y va marquer wrote:

I might watch them if they were played in Hackney Marshes.

I mean if they don't need to accommodate a crowd they could get creative about where they play, somewhere more interesting than an empty echoing stadium 

Something like this would be perfect: 

 Yeah

Not enough flair players now to pull that off. It's a mechanised sport.

Claudius wrote:

Burnwinter wrote:

If your organisation has purchased broadcast rights it's not like you want the league or its clubs to collapse unless you've been led into an absolute crisis, so they will find a financial settlement one way or another.

The TV companies that own Premier league rights will have clauses that allow them to claw back their TV monies in the event of an an Act of God - and Covid-19 should so qualify. They would be eager to recoup these as advertising dollars have evaporated. 

Even if the Premier League manages to run all the games in the next 2 months, it is highly unlikely that the TV stations will get anywhere near the originally anticipated advertising $. Lots of media companies are currently firing, furloughing or closing down. 

Absolutely. And behind the decline of advertising-funded businesses online is a 50% decline in digital ad revenue globally, which will actually hit even Facebook and Google pretty hard.

BuzzFeed announced it's shuttering its Australian and UK outlets today apparently. Only about 20 people involved, mind you—a "media outlet" in 2020 is pretty much a gaggle of modestly remunerated bloggers.

I wonder if insurance payouts wouldn't / shouldn't play a big part in the outcome of the TV rights wrangling? Certainly should in future based on what's happening now.

I doubt the Premier League and TV stations have explicitly insured against Covid-19. It sounds like Wimbledon being just a 2 week tournament insured against events that might lead to the complete cancellation, so they’re fine. Insurance companies will be very discerning about what’s covered, hence the government’s refusal to cancel the league.

Media companies are feeling it. I’ve actually finally started taking some subs once I saw companies laying off workers. The problem is if they collapse they won’t even be taken over by the big American tech zaibatsu that are sucking up the entire economy because they won’t want to be publishers per Section 230. So you could see good media outlets die off and be left with a high proportion of outlets that are funded by interest groups feeding us (mis)information. Maybe that’s an exaggerated outcome, but it worries me.

Claudius wrote:

I doubt the Premier League and TV stations have explicitly insured against Covid-19. It sounds like Wimbledon being just a 2 week tournament insured against events that might lead to the complete cancellation, so they’re fine. Insurance companies will be very discerning about what’s covered, hence the government’s refusal to cancel the league.

My wife works in travel insurance and they are paying out on basically everything because they never put in clauses to exempt themselves from pandemics, etc And thats across the industry. I think its going to be very rare that any event, company, etc has stipulations for a situation like this.

It's slightly different in that cover for cancellation is very common and pretty much a norm in the travel industry. PL clubs on the other hand are unlikely to have planned and insured against prolonged suspension, period for games behind closed doors or cancellation etc.

TV stations wouldn't necessarily need insurance against pandemics. It's simply a matter of a contract not being fulfilled and recouping the costs accordingly.

Sorry, Goon. You’re right. The problem here would be

• the premier league is unlikely to have insured against a pandemic
• the TV station, however, as you say, can claim back monies for an unfulfilled contract
• to further complicate matters, even in the event of rescheduled games, companies have now entered the May renegotiation period when they can change advertising commitments on TV and other media. Due to pandemic, they will pull back spend

It’s a shit show of a situation. Basically, no matter what happens, TV stations will not recoup the Premier League investment they made this year. Suing for money back might appear favorable for this season given the ad situation unless terms can be renegotiated. Which will impact how teams think about player salaries for the next 2-3 years.

Callum Hudson Odoi arrested for alleged rape

arsedoc md wrote:

Callum Hudson Odoi arrested for alleged rape

Talksport apparently thought that the lockdown breach was more important was more significant than the suspected rape:

Fucking trash.

Talks Port are obviously garbage but I think it was initially claimed police showed up because of breaking lockdown and drug related charges.

I took that screenshot myself from their website today though, a full day after it happened.

You can clearly hear the players and coaches when watching behind closed door footy.

What will Sky do about random C bombs being aired at lunch time?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52721397

Troy Deeney has come out and said he won't return as he fears for the safety of his 5 month child who has breathing difficulties.

I completely understand his stance as his concerns are completely legitimate. It does however put Watford in an awkward situation because they'll have to keep paying him his full salary but could essentially be without their best striker for 25% of the season while they sit above the relegation zone on goal difference. Would Watford be in the right to ask him to isolate from his family for a few months if the season restarts or not pay him his full salary?

This season being restarted is only due to commercial reasons, which I get because the knock on finances might put some clubs out of business. However it is putting players and clubs in a very difficult situation.

In a wider context, as society continues to open up, it'll be harder for players to say that they won't return. If thousands of people - even in cushy office jobs - are slowly getting back to work, the media will change their narrative.

I'd side with Deeney here but I'd wonder what his rights are. Players are not regularly employees, they've got tight contracts and while that worked out in their favour while the league was stopped it'll probably work against them now.

What happened at Watford over the break, did they take pay cuts? If this was an Arsenal player who agreed to the cut I'd hope they'd still be paid. If it was a player who said "my contract is my contract and I wont change" I'd say back to work or you're in breach of contract.

If Watford get relegated, those fans will never forgive Mr Cojones. His circumstances sound unique though. I think the club and independent doctors need to prove to him that nits safe. Maybe it takes a few weeks of practice in England and some evidence from Germany to prove to him that he is or isn’t in harms way.

It’s good he raises it. He’s a high profile guy facing similar worries to a lot of factory workers around the world who don’t have his platform. We have to get working at some point, but how do we take care of those workers in face-to face jobs who are particularly vulnerable or have vulnerable family?

Claudius wrote:

We have to get working at some point, but how do we take care of those workers in face-to face jobs who are particularly vulnerable or have vulnerable family?

Definitely. Deeney has the luxury of being able to make this decision. A lot people can't afford to tell their bosses "no". We need protections for ordinary workers who don't want to return to work for health reasons, not just their own but their families.

There was a metro worker in London who had respiratory issues. She asked to be taken away from the ticket booth and her bosses refused. Someone spat on her, she contracted coronavirus and passed away shortly thereafter.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52616071

But also why are we spitting on each other? On the surface we may be frustrated, but is it because she's a woman, she's black or she's seen as less than by being a ticketing officer?

Meatwad wrote:

Claudius wrote:

There was a metro worker in London who had respiratory issues. She asked to be taken away from the ticket booth and her bosses refused. Someone spat on her, she contracted coronavirus and passed away shortly thereafter.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-52616071

But also why are we spitting on each other? On the surface we may be frustrated, but is it because she's a woman, she's black or she's seen as less than by being a ticketing officer?

it would make the news if someone spits on me. and that was before covid-19.

If you made a really big fuss, maybe.

In Toronto in the neighbourhood where I worked there was a mentally ill middle-eastern guy who assaulted people regularly. He would often spit at people's faces, aiming at their mouths. I found out of his existence when he spat in the face of a good friend of mine, but then we learned he had done this many times before and was known to law-enforcement (who didn't consider him violent enough to be dealt with).

It never made the news and as far as I know he was never arrested for his outbursts.

RC8 wrote:

Meatwad wrote:

it would make the news if someone spits on me. and that was before covid-19.

If you made a really big fuss, maybe.

In Toronto in the neighbourhood where I worked there was a mentally ill middle-eastern guy who assaulted people regularly. He would often spit at people's faces, aiming at their mouths. I found out of his existence when he spat in the face of a good friend of mine, but then we learned he had done this many times before and was known to law-enforcement (who didn't consider him violent enough to be dealt with).

It never made the news and as far as I know he was never arrested for his outbursts.

me and another person's saliva should never come in contact if they value their life. in a post-covid-19 world they just attempted to murder me. i'm in fear for my life.

You a virgin meatwad?

jones wrote:

You a virgin meatwad?

yeah you got me kissing is the same as spitting.

jones wrote:

You a virgin meatwad?

Kudos to Mané. I never thought I'd see someone with a hairline as bad as Gervinho's again but he went and proved me wrong.

mane and gervinho are what happens when all your friends and family rely on you for money, no one dares check your bullshit. if i had a hairline like that my friends and family would roast me into oblivion, i'd get a baldy on the spot.

At least we know the man respected social distancing the last few months. Wasn't sneaking his barber in to stay looking fresh. I've shaved only once despite all the clippers and razors in the world. I'm out here looking like George Jefferson with the shiny dome.

Didn't hold back Arjen Robben

Firmino is so incredibly ugly

It shouldn't be said about people cause they can't help their faces but really that face and them gnashers is fucking uncalled for

Jeez can't these guys give themselves a buzz cut and save themselves embarrassment and save our eyes from hurting.

Both butt-ugly. What on earth is Mané clinging onto FFS??

Curtis Woodhouse wrote:

"Giggs was a good player. Steady away down the left hand side, great energy, great pace. Good player, just not a great player, never had a world class season in 22 attempts but still a good player. Never poor but never brilliant, a good steady player."

Can't wait to see the rage in reaction to such an uncontroversial opinion.

And so it begins. Newcastle rumored you offer Pochettino £19m. Per season.

Claudius wrote:

And so it begins. Newcastle rumored you offer Pochettino £19m. Per season.

I certainly don't offer him anything of the kind, not to manage us let alone Newcastle.

(Ridiculous money though, but spending it won't make him a better manager.)

He should go. It will take 3 to 5 years to turn Newcastle into a competitor. He may not last the full journey to the top, but what could be more fun than taking a cellar dweller and completely shaping it As you will with very few restrictions?