1 in 4 chance of attending, they are really shortchanging the supporters, not to mention not refunding this season’s unused portion 

[scotty]

6 hours ago, a f kincaid said:

The reality is that Thistle are almost certainly condemned (not "relegated") to League 1 (assuming there is such a thing). The results of votes on the reorganisation proposals from Hearts and Rangers are still not known but today's Herald carries a piece from the Dunfermline chairman telling us that Championship clubs are already discussing various options for the Championship (possibly 18 or 27 games and an October start) but admits he doesn't know what Leagues 1&2 are doing.  Thistle could be left stranded (along with Falkirk) as a full-time team in the lower reaches of the SPFL dominated by part-time clubs many of whom have said they may have to go into  mothballs rather than play on without crowds and hospitability. Somebody's stolen the ba' and left us standing.  Would like to know what the club are doing!

We'll just sit back and take the share of next season's prize money and TV deal that all the clubs who don't want to play will forfeit!

[Auld Jag]

5 hours ago, a f kincaid said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52992075

And so, the money arrives.  Thank you Mr Anderson.

A grant of up to £50,000 for any club can be sought from the SPFL Trust.  So much for it being  just for lower league clubs.

Totally ludicrous to be offering the same amount of money to every club in the league. If the top teams who already have enough money and don't need £50,000 said give their share to teams lower down the leagues where it is going to do some good, they might get some respect for helping the smaller teams during a crisis. I will not hold my breath waiting for this to happen.

[ARu-Strathbungo]

3 hours ago, Alan Murray said:

Depends on what happens with the virus of course, but many countries are are planing on having supporters in stadiums. 

Not sure how they will manage this in the UK, the 2 metre distance is 'accepted maximum' distance required if someone coughs in your face, and this has a similar exposure to talking to another person 1 metre away for a minute. Having large groups of people confined in football terracing for 90 minutes would [I think] require distancing of at least 2 metres, and mandatory face masks?

It sounds like a tough ask unless Scotland can get the death rate to 0, and the infection rate to single figures, and given the added complication we have a series of marches and demonstrations running in the UK, I just don't see us getting down to the numbers that would give the majority of supporters confidence enough to go to a game.

I know Germany has a social distancing figure of circa 1 metre, but would that apply in a stadium environment for 90+ minutes?

 

[jaggy]

1 minute ago, Auld Jag said:

Totally ludicrous to be offering the same amount of money to every club in the league. If the top teams who already have enough money and don't need £50,000 said give their share to teams lower down the leagues where it is going to do some good, they might get some respect for helping the smaller teams during a crisis. I will not hold my breath waiting for this to happen.

Maybe they could have paid out on a sliding scale like they pay prize money, but from the bottom up? Then again Brechin would get most!

My only concern about paying the smaller teams more money though is that most who are part-time will have much lower running costs than lower positioned full-time teams such as ourselves, Falkirk, Dunfermline etc. so is it fair for them to get the most? 

It's a difficult one.

[Auld Jag]

4 minutes ago, jaggy said:

Maybe they could have paid out on a sliding scale like they pay prize money, but from the bottom up? Then again Brechin would get most!

My only concern about paying the smaller teams more money though is that most who are part-time will have much lower running costs than lower positioned full-time teams such as ourselves, Falkirk, Dunfermline etc. so is it fair for them to get the most? 

It's a difficult one.

Agree, that it is difficult. I just don't think it is right a team that has just spent £3m on a player and will probably buy other players, there will also be other teams signing players on big money transfers and wages. And these teams are able to get the £50,000 the same amount as a team who might not be able to play for a season because of the costs. I read that teams can refuse the money, don't think any will though.

[jaf]

19 minutes ago, jaggy said:

Maybe they could have paid out on a sliding scale like they pay prize money, but from the bottom up? Then again Brechin would get most!

My only concern about paying the smaller teams more money though is that most who are part-time will have much lower running costs than lower positioned full-time teams such as ourselves, Falkirk, Dunfermline etc. so is it fair for them to get the most? 

It's a difficult one.

personally, I would have done it by division. 
 

40 per cent to bottom division 

30 per cent to league 1

20 per cent to championship 

and 10 per cent to premier league 

then split equally in those divisions  

but I take the point that does run the risk of the part time teams doing too well out of it! 

 

 

[gianlucatoni]

16 minutes ago, jaf said:

 

but I take the point that does run the risk of the part time teams doing too well out of it! 

 

 

not if it's been ring fenced for testing players and staff - lower league clubs will need more if the reported £2kper week costs for testing are accurate along with a £30k testing kit purchased by County 

[Dick Dastardly]

It’s Anderson’s money. He can spend it any way he likes.

[jaf]

9 minutes ago, Dick Dastardly said:

It’s Anderson’s money. He can spend it any way he likes.

I completely agree with this. However, we were told it was being given without condition/restriction. In which case are these the conditions of distribution that the spfl have imposed. Or was that not in fact the case.  

[Auld Jag]

37 minutes ago, Dick Dastardly said:

It’s Anderson’s money. He can spend it any way he likes.

 

26 minutes ago, jaf said:

I completely agree with this. However, we were told it was being given without condition/restriction. In which case are these the conditions of distribution that the spfl have imposed. Or was that not in fact the case.  

If i remember correctly when Ann Budge first revealed she had somebody willing to put money into Scottish football, she said it was for lower league clubs.