Higher steps likely to determine decision
Western League chairman John Pool believes The FA’S decision on how to conclude this season will be largely steered by the Step 3 and 4 leagues and clubs.
The FA initially sent a survey to Step 3 and 4 clubs for their opinion on how the season should end before that survey was extended to Step 5 and 6 clubs, which includes the Western League. The Trident Leagues at Step 3 and 4, including the Southern League, have already been outspoken on their views to null and void a second season.
Speaking on a recent Toolstation Western League podcast with Ian Nockolds, Pool said: “The situation is considerably worse than at the beginning of January.
“We don’t quite know what’s happening with regards to 5 and 6 and I don’t think there’s likely to be any other arrangements applicable to 5 and 6 - I think 3 and 4 in our opinion are going to be dictating much on how we go forward really.
“With all due respect to clubs, everybody has their own views on what you can and what you can’t do, but you need to think it through a little bit more really with regards to what is feasible and what is achievable. What exactly is going to be in those surveys, I don’t really know to be quite honest, it looks as tough from the press comments that I saw yesterday (Tuesday, January 12), it looks like it’s going to be a null and void.
“That’s pretty much all they’re saying. This is what they term the Trident Leagues - the Northern Prem, the Southern and the Isthmian Leagues - they’ve been pretty brave really because they’ve made a board decision to say that null and void is their favoured option. But the survey says it’s going out on the basis that anybody with alternatives, but what those alternatives would be I don’t really know.
“They’re aren’t too many options that you can come up. The ones that have been probably subject of discussion at 5 and 6 at the chairs meeting that we’ve had have been very much along the lines of null and void as against the carry over to next season - in other words suspending this season and starting again next season.
“We’ve talked about it a lot as regards to, and that’s not to say we all agree make that clear, putting anything out to the clubs in a way that steps 3 and 4 have done, we don’t agree with it to be absolutely honest. We don’t think it’s the right way to go. We believe it’s their decision because there’s no doubt that you’re damned with whatever you do on this.
“And it’s not a question of ducking the issue, it’s quite simply it’s got to be the clubs’ decision. It’s The FA that are conducting this, not the leagues, and I think there’s enough experience now from what’s gone before for the clubs to form their own conclusions with regards to what is the best solution.
“And I think it’s the time to start thinking about what has gone on with regards to the reaction from clubs - we’ve had clubs that have understandably not wanted to continue, their financial viability has been in question, even morals have been in question in regards to whether it’s morally right. I think in fairness you can understand those situations, but it’s even more understandable now because the situation has got considerably worse.”
Pool also believes that a null and void decision may take longer to be decided while the relevant bodies wind the clock down until that is the only option available to everyone.
He said: “I think if you adopt a view that null and void is what you’re looking for, then you can take as long as you want to take because if you go to February, they’ve suspended all fixtures now until March 6 so they don’t intend playing again before March 6 - in fact it’s been said that they want another two weeks after that to get everybody prepared again - well if you look at the league tables, that very much tells you exactly where they’re coming from.
“They’ve recommended null and void and, if you get my drift, the longer it takes to come up with a conclusion the closer you are to achieving null and void because we’re already in a position now where you’re going to have clubs playing two or three times a week.
“There’s a lot at stake in 3 and 4 because you’ve got contract players, you’ve got wages that have got to be paid. I don’t like to keep quoting 3 and 4 but unfortunately our view is that they’re going to lead the way on this.
“It would be very interesting if our survey at 5 and 6 said that we would like to continue as soon as and if at all possible we would like to continue playing, but would we be in a position to complete the season? No, not when we’ve got a club who’s only played eight games. It’s just not going to be possible to do that.
“Looking at the tables throughout the country, they all pretty much look similar with games played this is. So I really would have no take on how they would arrive at a decision as regards to promotion and relegation because that’s the key to it all.
“That is the problem that we have at 5 and 6, if they null and void their season at 3 and 4 our season becomes somewhat pointless if there’s no promotion or relegation.
“There’s a lot of lessons to be learnt from this year because they didn’t learn them from last year. The Western League asked a question before a ball was kicked in regards to getting a repeat of the Covid situation - what steps have been taken or what decision would be arrived at if it reoccurred - and we never even had a reply.
“And that was actually after a meeting with all the leagues, one of the very first meetings that we had with The FA at the start of all this. That question was asked and it just completely dismissed and here we are now in a considerably worse situation but no decisions have been made.”