Villa ask for Everton clash to be postponed

I doubt they would postpone it further than that. There might be more problems coming so they will have to do anything not to postpone too many matches.

The clubs and the managers really need to stay classy and show flexibility to accommodate the programme. There is a bigger picture than the PL at stake. It would be embarrassing if the serial moaners like Klopp starts moaning about the scheduling in these times.

Also, what if we play them, then our players start dropping like flies because they catch it from Villa players? Do we then have to play our u23s?

The continuation of the game is not possible at the moment. Should be suspended for 1 mont to 6 weeks. All European competition should be called off. The Euros should be called off. FA Cup called off. All international football called off. Then finish league competitions with all clubs in Covid-safe isolation over 9 weeks with 2 games a week.

Absolutely not a valid reason. The league should tell Villa to grab their balls and get out there.

Or call them all off.

i) Their players will be available.
ii) The precedent of their match against the RS going ahead in the midst of the personnel crisis.

Got to either get on with it or call a stop and cancel the Euros altogether. Then finish the season later than planned.

The Premier League is a different beast. Imagine if we were hit with a Covid outbreak and were forced to play our u18s and as a result we lost and missed on champions League football? Not right.

Just cause the game going ahead will benefit Everton doesn't mean we should support the game going ahead. Totally undermines.the integrity of the competition

Watching Spurs - Fulham, and maybe the rest has done Fulham good, because they look fresher than Spurs tonight, although the match isn’t over just yet

None of this is encouraging. I have grave concerns about the future of the game itself.

How long since Newcastle had their crisis? Well they still have 2 players suffering greatly. Their best player, Saint-Maxim, appears to be seriously impacted by it. The club is being very vague, but it seems.he is suffering from the long Covid. If this seriously damages his lungs or other things, it could well.end his career.

Should the game seriously be continuing with these potential consequences?

How come Southampton v Shrewsbury in the cup was not forced to go ahead but Villa v Them was?

After that, I am not convinced that football will survive as the sort of sport we have loved. I don't think these things can be switched on and off and I just don't see a return to crowds and the old culture, vaccine or no vaccine.

I deeply hope I'm wrong but why should football be exempted from the devastation suffered by other cultural entertainments?

I, for one, will not continue to watch the remote version of football for much longer despite my pleasure at Everton doing well. I think that interest is already starting to disappear; it certainly is among a lot of the fans I know, even some of the most dedicated ones.

The postponing of games is only going to create havoc and controversy anyway as people just continue to disregard the health guidelines and spread the virus at the moment.

Being from Ireland and seeing our Covid problem from being the most positive negative to be the worst in the world, maybe you're right – football may not be that important.

Whilst I have a personal view, all other politics are unnecessary alongside asking for consistency. Make a decision on the minimum numbers fit to play and stick to it.

Still think it's mind-boggling Man City got to beat Chelsea and Man Utd after getting a rest against us and it's this inconsistency that raises questions and puts pressure on.

Imo, football should be stopped.

If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd want and expect the game to be rearranged.

Which is the whole point: every case may be different but there needs to be a minimum standard which needs applying. What? You say there is? – 14 players minimum?

Tell them to do one... and also have a serious look at how they run their bubble... and don't hold your breath for an explanation why Man City were allowed to cancel at 4 hours notice either.

Even with our new-found resilience, if we need to win one or heaven forbid two or more games in hand, I suspect whatever vaccine Carlo has given them to stop them bottling must-win games, may require a few more doses to be fully effective.

I can see the powers that be popping in a 14-day (minimum) football shutdown.

What we are seeing now is the result of the virus breaking through the teams' isolating schemes, either through an increased prevalence in the community or because of lapses in the required behaviours by footballers.

Personally, I don't see the need to throw the towel in yet and declare the virus the winner. The clubs have got to get their players back to being compliant (if that is a problem) and the league bosses need to make sure their decisions on individual games are consistent. A team weakened by having a smaller pool of players to draw from or because players have had to self-isolate shouldn't be a barrier to fixtures being fulfilled.

If the Premier League can't apply its rules equitably, then the clubs need to argue their cases publicly.

Completely agree, the football is providing a welcome distraction at the moment (and mate, I have not been out and socialised since early March – and I am an avid traveller), but there are much bigger issues at stake here.

For the record, I usually work in Shanghai, was in Hong Kong when Covid-19 kicked off, saw how quickly they reacted to it; on return to Shanghai, I was nearly arrested and forcibly quarantined because the authorities thought (wrongly) that I had recently been in Wuhan. I did live in Wuhan a while back and was in touch with people there throughout the city-wide lockdown.

So, I have a different take on the virus than a lot of Brits, as I was in China when it all kicked off and saw how serious it was. That was the end of January... LAST YEAR!

So, yes 2 whatever methods are needed to quell it, need to be implemented, because if football players, who should be widely monitored, are getting it... think on!

All teams are going to suffer to some extent, so if they don’t want to apply the rules consistently, just call the whole thing off until mid February, then review it.

Hopefully by the time we play Leicester on the 27th we'll have Doucouré, Allan and Calvert-Lewin back for that.

Hate Villa. Hate their fans.

No more Mr Nice Everton.

Let's play them as planned, batter them into oblivion and work our way up the table.

COYFB!!!

I do think that with the FA Cup in full swing and with the next round of European games just around the corner, and if any Internationals are planned in the next couple of months, it's going to be extremely difficult to get these postponed fixtures played.

The Premier League, for reasons known only to themselves, have changed their own rules about if clubs have 14 fit players they must play the game. Man City had more than 14 fit players and possibly Aston Villa had more than 14 and could have played Spurs last night.

Seems the main reason the game against Villa may be postponed is because their training ground is closed, but Man City only closed their training ground for 1 day when their game with us was postponed. So how come Villa's training ground has been closed for at least 5 days, where is the consistency?