Uefa’s videoconference yesterday moved the prospect of domestic league football in late summer a step closer. It is likely the lockdown across Europe will be lifted gradually, with mass public events like football games being the very last permitted activity.
That being the case, it is likely that some leagues will be underway behind closed doors in July, with many more in August. Football will be back, TV contracts will be compromised but not completely discarded, so there will be some income, but without ticket revenue, the consequences for most Scottish clubs will be significant.
Most Hearts players have taken a lead from the (odious, remember) Gordon Taylor, PFA chief in England, by offering to defer their wages, not take an actual cut. Ticket revenue is almost an irrelevant figure for the English top flight, becoming less so as you go down the divisions, so a deferment works at the top level there.
But it is pointless to Hearts. There is a real prospect that clubs will not be allowed to sell a match ticket this year. As with England, those at the top of the tree will cope better, but all will face consequences and even the likes of Hearts will do well to survive without an insolvency event unless they can significantly cut their wage bill.
Gordon Taylor’s >£2m salary is not sustainable if his members are not earning full wages and paying significant union fees. It is against his financial interest to acquiesce to calls from the English Football League for an across the board wage cut. While this battle goes on in England, the same debate will happen in Scotland.
The crisis is likely to come to a head in the English Championship, which operates in normal times to the norms of voodoo economics, but will be wiped out without their normal income streams. There, some well-off footballers will lose their incomes. Below the Championship, it is hard to see a viable employer. Ironically, lower league clubs in Scotland can furlough all their staff, including players, who will not be offended by a £2500 monthly cap. The crunch in Scotland will come in the top flight, where valuable contracts are at stake.
It could take weeks for this to play out, with millionaires holding firm against the backdrop of horrendous levels of anxiety, joblessness, poverty and death in the community. I predict Steven Naismith, who unilaterally accepted a 50% wage cut, is one of the few footballers you admire when this is all over, despite his personal history. A phrase I never expected to type, but these are exceptional times.
I was shocked then angry when I heard the UK death figures yesterday, weeks before the peak is due. Our governments and their advisers have no master plan out of this one, and there are too many people still taking risks. Each household is on its own, so stay at home.
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TBB
Thanks.
Cheltenham, the Liverpool Athletico game, Leverkusen at Ibrox and The midlands National at Uttoxeter all held in the same week.
I think Scotland v France at Rugby was also played
Almore- thanks
Gene- I’m probably being over optimistic, some ferries are full when I was looking at the May dates,which I was surprised about.
Now.
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How many more royals and celebrities were infected at Cheltenham? Organisers are under fire after Andrew Parker Bowles, comic Lee Mack and footballer Charlie Austin catch virus after mixing with 60,000-strong crowd
Several celebrities claim to have contracted infection at Cheltenham last month
Festival went ahead despite fears over spread of virus which was in early stages
More than 250,000 people walked in through the gates across the four days
Hundreds of them have now claimed they have since developed symptoms
PUBLISHED: 11:38, 2 April 2020 | UPDATED: 17:05, 2 April 2020
Dozens of celebrities and royals along with hundreds more Cheltenham Festival racegoers could have been infected with coronavirus, it was feared today.
Camilla’s ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles today joined a growing list of famous names thought to have caught the virus at the event held from March 10 and 13, including comedian Lee Mack and West Bromwich Albion footballer Charlie Austin.
Fans were packed into the stands at the world-famous festival with no protection despite fears over the spread of the virus which was then in its early stages in Britain – which is now leading to worries that it could have been a hotbed for the infection.
There are also now further concerns for members of the Royal Family, with Brigadier Parker Bowles in close contact over two days he spent at the event with Camilla, Princess Anne, her daughter Zara Tindall and son-in-law Mike Tindall.
More than 250,000 people walked in through the gates across the four days – and hundreds of them have claimed online that they have since developed symptoms.
The news will raise fears that more people at the event at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire could have been infected – some without even knowing.
Anyone who attended the festival – which was taking place when Italy was already in lockdown as of March 9 – and caught the virus would have had it by now, given that the event finished three weeks ago and the incubation period is 14 days.
However anyone carrying it – whether or not they knew – could have gone on and infected more people, with patients spreading the virus to two others on average.
It went ahead just two weeks before the lockdown on March 23 – with several high-profile names fearing they caught the virus there, with up to 60,000 attendees daily.
It has also raised further criticism over why the event went ahead, with Twitter users saying the organisers ‘need to be held to account’ over the decision not to cancel – and prompted more questions on why Ministers did not ban sports event sooner.
At the time there was huge debate over whether it should have been cancelled, with MailOnline’s Piers Morgan saying he was ‘astonished’ it went ahead, and ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt claiming the Government imposed the lockdown ‘too late’.
But organisers The Jockey Club insisted today the festival ‘went ahead under Government guidance’. It finished three days before mass gatherings were banned.
But while most of other events were called off by individual sporting bodies, the festival still took place – which has prompted suggestions that Ministers should have done more to ensure all events were called off when the outbreak was in its infancy.
It comes as a poll for MailOnline revealed today that 55 per cent of Britons believe Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the coronavirus lockdown ‘too late’.
Meanwhile racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks has also revealed fears that he got the virus there – as did two racecourse workers, Andrew Maclean and Scott Saunders.
Gene its only crazy if you believe they are committed to isolation strategy, it makes sense if they are committed to the herd immunity strategy, isolation is simply a crowd control strategy to support the herd immunity strategy.
!!BADA BING!! on 2ND APRIL 2020 5:47 PM
Almore- thanks
Gene- I’m probably being over optimistic, some ferries are full when I was looking at the May dates,which I was surprised about.
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might be that the bookings systems show full just to stop any new bookings coming in. Because they cant gaurantee there will be a service.
Canamalar,
What do you think of Sweden’s approach to Covid 19. ?
Cheers and HH.
Greenpinata,
The same as I thought of the UKs herd immunity strategy, madness that will cause the death of many more that could/should be saved.
The problems experienced in Italy with overrun medical facilities not being able to cope will be the result.
SS- Thanks I will phone Stena as and when, only if things are a bit calmer than now…🤞
Covid19 – Italy-6pm-2 4 20
Cases-115,242
Dead-13,915
760 people died in the 24hr period between 6pm yesterday and 6pm today.
SOT
Do you think you’re past the peak
GENE
Too soon to say -but-The relevant trends are heading in that direction..
SoT- are numbers dropping in areas,as they have had so many fatalities, therefore less population?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND APRIL 2020 4:22 PM
Celtic v Barcelona BT 3 sports channel 8.30 👍
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We have no chance… those guys are the best club team to ever play the game
Will be watching from behind the sofa…
B-)
SoT,
How does the infection rate compare to previous days, if the doubling rate is estimated to happen every 3 to 4 days, can you remember do you have a record of the figures say over the last month in increments of 4.
Sorry not infection rate but confirmed cases since the infection rate will be unknown.
SoT,
No need thanks found this
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/italy/
Looks like confirmed cases peaked on March madness 27th
CANALAMAR
This breaks down each country by infections
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
Nice wee story about Callum’s time at Notts County
CAMUSBHOY on 1ST APRIL 2020 11:48 PM
Tontine if toy know the name from the west gate the you will know my family from Castlehill Dumbarton I’ll give you “Ridge” as one of the other names
*My da who spent his summers in Connemara grew up in the Silverton part of Dumbarton, lots of Irish there as they had relatively big hooses and they were the mainstay of St Patrick’s church in the town.
I was led tae believe she came fae Clifden, however that was the nearest market town tae Aillebrack; she was buried in Ballyconneely where Billy Connolly’s family came fae.
Mrs TT’s family are from Brucehill but she was brought up in Castlehill, she says the Ridges she knew were from Brucehill.
The Diaspora in Scotland are mainly from Donegal, however Dumbarton is different as its Clifden they relate tae, I reckon hauf the place are fae there.
When we were walking round the main street in Clifden she pointed tae the names above the shops and said that it was like the class register in Notre Dame aka Clerkhill.
Remember 8pm applause for the NHS 👍
Anyone interested in knowing more about corona virus and covid 19 might want to sign up to this course run by Future Learn (the OU) and developed by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
It’s free, incurs no commitment and is available worldwide ( and I’m including Canada in that).
COVID-19: Tackling the Novel Coronavirus
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/covid19-novel-coronavirus
Anthony Costello’s twitter feed is also worth following.
https://twitter.com/globalhlthtwit
I was a pupil at St. Pat’s Dumbarton. Tradamus Lampada to all you FPs on here. I remember the Reilly brothers, Bernie McDonnel, Hugh McGinley, Pat McAlister.
SFTB
I saw Callum against the Vale on Boxing Day 2013 – he was their best player in a struggling team – but I wouldn’t have thought he’d make the impact he has for us.
That was in the 60’s
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/radio-clyde-founder-lord-gordon-dies-from-coronavirus
I also saw the Griff for Wolves in the same year – he was lightning – scored 1 could have had 3.
Strange that most countries have no great rise in their annual death rates .
Nothing to justify the lockdown and other extreme actions.
They are deliberately crashing our economy and taking away our human rights on on false pretences.
Bamboo you are Peter Hitchen and I claim my £5
But I would respectfully disagree.
RON BACARDI on 2ND APRIL 2020 7:17 PM
I was a pupil at St. Pat’s Dumbarton. Tradamus Lampada to all you FPs on here. I remember the Reilly brothers, Bernie McDonnel, Hugh McGinley, Pat McAlister.
*there was a wheen of Rileys, think about 14, one of them Paddy was out here. Hugh McGinley became a Monsignor and is no longer with us. Bernie McDonnell hmm there were McDonnels that lived across fae the school and McDonalds fae Silverton, only Mcallister I knew was James fae Castlehill.
BTW did you know the McGintys fae Whitecrook, I was in school with Anthony.
Tontine, my dad’s side we’re from Clifton and indeed Ballyconneely, remember watching the programme with Billy and thinking that we were probably related as my Great Gran was a Connolly and some of my ancestors were buried in the cemetery that he visited.
The Castlehill family were Flaherty, you may have come across some of them
Guy coming on STV now knows his stuff re Covid 19
TONTINE, The Reillys were from Brucehill, Bernie lived opposite the school. I was in same class as Daniel McGinty, older brother of Antony. Pat McAllister came from Castlehill as did Hugh McGinley.
I think Hugh’s surname was McGinlay with an ‘a’.
CAMUSBHOY on 2ND APRIL 2020 7:30 PM
Tontine, my dad’s side we’re from Clifton and indeed Ballyconneely, remember watching the programme with Billy and thinking that we were probably related as my Great Gran was a Connolly and some of my ancestors were buried in the cemetery that he visited.
*My granny used tae say she wanted buried over there and the family would kid her on nae chance. She was on holiday when she died so she got her wish in the oul cemetery in Ballyconneely down by the Atlantic.
The Castlehill family were Flaherty, you may have come across some of them
*Aye if its the same family my wife was in school with one of them and I worked with their da out on the sites.
Ceteris paribus………?
smiley it is very unusual for things not to change when something is occurring as a result of something else thing
bide apart ….
Braw
sing braw songs
RON BACARDI on 2ND APRIL 2020 7:42 PM
I think Hugh’s surname was McGinlay with an ‘a’.
*Aye same one, he had 2 uncles that were priests and his wee sister went intae the convent but came back out. He worked with alcoholics and drug addicts.