TRIO SET TO JOIN TOWN
TRANMERE, SOUTHEND AND BOLTON FACING RELEGATION
GRIMSBY Town look set to be joined in League Two next season by Tranmere Rovers, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers.
Those three clubs are likely to be relegated from League One as a decision on how to finish the season draws closer.
While League Two appears to be cut and dried with clubs favouring ending the season immidiately using points per game, League One has been split.
However, Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry has now all-but given up on promotion after claiming that the majority of the clubs in League One will vote next week to curtail the season and decide standings via unweighted points per game (PPG).
That method would relegate Tranmere Rovers, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers to League Two.
The EFL is set to table several proposals to League One clubs with the argument essentially based around each club fulfilling their remaining nine fixtures, ending the season now via unweighted PPG or ending now via weighted PPG.
The first option looks unlikely with too many clubs claiming they simply cannot afford to stage matches behind closed doors or pay for an expensive testing procedure. And while unweighted PPG is beneficial to the likes of Coventry and Rotherham - as it automatically promotes them to the Championship - and Wycombe - who climb from eighth to third, displacing Peterborough, there was some hope that Tranmere chairman Mark Palios’ system would be adopted. Under Palios’ proposal, a margin for error would be included, so that teams who just miss out on the top six despite having been unable to influence their position, could compete in an expanded play-offs. Peterborough would be one of those teams, with chairman Darragh MacAnthony a vocal supporter of concluding matters on the field, but Fry believes their race is now run and when the vote is passed on Tuesday, Posh will be denied a chance at promotion.
“Myself and Bob (Symns, chief executive) have rang round the clubs and the support isn’t there. There are 16 or 17 clubs who say they won’t vote for it.
“There’s no incentive for the teams set to contest a four-team rather than an eight-team play-off and the teams at the bottom are not interested either.
“Tranmere’s proposal includes a 25-team League One next season which means solidarity money would be reduced as it would split 25 ways instead of 24 and clubs reckon they can’t afford that. Clubs are also claiming they would have to pay £90K to help fund the rest of the season and they don’t want to do that.
“It’s a big shame, but at least we had a go.”
Fry’s admission is the first time one of the original “rebel six” - Peterborough, Portsmouth, Oxford, Sunderland, Fleetwood and Ipswich - have conceded defeat in their attempts to swing the votes of other clubs in trying to play on.