The Football Thread 2020/21: United Top, United Bottom

[Corazon de Leon]

A bunch WSL clubs did the same thing with similar results. Idiots, the lot of 'em. And you just know it was more than training – there had to have been some money spinning aspect to it as well.

Nah they went for a piss up, the images leaked. Book should absolutely be thrown at them, docked points and a big strawberry floating fine.

strawberry floating hell.

Far left and second from left are our manager and captain, respectively. I don't think words can accurately sum up how strawberry floating angry I am, and hopefully most other Celtic supporters are too, about this whole incident. Most of us have spent the best part of a year being careful, obeying the rules and making the best of a bad situation only for these guys to make absolute mugs out of all of us, while also slipping to a 22 point strawberry floating deficit behind Rangers in the league just to put the cherry on top.

As DML says, it's strawberry floating embarrassing and they need the book thrown at them.

[Jenuall]

In what world did anyone think that was a good idea?

With the state of infection in the UK, getting your players out of here is probably a good idea.

Good point, give the board a raise!

[Return_of_the_STAR]

I can’t believe Celtic went to Dubai on a training camp

[Rocsteady]

Celtic have truly taken over the mantle of overall ineptitude from Rangers.

Although strawberry float me the game last night was painful

[Corazon de Leon]

Celtic have truly taken over the mantle of overall ineptitude from Rangers.

Although strawberry float me the game last night was painful

I know a few folk who have gone down the conspiracy road last night of "They're doing all of this to try and get the season cancelled because they know they can't beat us" which is comical levels of paranoia. I can't accurately put into words how embarrassing it is to support Celtic at the moment. Maybe I'll switch to Blackburn for a bi-

Blackburn 0-1 Doncaster Rovers

Oh.

[Photek]

My Rangers supporting work mate is actually feeling some empathy for Celtic fans, THATS HOW BAD its getting!

[Lotus]

Amazed at the Celtic and WSL trips - makes you wonder what they were all thinking

Good to see that Villa's match got postponed, although I think it means Fulham get a slightly busier schedule than they'd anticipated. I think Scott Parker said he didn't even realise that the prospect of them having an extra game put into their week was a possibility, but it's happened, which means he might've fielded a different team in the FA cup had he known he had a PL game this week.

Thing is, the PL should've either said from day one that as long you have enough players - including younger players - the fixtures are going ahead, OR - as they ended up doing - continually postpone and re-arrange games. The more that happens though, the more difficult it's going to get, especially with the hard deadline of Euro 2020 looming, meaning the season can't go on beyond a set date.

And let's not forget Euro 2020 is the one that's hosted across 12 different countries - great during a global pandemic.

[Jenuall]

I said it before, I genuinely still can't see the Euro's happening. I think they will have to abandon it.

[Corazon de Leon]

I’ll be amazed if it happens this year. Best just to call it now and get ready for Euro 2024 IMO.

[Curls]

Amazed at the Celtic and WSL trips - makes you wonder what they were all thinking

Good to see that Villa's match got postponed, although I think it means Fulham get a slightly busier schedule than they'd anticipated. I think Scott Parker said he didn't even realise that the prospect of them having an extra game put into their week was a possibility, but it's happened, which means he might've fielded a different team in the FA cup had he known he had a PL game this week.

Thing is, the PL should've either said from day one that as long you have enough players - including younger players - the fixtures are going ahead, OR - as they ended up doing - continually postpone and re-arrange games. The more that happens though, the more difficult it's going to get, especially with the hard deadline of Euro 2020 looming, meaning the season can't go on beyond a set date.

And let's not forget Euro 2020 is the one that's hosted across 12 different countries - great during a global pandemic.

I fully believe this element will be scraped.

[Jenuall]

How badly effected have other European leagues been by Covid postponements? I recall Ligue 1 had to postpone a game at the start of their season but haven't seen if it has been a recurring thing like we've had in the UK.

Maybe they'll just kick us out and carry on without Wales, Scotland and England?

[Tomous]

The only way the Euros will go ahead is if England (or another host who would be ready to host with the stadiums it has available and one that perhaps has less covid in the air....) host the whole thing in my opinion.

[Jenuall]

Yeah the whole "host it across all of Europe!" thing is never going to happen. Like you say it would need a single host nation and probably even then require very tight restrictions on the movement and interaction of the teams, much more so than the leagues are currently doing.

[Curls]

Come on Burnley.

[Lotus]

Just found this from yesterday:

Euro 2020's fate will not be decided until March but UEFA is hoping vaccination efforts will allow the governing body to stick to its original plan.

The 24-nation showpiece, scheduled to begin on June 11, was postponed by 12 months after last year's COVID-19 outbreak.

The 2020 edition was planned to be the first staged across the continent, rather than by a single nation or joint hosts.

The host cities are Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, Rome, St Petersburg, Bucharest, Budapest and Baku, with the semis and final set for London's Wembley Stadium.

UEFA had hoped that a year-long wait would have allowed fans to be present at games but, with most football continuing to be held behind closed doors, that prospect depends on an improvement in the situation.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin is hoping vaccination programmes, moving at different speeds across the various host countries, will be the key to sticking to the original plan.

"Vaccination has started and I think we will be able to have full stands in the summer," Ceferin said in a recent interview with Serbian newspaper Informer.

"For now, the plan is to play in all 12 countries. Of course, there are backup options in case a country has a problem."

But Ceferin accepts that there may need to be some juggling of the hosting plan and perhaps different levels of stadium capacity use.

"We are ready to organise competitions in 11, 10 or nine cities... and even only in one country, if necessary. However, I am 99.9 per cent sure that we will have the European Championship in all 12 cities, as planned," he said.

UEFA confirmed it has been working on four operational scenarios - for full stadiums, 50-100 per cent capacity or 20-30 per cent capacity and games behind closed doors.

The host cities have been asked to come up with two to three plans out of those options and it is possible different approaches will be taken in each venue.

"A decision on which scenario will be applied individually in each city during the tournament will be made on 5 March 2021," UEFA said in a statement.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news ... tournament

[Lotus]

I've also just read that UEFA see the tournament taking place in a single-country within a COVID-secure bubble as "the worst-case scenario", so that doesn't sound like cancellation is something they're considering. Realistically there are only 3 or 4 countries that can probably be a sole host, what with the short notice, stadiums, and training facilities needed.

[Return_of_the_STAR]

It will be such a shame if England ends up with the euros solely this year. As it won't be a proper tournament fan wise and you can guarantee it will go against us holding another one in the near future.

[Ecno]

I'd put money on the Euros being held this year, there's too much money involved for it not to be.

I'd also put slightly less money on there being fans in stadiums in at least some capacity.

[DML]

Even Eurovision has had a contingency plan for over half a year, and that's taking place in one country. Why on earth is the Euros waiting until March?

[f]

Don't forget that not only do we have all the scrapped fixtures and the Euros to squeeze in, but the 21-22 season is meant to be compressed so as to accommodate a winter World Cup in early 2022