CoF

Yeah, tonight's statement from Anne Budge would suggest it's the SPFL calling for the season to end before anything is paid - "It was emphasised today that some clubs, particularly those in the lower Leagues, need funds to be released to help them navigate their way through this exceptional situation. I do not accept however, that this resolution needs to be passed in order to release those funds. If the Government can change the Laws of the Land, within 24 hours, to cope with this crisis, then surely it cannot be impossible for Scottish Football’s Governing bodies to modify rules to get things done." Hopefully they're not using the funds as a bargaining chip to get a preferred resolution.

I thought similar, maybe not the money below each club but the bare minimum each club is guaranteed to get. I wonder if it's something to do with TV contracts.... i.e. money is only paid out at the end of the season. If it is, that's very poor. They could surely release the equivalent % of funds for games played. Pure speculation by the way.

At least the statement season has properly begun now. A very strong start from Rangers with 8 paragraphs of utter drivel about a mysterious members resolution that they offer absolutely no detail on other than "release the money". Typed in typical Rangers fashion by someone on the edge of a meltdown. 8/10. Poor show from Partick. Despite being the club who will probably suffer the most from this, a fairly sensible and to the point 2 paragraphs. 3/10.

Bit on the main site saying "We will announce shortly how to apply for finance. Details will be available at motherwellfc.co.uk" I paid this way a few years ago and you've got to go through a separate application process to a finance company who then need do credit checks etc so it takes a few days.

Honestly, I don't think it is in any way the least disruptive option. All the issues you've raised about starting late next season apply right now. What happens to this seasons sponsorship money? I assume most fans won't expect refunds, but you'll be sure sponsors and contractors will expect financial recompense for games missed. Every single hoarding around the ground represents a company (large and small) that has invested for advertisement. The TV deal was based on X amounts of games. The Scottish Cup will have a few million in contracts and sponsorship wrapped up in it. Footballing authorities have a nightmare on their hands and I don't envy them the tasks of trying to make a decision here. Fan discussions are polarised and all we've got to really consider is sporting integrity and convenience (and back of a fag packet finances - which in reality we know nothing about). Add to that conversation the voices of the 42 SPFL members (and the other 50-odd SFA members), each with their own business interest, their own legal advice, their own contracts and many with a genuine fear that certain decisions may cost them their very existence. It's really not just as easy as just calling the league finished for the sake of avoiding inconvenience and *some* lost revenue next season.

They went into a bit of detail on this on Sportsound earlier. As Santheman has said, it is open to players however only if the club do not have any work for you to do (and would otherwise be making you redundant). This includes generating revenue or marketing. So players who are still doing promotional bits for the club or community stuff (phoning round elderly fans) wouldn't be eligible for Furlogh. I've not really thought about our club doing it, however I do find it repulsive that businesses who operate in the hundreds of millions (not just football clubs) are applying to the Government for it. It's not free money - it'll just be lumped into the national debt which we'll all be paying back in higher taxes for years.

I'd rather have a disrupted season next year than have the absolute disaster zone of titles, relegations, european places and play-offs being decided now.

Couldn't disagree more. There's absolutely no need for a decision just now. I'm not sure how declaring the season finished without any idea of when football might return can help with planning. Clubs wouldn't have known their financial positions till the end of the season anyway and it's 6 weeks till the transfer window opens which is plenty time to (hopefully) get a clearer picture on how things will pan out. Most clubs are well versed at making swift adjustments to their structure etc if needed - just look at how relegated clubs often need to react. I also don't think the positions are true or fair. You've got all sorts of variables that give advantages and disadvantages at this stage of the season: number of home games, number of games vs closest rivals, number of games vs tougher or weaker opponents. It would be like the home /away game unfairness of the split but on steroids. You need to look beyond the top flight to see how unfair ending the season now would be: Championship: Thistle relegated despite being 2 points behind with a game in hand? League One: Raith crowned champions despite Falkirk being one point behind? We've also got the issue of Europe. Why should we get in ahead of Aberdeen when one take on it could be that we've blown a massive lead - the momentum is with other clubs and we're just about clinging on. We've still to play Aberdeen twice and they'll fancy their chances. I've not got a problem with UEFA saying that places may not be honoured if the leagues are finished because it's not a true reflection of performance over the whole season. These scenarios will be played out in leagues across Europe and will all have massive financial implications for clubs. You've also got to think about the historical implications for clubs and the leagues. It feels like a rushed decision to forever have an **asterisk against any clubs achievement in the 2019 2020 season. "They won the league, but they didn't really win it did they?"

I get your point about the 90 year thing, but the very fact you've referred to the clubs only ever top flight win as 'long forgotten' suggests we definitely need to do more to celebrate it.

A few old aerial shots I've stumbled across. I think the bottom one shows the blocks you are talking about Andy?

It's a great photo - I'm doing a wee bit of research into the development of Fir Park so interested to know what was going on there.

The new south stand? Didn't that start in the 90s?

Not sure I'm following your argument here? Some clubs have already started selling season tickets - Hibs report a good response so far. Aye, sales would be easier with a start date but we don't know when organised sport can return and the decision on voiding / finishing the league isn't going to make any difference to that. You've also got to factor in the possibility that we may be going in and out of periods of lockdown. If the league was voided with just 8 games to go this season, whose to say the same won't happen next season? That's going to be on folks minds if they're deciding whether to renew or not - why pay (again) into a competition that might not even finish? I think the only solution is to find a way to finish the games, even if it knocks of the schedule / format for a few seasons. Sporting integrity is at stake, and that's the absolute bottom line for a sports competition. You made a good point about the transfer window, but in terms of integrity I think that's the lesser of a range of evils just now. If the season is voided because of that then where does that leave our Europa league places? Do we qualify? If so, where's the sporting integrity in that? Does it revert back last years teams - Aberdeen and Kilmarnock? It's a mess, but as Weeyin says, an extra transfer window is the least unfair option.

He's an absolute weirdo. That said, if the season is voided, or if the title is awarded - we're going to have years (decades) of seethe from either Rangers or Celtic, which I'll quite enjoy. Only down side is that there isn't a scenario which leaves them both absolutely raging.

Decisions starting to come through - Club Brugge about to be crowned champions in Belgium despite still having 11 games to play (10 of them in that mad play-off system they've got). Rugby leagues throughout Europe starting to either declare leagues finished with winners, promotions and relegations etc or some declaring leagues null and void.