Robert Elstone - Ditch Relegation and Promotion for coming season

[Harry Stottle]

3 hours ago, Kayakman said:

Toronto was never at risk of relegation....they were just getting ready to roll!

0 from 6 is a good place to improve from, the plus factor is it can't get any worse in the number of games won.

[paulwalker71]

53 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Had you invested in something, anything and it cost you a lot of money like thousands would have done Paul and your hopes and aspirations have effectively been scuppered wouldn't you feel a little disgruntled also?

Well a fair few clubs 'invested' in Championship squads this year, HS. And only one of them can get promoted, so there is always the element of risk.

At least, should the season be cancelled, he wouldn't have to invest anything else - because I think we both know he would have strengthened for the play offs - and the potential for the speculative spending to result in nothing other than glorious playoff failure is taken off the table.

So it's not all bad. Make the decision now, and then everyone can start planning for 2021.

[Davo5]

3 hours ago, TIWIT said:

Yes. Deny the current last-place club any home games, relegate them at the end of the season and ring-fence their promoted replacement for the next season. Sounds totally fair to me.

I'm certain it sounds fair to everyone in Leigh.

[Davo5]

7 minutes ago, SL17 said:

If the season doesn’t start from where it finished it is a clear advantage to the likes of Toronto. 
 

Im a Leigh fan but surely even you can read between the lines.

 

You can start it where you want,your still not going to get the same completed full season that clubs set out on in February.

[Harry Stottle]

10 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

You can start it where you want,your still not going to get the same completed full season that clubs set out on in February.

Pardon the intrusion Dav, but I see this as a personal double whammy for your good self,  should this season be scrapped off in that Toronto not being in such a precarious position to be relegated, and Leigh not being able to keep up their good start to the season and possibly get some success.

[GUBRATS]

2 hours ago, SL17 said:

Fair comment. Still no reason to not start the season from where it finished.

But when will that be ?

[Davo5]

3 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Pardon the intrusion Dav, but I see this as a personal double whammy for your good self,  should this season be scrapped off in that Toronto not being in such a precarious position to be relegated, and Leigh not being able to keep up their good start to the season and possibly get some success.

Haven’t got a clue what your on about

[Tommygilf]

Clearly from the podcast and other interviews there is a growing consensus that the season that can be played out will be compromised, at least in the sense that it won't be the season that started in February. 

Catalans and Toronto complicate matters much more significantly also.

From his comments I get the feeling Super League clubs will vote against relegation but whether that means no promotion isn't totally clear - that seems to remain somewhere between the RFL, Super League and clubs of both divisions to decide. Elstone clearly seems to be intimating that SL won't go ahead behind closed doors before competitions like the premier league get the go ahead, and also that he doesn't see how the championship and League 1 can have much of a season without spectator attendance. With that in mind the logic is how can a team be promoted if they have hardly played a season.

Its not an ideal position to for clubs below SL but it is one that more and more people are coming to see as possible, certainly within the SL hierarchy.

[arcticchris]

If there is any resumption of playing this summer then I fully believe that players ought to be able to refuse to take part and be protected from any financial punishment by their clubs.

[Hela Wigmen]

1 hour ago, SL17 said:

So your answer is write it off?

Write off the Championship in its current format and run a shorter version to fill the gap. 

[Man of Kent]

As long as there’s a good-enough season that results in a Super League champion, Sky will be happy. It may not be perfect but the sport is in survival mode. Perfection is the enemy of progress [Winston Churchill].

In lieu of a TV deal that pays the bills, the Championship will have to make do with a severely curtailed season at best. The RFL will see them right but don’t expect many games.

(Davo5 will do some sort of negative reaction emoji to this because he’s frit  ).

[Kayakman]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

0 from 6 is a good place to improve from, the plus factor is it can't get any worse in the number of games won.

A slow start, agreed,  but there were no worries in our camp...the season had clearly turned around with the Challenge Cup dismantling of Huddsersfield.  Preseason I  even went on record saying Toronto would not be relegated at the start of their maiden SL season.... you adamantly opposed it.....

Question:  Is Toronto being relegated after its maiden season in SL?

Your Answer Please: _________________________________

[sweaty craiq]

1 hour ago, arcticchris said:

If there is any resumption of playing this summer then I fully believe that players ought to be able to refuse to take part and be protected from any financial punishment by their clubs.

so how do clubs pay them? They obviously wont bother taking a loan to pay somebody who refuses to play and isn't with you next season

 

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

If the championship clubs don't play again this season then where do they stand with season ticket holders?

[newbe]

I just cant see S/L having the finances, for keeping the players in isolation, and paying for all the testing not just the players but all the auxiliary personnel that make the game happen., It certainly not going to happen in the Championship and League 1.

[ELBOWSEYE]

1 hour ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

If the championship clubs don't play again this season then where do they stand with season ticket holders?

I doubt any season ticket holders will see any game live this season at any level, so its going to be one  of three options,        1, refunds pro rata . 

2, donation to your clubs (sacrifice your money for the benefit of the club) 

3, New season tickets for next year discounted to take in account of this year. 

[sweaty craiq]

1 hour ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

If the championship clubs don't play again this season then where do they stand with season ticket holders?

If the Championship is scrapped a whole can of worms opens up

1. With no income how do players get paid, assuming furlough wont last forever

2. Why would you borrow money from the £16m to pay back at a later date to pay players who can't play

3. If fans request pro rata refunds how many clubs would remain

4. Is the best thing for all clubs to go pop, reforming immediately without contracts to pay until new ones start in 2021

[Angelic Cynic]

2 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

If the Championship is scrapped a whole can of worms opens up

1. With no income how do players get paid, assuming furlough wont last forever

2. Why would you borrow money from the £16m to pay back at a later date to pay players who can't play

3. If fans request pro rata refunds how many clubs would remain

4. Is the best thing for all clubs to go pop, reforming immediately without contracts to pay until new ones start in 2021

   I feel Scotchy may be along in a minute...

[Man of Kent]

29 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

If the Championship is scrapped a whole can of worms opens up

1. With no income how do players get paid, assuming furlough wont last forever

2. Why would you borrow money from the £16m to pay back at a later date to pay players who can't play

3. If fans request pro rata refunds how many clubs would remain

4. Is the best thing for all clubs to go pop, reforming immediately without contracts to pay until new ones start in 2021

Depends how much you think the government will want their money back.

When they are spaffing billions per day on furlough etc, they aren’t going to miss £16m.

After all, this is exactly what the loan is for: to ensure clubs, who through no fault of their own are forced to effectively cease trading, don’t disappear.

[Toby Chopra]

36 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

If the Championship is scrapped a whole can of worms opens up

1. With no income how do players get paid, assuming furlough wont last forever

2. Why would you borrow money from the £16m to pay back at a later date to pay players who can't play

3. If fans request pro rata refunds how many clubs would remain

4. Is the best thing for all clubs to go pop, reforming immediately without contracts to pay until new ones start in 2021

1. Whether or not the championship is scrapped there is no matchday money coming in due to no fans in ground. So it doesn't directly make a difference, although costs may be slightly lower if the season is ended. 

2. The £16 mln is to keep community schemes going, not pay players, they won't be able to redirect that money. Its up to the players to agree a pay reduction that keeps the club solvent/agree a release/take the club to court. 

3. It depends on if they can agree substantial pay cuts with the players. But even if the games go ahead, fans can still ask for refunds as they won't be able to attend the games. Down near where I am, a major theatre group in Southampton went into administration yesterday because it ran out of money to pay refunds for shows it cancelled. This can happen to sports clubs too. Fans will have to think long and hard about demanding their money back. 

4. The problem with planned bankruptcy, bizarrely, is that some of the strongest clubs that have assets like stadiums or training grounds could see them lost, whereas for clubs that are basically shells administration might be a good choice, given there might be no RFL penalty this year. 

 

[Oldbear]

This could get really messy, depending upon what Ontario decides as part of their return plan. Here in BC our plan was outlined yesterday, the key points being no sports till September, then some sport but no fans. They say no fans till a vaccine is found, plus no international travel either. If Ontario follows that plan then Toronto can’t function as a SL team, unless they permanently base themselves in the UK till a vaccine is found, what if Mr Argyle then says no to that and plus the plug, who replaces them?

[Harry Stottle]

13 hours ago, scotchy1 said:

Make a decision on what we want SL to look in 2021. If thats 14, promote two teams via bids. If its 12 cancel P+R for the year and play just to win. 

Are you suggesting two teams pay to play in SL?

And, secondly going back to a closed shop by whatever means, at least half the league will be doing precisely what you state in your last sentance. 

[Harry Stottle]

12 hours ago, Kayakman said:

A slow start, agreed,  but there were no worries in our camp...the season had clearly turned around with the Challenge Cup dismantling of Huddsersfield.  Preseason I  even went on record saying Toronto would not be relegated at the start of their maiden SL season.... you adamantly opposed it.....

Question:  Is Toronto being relegated after its maiden season in SL?

Your Answer Please: _________________________________

Now if anyone wants to proved right on a default that is just about the perfect example.

I should imagine if it was a wager placed with a Bookie, the bet would be void.

[Man of Kent]

9 hours ago, Oldbear said:

This could get really messy, depending upon what Ontario decides as part of their return plan. Here in BC our plan was outlined yesterday, the key points being no sports till September, then some sport but no fans. They say no fans till a vaccine is found, plus no international travel either. If Ontario follows that plan then Toronto can’t function as a SL team, unless they permanently base themselves in the UK till a vaccine is found, what if Mr Argyle then says no to that and plus the plug, who replaces them?

Is that official BC policy? Blimey. That could wipe out 2021 too, so Toronto could potentially be waiting another two years to welcome a team to Lamport. 

That may not be the case, of course, but Argyle will need to weigh that up as he continues to bankroll the club with little coming back.

If he pulled the plug now you’d probably have an 11 team league this season with records expunged. 

[Harry Stottle]

12 hours ago, Jill Halfpenny fan said:

If the championship clubs don't play again this season then where do they stand with season ticket holders?

If the player's are recieving furlough payments then the clubs need to add that extra 20%.

Mr Beaumont suggested that he will buy some state of the art camera equipment, much better than they already have to live stream the championship games, season ticket holders would get the stream free and other speccies that would be 'walk-up's' can pay whatever fee was set. Hopefully that would fund the 20% and maybe even playing bonuses, Obviously Sky would have to allow that to happen, but they couldn't refuse, could they?

Looking further down the line he also said, that if the next TV deal meant that clubs below SL were not going to recieve any payments, then they would have to do something to make up the shortfall, live streaming could be one of the options open to them.

Seems all very sensible, but wait it's Derek Beaumont's idea, so no good then.