Stuart Webber delivered a performance of all the logic, rationale and nuance that has been lacking in debates surrounding Project Restart on Sky Sports yesterday morning.
He believes the remaining games should be played out at home and away venues.
He believes the Premier League’s – and the Championship’s – conclusion should be played out on the pitch, not adjudicated by an arbitrary, manufactured ‘points per game’ sort of scenario.
He cogently defended the club’s use of the Government furlough scheme.
As ever, we are so lucky to have him.
The softly-spoken – but invariably hard-hitting – Welshman hit the nail on the head on virtually every issue that has been dominating the footballing agenda in recent weeks.
Personally, the main issue bugging me since the Project Restart proposals were first placed on the table was the notion that wanting football’s return and showing respect for those suffering are somehow mutually exclusive, with a desire for the top flight’s resumption rendering you a blinkered, money-driven and perhaps insensitive individual.
The unfolding COVID-19 crisis is a tragedy. The daily death tolls continue to provide a grim reminder of the pernicious, horrible, and seemingly long-term threat of coronavirus.
Of course, football should not resume in any competitive form until it is completely safe to do so. Of course, players should only take to the pitch if they believe they will be sufficiently protected. However, once these conditions have been met, it is surely difficult to deny that it will – even behind closed doors – lift spirits and provide a welcome escape from the sobering daily government briefings.
Enjoying football’s resumption – in an albeit diluted and inevitably slightly less entertaining form – can be achieved while simultaneously sympathising with victims and their families.
And then there was the ludicrous neutral grounds proposal, a motion first proposed based on flimsy police advice that would unequivocally contravene the conditions of the league.
Clubs – reportedly up to 13 in total – had every right to oppose Mark Roberts’ bogus plan. Norwich City, and every Premier League club, is entitled to their full allocation of 19 home games, something I was relieved to see maintained following the league’s summit on Monday.
People argue with no fans, home advantage is somehow rendered irrelevant. Nonsense. Do people seriously expect Todd Cantwell, Christoph Zimmerman, Teemu Pukki and co to feel anywhere near as comfortable playing a ‘home game’ at Wembley as they would at the familiarity of Carrow Road?
To use Roberts’ own words – get a grip.
Then there was the idea that thousands of fans would flock to these home grounds, another perpetuation of lunacy that I just cannot envisage materialising. People aren’t idiots. Football fans aren’t all riotous, disorderly thugs – perhaps it’s the thousands currently congregating in public parks who really are? – and the belief that they are is a snobbish one to take.
Also, why would people turn up given it would mean they would then be unable to watch the game on TV? With grounds sufficiently prepared to deal with the unlikely prospect of people appearing – about 50-100 idiots at a maximum, I would predict – playing at home should be no issue at all.
In conjunction with sponsorship rights – would Errea, Dafabet etc get the exposure they desire and pay big bucks for at Vicarage Road? – and clubs’ medical staff without doubt feeling more equipped to deal with danger in their own surroundings, the proposal to play at ten neutral venues was surely always a non-starter.
So Webber, Paul Barber, Christian Purslow, Scott Duxbury – and perhaps nine others – were totally entitled to reject Roberts’ view. And I won’t lie, I was thrilled they prevailed, as reported by The Times and The Daily Mail over the last two days.
I was similarly relieved that City’s top brass remained quiet last week, not following in Brighton, Aston Villa as Watford’s footsteps in vehemently – and publicly – declaring their opposition to the plans. As ever, the club continues to be run in the right, considered and pragmatic way.
So Webber’s appearance on Sky Sports’ The Football Show, coupled with the club’s announcement regarding ticket rebates – with the option to either donate to the Academy or the Community Sports Foundation – made Wednesday morning a moment when I was proud to be a City fan.
Webber’s triumvirate of views in wanting football’s resumption, opposing neutral grounds and rejecting PPG – seasons constitute 38 and 46 matches, where uncertainty reigns supreme during the run-in – represented a performance of the eloquence, rationality and balance that has been so visibly absent in recent weeks.
With or without football, we are so lucky to have him.
I see Chris Sutton has joined the debate, and said that Norwich are wrong to say that both the Premier League and Championship have to be played to a conclusion if there is to be relegation and promotion. He believes that the situation as it stands should decide who goes down and who comes up.
However, we are not mathematically certain to go down. There is precedent, as when Leicester, who were two points worse off at this stage, survived. Leeds currently have less points than they did at this stage, and they failed to go up then. There is no logic in ending it “as is” given these facts. Stuart Webber is right, it’s either play it out home and away, albeit in empty stadia, or finish it now and start next season (whenever that may be) with the same make up of both leagues.
An excellent summary of the last week.
Anyone that thinks Chris Sutton or most pundits have the game at heart maybe way off line as they are only there to promote their own agenda and to do that will always try and be controversial so people take notice.
Since Webber’s statement about the premiership and championship both having to finish before titles, promotion and relegation issues a few others have come out and agreed so with the FA saying that promotion and relegation must happen then the championship will play out.
Let’s hope that the covid-19 continues to abate and that we can soon come out of this lockdown.
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Keep safe and well
Hi Alex.
Webber actually got a pretty good showing in what I’ve seen of the national media today – he’s certainly not afraid to say what he thinks and does it with panache.
We’re so lucky to have him. For now.
Somebody said on my bit yesterday that the executive team are, basically, sitting around doing nothing. Well SW dealt with Gary Neville in a humorous way and managed to bring in a young American lad [20] from Germany yesterday so in terms of achievement that was a pretty good day’s work in my book.
Keep good.
Hi Martin
I actually watched it and yes he was very good.
When he said that Keeds and WBA should get promoted if they don’t complete there league program Neville said don’t go to Leeds any time soon and his reply was simple he was an ST holder at Leeds for 10 years and is still a supporter and wished they were in the premiership.
He also said about devaluing past winners of things if the results were not done on the field but in a boardroom.
Keep safe and well
Alex, I think the FA have reined back a bit now, and said that promotion and relegation should happen, rather than “must” happen. Since the EFL have already decided that it won’t happen between League 1 and League 2, the FA might find it difficult to enforce between the Championship and the Premier. Time will tell.
The thing that amazed me about SW’s piece yesterday was the amount of people on Social Media and beyond saying “Ah, you’re only saying that because you want the season to end” when what he actually said was the precise opposite. He has no problem with us finishing the games, he wants it settled on the pitch.
I’m still struggling to see how this all plays out in the end. At the moment, I can see The Premiership finishing, such a safe environment for the players and TV money secured, I can’t see how it won’t be. Championship seems harder to call but playing behind closed doors will be ruinous for some. If they don’t finish, I can’t see how they can promote or relegate anyone.
I doubt we will see a L1 or L2 game again this season, although I note that Ipswich do want it completed. I would’ve thought that the end of it can’t come quick enough for them!
A lot of Leeds supporters are really hacked of by SW comments so at least he has p-ssed some one off
A superbly written and well argued piece. Good work, Will.