REEVES: IT WASN’T JUST A SPUR OF THE MOMENT
POOLE Town chairman Chris Reeves refuted criticism of advice to scrap the season and argued a “massive consultation process” had drawn support from an “overwhelming majority of clubs”.
The long-serving Dolphins chief serves on the FA’s Alliance Leagues Committee which, along with the Leagues Committee, recommended making 2019-20 null and void in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
Representatives of more than 150 clubs put names to a letter to the FA from lawyers questioning the validity of the proposal and how the decision was reached.
Reeves revealed the questions raised had been discussed prior to Thursday’s full vote of more than 100 representatives which rubber-stamped the call and was quick to stress that the initial process had been thorough.
And while one of the alternatives suggested – putting the campaign on hold until it is safe to play again – would have suited his club, Reeves supports the stance.
“The most important thing to say is the null and void decision is one which found favour with the overwhelming majority of clubs in the National League System,” said Reeves.
“There are 10 areas of the country divided into what we call divisions of full member clubs and each of those geographical regions elects its representatives.
“Four of those – of which I am one – sit on the Alliance Leagues Committee. We have all canvassed our member clubs.
“Each board of the major leagues also has club representatives and there has been an awful lot of liaison.
“I have certainly been in touch with my member clubs and the other divisional representatives I have spoken to have been in touch with theirs.
“It is abundantly plain that the teams which have invested a huge amount of money and are towards the top of the table will be unhappy but it is a fact that the overwhelming majority support it being null and void.
“From Poole’s perspective, I don’t think there is any doubt that we would have been up in a play-off place had the season run its course. On a pointsper-game basis we were a small decimal point outside the play-offs but if we had played it out, we would have had 12 home games and three away while being in a good run of form.
“If you replicate that over the country there are all sorts of examples of teams that would have avoided relegation, made the play-offs or won the title. Points per game just didn’t seem the right way to go.
“Points-per-game has also never been used in circumstances where clubs have not played out the full season. Some clubs have played a hell of a lot less games than others, maybe more home games than others and others invested to give them a real push to achieve what they wanted to in the latter part of the season.
“So many factors come into play which precludes points per game from being a satisfactory outcome.
“There have been hours and hours of debate over this and a huge amount of consultation with clubs and leagues and this is the considered view.”
Reeves confirmed a “very significant amount of paperwork” had been pored over this week prior to the vote and predicted some of the naysayers vowing to escalate legal proceedings would fall by the wayside.
“The view of the individual approached (to sign the letter) was not always representative of the club’s view so that number has been reduced,” he added.
“You are going to upset people whatever decision is taken, there is no way of suiting everyone. The various leagues, the Leagues Committee and the Alliance Leagues Committee are charged by clubs to make these decisions and that was what we had to do.”