Premier League football matters not a jot. But then, it never did. We all have family we are anxious about. We are all anxious. Mental health is fragile.

This site offers an outlet, someting to do, a diversion. Well done Lyndon and Michael. Very well done.

Everton are important to us all, not as important as the survival of our loved ones, but important nonetheless.

Stay safe all.

In this climate, is it not bizarre there are still gossip columns with stuff about clubs willing to pay millions for this player or that player?

Here in Australia, NRL and ARL, 70% mandatory pay cuts being bandied about – to much squeals, I might add... If it wasn't for TV money, they'd all be back playing in the local park for 20 quid expenses and an after-game burger and pint.

People are getting laid off left and right, but most, if not all of the Premier League players were to never receive another penny, they'd be made for life.

Uefa saying (probably) all league records to be expunged. Yet, apart from a £50,000 dressing-room whip-round for the local food bank, the sound of silence is deafening from clubs and players... If they're all pouring millions in on the quiet, then I stand corrected.

As for transfers, I wouldn't like us to be the first to dive in the market and splash £30M about on this or that player. especially with our poorish record.

In the grand scheme of things, the world may never be the same again... nor will football.

Disclaimer: This may not be the worst that could happen. Strange days indeed.

On the subject of Force Majeure, the clauses are general in nature in order to cover unexpected events and not to exclude anything which would result in a breach of contract. They do include specific examples though, one of which would be outbreaks of disease.

Regarding broadcasting and sponsorship payments, it's unlikely that the huge figures involved would have been paid up front. More likely they're spread over the season so recovery of monies paid would be minimal.

Yes, we feel our blood pressure rising watching Everton. Yes, many of us were a little freaked out at the idea of postponing games. But, now things have developed, it's obvious many of us have had a bit of a reset.

Yes, when the Premier League restarts, we will all be excited and anxious in the matchday forum. But maybe it's time to re-evaluate our priorities. Specifically financially.

So often, I read on TW people talking about cancelling season tickets because of the cost versus the reward. Or good-natured fans giving tickets to folks who can't afford a ticket. All very logical and commendable. But in a wider sense, maybe now is the time to re-evaluate how we reward the players.

We treat them like gods but, in this crisis, we see they're false gods unable to offer us even a game to watch as they, like us, are in fact just mere mortals. I remember in the 80s watching rugby when it was amateur and I don't feel any more invested now that it's a highly paid enterprise.

I just hope, that while we retain our passion, that we collectively realize taking care of family, paying critical bills etc is more important than making every pro obscenely wealthy. I hope the pros also realize that. It won't in any way take the passion out of the game because we all know the real Everton legends, like Dixie Dean, were comparative paupers yet loved and inspiring to millions.

That will certainly cause them some legal headaches from those leagues that they have voided.

Obviously football wasn't prepared for this current crisis. Those that invested in football clubs weren't prepared either. Whilst billionaires may be able to take risks and manipulate finances, it appears that they now have to think in terms of the fundamentals of business we are all subject too.

For Everton, it seems their lack of progress has caused the club not to be exposed as much as they could have been, and the new stadium development hasn't started, with limited funds parted with.

As for transfer values, Everton seem to be ahead of the game, sitting with reduced values anyway, which have been thought about, though not worked into the accounts yet. Everton may even benefit from reduced wages and having certain players near the end of their contract.

A lot depends on Moshiri's and Usmanov's views and circumstances. Financial Fair Play rules are really up in the air and I doubt they will be pushed. Everton will be affected badly, but the question is how much in comparison to other clubs? How quickly will they be able to recover?

The Premier League as we know it will certainly change and the impact will play out into the future. But the truth is all this is irrelevant currently when so many people's lives are a stake.

Keep Save.

I was chosen way back in the 50s and, for me, there is no escape. In a post-pandemic world, will the modern fan return to a game that increasingly is disconnected from the ordinary match-goer?

Leighton Baines lost favour with the manager and there was a huge outcry. A large banner of support for him appeared at Goodison that said 'He was one of ours'. With few noticeable exceptions, not many of today's players have earned that kind of connection to supporters.

This pandemic has horrific consequences for many yet it provides an opportunity for players, particularly in Premier League clubs, to show they are still, at heart, one of us.

As this pandemic plays out, the future of football will slowly become clearer. The top of the game was already in a parallel universe and I won't shed a tear for the drop in wages and transfer fees but I do worry for those people working in the lower leagues. Clubs will surely close down, folk will lose their livelihoods.

Perhaps the Premier League will offer to help the rest.

Maybe when this pandemic is over, football will take a long hard look at itself and the likes of Raiola et al and bring some sanity back to the financial side of the game.

Seems everyday we hear more calls from players and some managers that the outstanding games will have to be played behind closed doors. Yet nobody has any idea when the government restrictions will allow that to happen. But it seems that come what may the general consensus is we must finish this season. But it all seems to be a case of we must fulfill our obligations to Sky or it will have a major impact on their finances.

I find very little appetite at the moment to even consider watching behind closed doors, maybe I am in the minority but while people's lives and livelihoods will be affected, playing a game of football seems totally insignificant.

I would like to think over time this pandemic will make people reconsider how football should conduct itself, but it won't. When we get back to normality, players will still be paid a fortune, and NHS staff who are putting their lives at risk will still be amongst the lowest paid workers in the country. When you look at the people who are keeping this country running from day to day, it's NHS staff, care workers, supermarket staff, binmen, bus and train drivers, some local government employees. You will notice we don't rely on footballers when it really matters, mainly just low paid workers.

Maybe when this has passed, these people who have looked after us and kept us safe should be the ones who we pledge undying loyalty too and not some over-paid Premier League footballer, who will have been supplied with all the food and goodies they needed when many were struggling.

It would be good if this caused some sort of wage correction but I suspect that, once the restrictions are lifted, the business of Premier League football will be back with a bang. It could well be that it's the poorest and smallest clubs who are hit hardest.

Hopefully all the financial pain goes up the line to Sky. If, for instance, EFC...and many others say, sorry we've spent it, were skint, look *pulls trouser pocket linings inside out*... Are they going to sue into bankruptcy the golden egg layers?

Couldn't agree more.

Brian @15,

A good post making some important points. I would like to think you are wrong regarding the players taking a pay cut... But I don't think you are.

Salaries are going to drop. Valuations will drop. The whole thing is going to adjust to a more reasonable economic model.

Regarding BMD, I'd imagine Everton will already be in the process of re-negotiating some costs. I think the project will be delayed a few years as everyone works together and figures out a financial landscape that works for all parties. My guess would be completion in 2025 now. Could be wrong.

A lot is written about our ownership on these pages. There's a lot of criticism, and also due praise when warranted. Going into a period of economic adjustment, which clearly will require negotiation and level-headed thinking and compromise by all, ask yourself this question:

Would you rather have Mosh and Bill trying to work with their vendors and players to find a common ground, or someone like Daniel Levy at Spurs who no one likes to negotiate with, and is a man whom everyone knows is shrewd to a definable, palpable fault? In short, and only in a business sense, the dude is an asshole and everyone knows it.

This might be a situation where the good guys win in the end. Clubs run well with excellent outreach programs will find it much easier to adjust their financial landscape with vendors and players - they'll be trusted and liked, and people will be amenable to working with them.

Wash your hands.

Barcelona players took 70% wage cuts, but seems some of our Premier League clubs would rather keep paying their millionaire players their salaries, while putting all of the non-playing staff on furlough payments made by the government. This in my view is abhorrent, the government made the furlough arrangement so people could stay at home and not have to worry about a great loss of income.

This scheme wasn't set up to allow multi-million-pound businesses to offset some of their costs. This scheme was introduced to try and save lives. I think, when things start to get back to something like normality, the fans of these and other clubs won't forget this selfish attitude in a hurry.

While there are rules around furlough, they seem wide enough to allow this behaviour but it's pretty obvious that it wasn't set up to pay employers salary costs for those predominantly on the minimum/living wage while they still pay out millions to individuals. No shame.

The players etc have become greedy, the clubs clamour for success, the fans demand it and the Media, Gambling, companies etc have supported it to increase their own revenues. So we see Neymar getting a bonus of Euro 375000 per month to ensure he claps the fans and behaves himself, and all players getting paid to take an isotonic drink at half time and full time ……..

Yet as the Madrid Health Executive said last week - What type of society have we let develop when we have a huge shortage of nurses, doctors, many of who are losing their lives every day, on paltry salaries of Euro 2000-3000 per month yet we pay our footballers Euro 1,000,000 per month !!

Football has to crash, its obscene.

The ongoing impact of Covid-19 is, I fear, going to be far reaching and long lasting.