Contract offers and Cats’ financial situation covered
too. Clearly, if it does resume, there are big testing costs too.
Thenthere’sabigunknown in terms of next season.
If it is going to start behind closeddoors,thatisgoingtobe yet another burden.
Intruth,I’dexpectthewage bill to come down again ahead ofnextseason,giventhatparachute payments are now over.
The current crisis will surely only reinforce that.
Every club is in a similar position,though,soyouwould hope that Sunderland aren’t losing a competitive advantage.
The owners put money into the club at the start of the crisis (whether this is in part from FPP or the ‘wider investorbase’isn’tknown)andthey mayhavetodosoagain.It’sstill probably a little early to know the full implications. put forward to curtail League One, as it’s an even bigger issue than in the Championship.
For one, there are more players out of contract in the third tier and secondly, clubs are under more pressure financially so you’d suspect they’re far less likely to agree short-term extensions.
This issue is one of the reasonswhyPhilParkinsoncame out in support of the extended play-off campaign (and yes, trying to save Sunderland’s promotion hopes no doubt played a part too).
Hisargument,though,was that this way the issues of promotionaresettledonthepitch by teams that are likely to be pretty much at full strength.
I’ve also put this question to Jim Rodwell, who basically said that the integrity of the competition would be affected but that it was basically the lesser of two evils (i.e not ideal but better than using a formula).
The Bolton point is really interesting as you could argue that because of that, the precedent has been set and so predominantly youth teams playing shouldn’t really be an issue.
Ultimately, though, I think basic issues of timing are becoming the key ones. I just can’t see how the fixtures can now be completed before July 31, no matter who is playing in them.
*Some League One clubs 'simply cannot afford' to play the remaining games of the 2019-20 season.
That’s the view of Lincoln CitychiefexecutiveLiamScully ahead of Tuesday’s crunch EFL vote which will see third tier teams vote to either resumeorcurtailthecampaign.
Sunderland’s only chance of winning promotion is if the season restarts but support is waning from other clubs and it is becoming increasingly difficult to see where enough votes will come from to kickstart the season.
If the season is cut short then the table will be decided on an unweighted points-pergame formula to decide promotion and relegation issues.
"We're pretty much out of timeifwewanttocompleteon the pitch," Scully said.
"It is looking more and more unlikely we'll be able to do that. The talk of playing on in June, July or even beyond that...I know there are clubs that simply cannot afford to do it.
"As custodians of the game we've got a responsibility to look as fairly as we can at the solutions the EFL has put forward. Our chairman coined a phraseatthebeginningofthis: wearelookingforthefairestof the unfair solutions.
"No matter which way you turn somebody is going to benefit from this and, unfortunately, someone is going to be the victims of this."