The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Biggest budget in club’s history could be wasted
Peterborough United have thrown the biggest playing budget in the club’s history at winning promotion from League One in the 2019-20 season.
Posh director of football Barry Fry made the revelation during a rant about the unfairness of shutting down the EFL season now and deciding promotion winners without playing another game.
Posh have been one of the loudest voices in urging the need for the season to be completed.
They probably have the most to lose and not just because they are currently sixth in League One, three points from the automatic promotion places, with a favourable run-in of matches.
Fry, speaking on Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony’s ‘Hard Truth’ podcast, said: “I can’t believe clubs will vote to end the season.
“I speak to loads of managers, owners and club officials and 9/10ths of them tell me they want the season to finish.
“In our case our owners got together last summer and put together the biggest budget in the club’s history.
“We had one aim and that was to win promotion and we are on track to do that with nine matches to go.
“To have the chance to fulfil that ambition snatched away because some clubs don’t want to play any more would be a disgrace.
“It would also be a disgrace if the Championship is allowed to finish, but Leagues One and Two are called off.
“I know the Championship clubs fancy the £160 million they can make from reaching the Premier League, but promotions are just as important to clubs in the lower divisions.
“If it does happen I can see many writs and many rich lawyers. You can’t just change the goalposts when four fifths of the season has been played.”
The EFL are expected to make a definite decision on the rest of the current season early next week.
They, like the Premier League, were waiting to hear what UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had to say with regards to the national lockdown cased by the coronavirus pandemec in a statement to the country last weekend.
Johnson didn’t mention football specifically, but the Premier League remain on course to re-start their season sometime in June.
The EFL stance is less certain with national newspaper reports happy to say there will be no more fixtures in Leagues One or Two and the only thing left to debate is the best method to decide which teams win promotion.
A straightforward points per game average has won favour with some clubs, but wouldn’t please Posh who would drop from sixth to seventh if this formula was employed.
A weighted points-pergame average to take into account home and away form has also been mooted which would move Posh up a place to fifth and then relying on playoffs taking place to have a shot at promotion.
And play-offs could still happen according to one report.
They would become onelegged affairs with two semifinals and a final taking place at Wembley in the space of a week.
“We can’t give in,” Fry added. “EFL clubs should be sticking together and making sure we finish what we started and determine promotions and relegations on the field.
“That’s always been our stance and it remains the case. It is the only fair way of settling promotions and relegations.
“I think we would go up automatically if the season is played out as it should be.”