CHAMPIONSHIP RESTART ROW

CHAMPIONSHIP clubs are at loggerheads over plans to resume English football’s second tier in less than three weeks.

While QPR claimed they received just 40 minutes’ notice of the June 20 restart before it was made public by Football League chairman Rick Parry on Sunday night, Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate said he had already been working towards that date.

‘I think everyone was staggered when the news was suddenly announced late evening,’ QPR boss Mark Warburton told Talksport. ‘We haven’t come back until a week after the Premier League and yet we start on the same day. It’s ludicrous.

‘To get this sort of shock news last night, no consultation whatsoever with them, how can that possibly be allowed to happen? The health and welfare of every player and staff member has to be the priority. My concerns are very genuine.’

Stoke are also reportedly unhappy at a lack of dialogue with the EFL while Hull are against restarting altogether. But despite his Boro side facing a relegation scrap, Woodgate has taken the opposite view.

‘As a club we’ve made no secret of the fact that we wanted to restart the season when it is deemed safe enough to do so,’ he said. ‘We’d had June 20 in mind as a possible to return and were already working towards that date.’ Meanwhile, Cardiff manager Neil Harris, whose side are just two places outside the top six, said: ‘We’ve got a chance to enjoy it and put a smile on people’s faces, so let’s do it.’

However, Charlton manager Lee Bowyer has highlighted the selection issues facing some clubs with star striker Lyle Taylor, Chris Solly and David Davis refusing to play for the relegation-threatened club again.

Taylor, 30, is among 15 Addicks players out of contract at the end of June and Bowyer said: ‘Lyle has said that he’s not going to play because of risk of injury. He is going to get a life-changing move.

‘Lyle is a big player for us, a bit like Troy Deeney at Watford.’