Match Thread POSTPONED: Everton v Manchester City - Preview only

[Goat]

Everton have just paid ground staff for work. 2,000 fans have just taken largely unnecessary COVID tests and possibly spent money on travel. The team have just trained and prepared for a game only for it to be called off arbitrarily at a few hours notice.

There has to be some sort of comeuppance for all this, or clubs could cause chaos whenever they wanted to.

Ground staff arent paid by the yard
COVID tests are never useless
Why is somebody travelling to a game 4 hours before it?
Football players training for no reason?

Stretch this.

 

[Bwana]

Give the points TO THE RS IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO . lol

Righty o. Come to think of it, El Grande Samuel just stole two of their precious ones so it'd be only fair.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I wonder if we’d be made to forfeit in the same situation?

Knowing us, we’d probably do it voluntarily

 

[Goat]

Surely you agree that we let the footballing authorities push us around to suit their own agendas though ?

No, I dont buy into the media and everybody is out to get us line.

 

[Death]

Man of the match poll would be interesting. lol

Walker by a gee hair

 

[roydo]

Paul Joyce saying it's 3 more players.




And they found out yesterday!!?!!

No. They found out, (got the results) today.

 

[daza_1973]

Man of the match poll would be interesting. lol

Kyle Walker by a length

 

[Blue_Berry]

That's the rule with injuries. If you don't field a side, you forfeit the game.

With no specific rules in relation to COVID in the competition rulebook, it's essentially an injury.

If City can't fulfil the fixture, they can request a postponement. If Everton refuse it, they forfeit the game, because technically they have enough players "fit" to play the game.

If the Premier League don't like that, the onus is on them to come up with a rule. They won't, because they don't want to be tied down to a strict ruleset which means they lose money if too many games are called off.

If this was a "safety" issue, every time a positive test is called for a club, their games would be postponed. They won't do that, because it would stretch the fixtures and possibly jeopardise the season's length.

This isn't about safety; it's about money. It's as clear as day. If Everton had any backbone whatsoever, we'd demand they set a precedent or give us the three points.

I see your point about 'claiming' it's covid and supposedly using that to suit their decision. However a couple of points...

Under what circumstances other than covid do you envisage City looking to call off the game? They have twice the squad we do.
Where exactly is the financial incentive to call the game off??
Do you imagine Everton actually refusing the postponement request in the current circumstances? And still less claiming the 3 points if we must accept it? We would be utterly and rightly vilified if we did.
The answer then must be to take the decision away from the clubs and have an independent assessor make it based on risk evidence presented.

Your claim about this being money related rings very hollow mate.

 

[catcherintherye]

He's a tool.

I'd feel very uneasy if Everton were to be seen demanding a forfeit, though. The circumstances are that this is a pandemic that's at its height and these players are prime targets for infection.

Some dont help themselves, it's true. But all talk of blame and demands for points are off the table.

I'm sort of the opposite. I think we should be tougher at board level and if it was the other way, a forfeit would be getting discussed.

At least with no forfeit the principle has ben established though.

As usual with the PL they bend over to help the big 6 and it hasnt been handled well.

If Klopp hadn't behaved as such an utter d1ckhead over the last few months, we could have a proper discussion on the schedule.

 

[marnie]

Righty o. Come to think of it, El Grande Samuel just stole two of their precious ones so it'd be only fair.

Think of VVD lol lol lol RSPCA

 

[blue to the bone]

I wonder if we’d be made to forfeit in the same situation?

Knowing us, we’d probably do it voluntarily

No. We wouldn't. Same as Newcastle weren't.
Or 5 or 6 teams in the lower leagues were not

 

[maccavennie]

Love the way some are using this as a stick to beat the club with.

Never change lads.

imo the situation we find ourselves in no one should be questioning Everton.

Winners, losers, bending over, belly tickers etc....at the end of the day the health and wellbeing of the players who represent Everton Football Club is more important than getting a game on if there's is an added risk (every game carries a risk in the current situation but that risk is a calculated risk agreed by all the clubs and PL).

I think we'll need to see how Everton respond before jumping to conclusions but it certainly wouldn't sit right with me if we were trying to force a game to go ahead. If its beciase City players have been tits then let that be investigated but this could be us in a few weeks and I certainly wouldn't want to be forced to play the under 9's or forfeit a game.

 

[davek]

Liam Gallagher tweeting some choice words about the postponement...I couldn't possibly reproduce them!

 

[bullybeef]

Surely citeh should be forced to forfeit the game.

I hope I’m wrong but cancelling at such short notice seems to me like they just didn’t fancy it!

 

[kleew]