Echo News EFL clubs to meet this week to discuss return to action

[Evening Echo]

FOOTBALL League clubs will this week start talking about a return to action, according to Southend United chairman Ron Martin.

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[palexander]

Right, If its half full stadiums does that mean we just return to normal? For example our stadium holds 12,000 but our average home attendance this season was 6,000...

Am I stupid or is it not just back to normal in our case?

Maybe should be half your average attendance for last 12 months?

 

[essexshrimper]

I do wonder if it will be home fans only, so we get the whole ground to spread out in

 

[GBJ]

Right, If its half full stadiums does that mean we just return to normal? For example our stadium holds 12,000 but our average home attendance this season was 6,000...

Am I stupid or is it not just back to normal in our case?

I don’t think the issue is necessarily the seating plans.

I think we could easily get 4k+ Spread across all four stands of Roots Hall, and still maintain the social distance.

The issues will come with entering & exiting the ground, and using the - for lack of a better word - facilities.

 

[GBJ]

I do wonder if it will be home fans only, so we get the whole ground to spread out in

I would expect so.

Roughly guesstimating, I’d suggest the home fans allocation per stand could be;

East - 1000

West - 2000

North - 500

South - 500

Obviously they are just rough estimates which I’ve arbitrarily made up, but you ge tthe point.

Although, as I mentioned above, the main issue will be getting that amount of people in and out, whilst maintaining and adhering to the social distance guidance.

The East & West wouldn’t be too difficult, as it has multiple access points, but the South & North suffer from bottlenecks.

Then of course it’s the toilet issue. I mean, they were a biohazard before Covid came along, nevermind without having to maintain a social distance when either queuing, entering or exiting.

Then it’s the turnstile issue. I usually tend to put my hand on it and push, instead of walking through it, which is something the club would need to consider

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

I'm wondering if it may be season ticket holders only to start with (at least for the east, west and south stands)? It's a way of boosting cash flow quickly and may persuade those who are wavering to buy one again this year.

If there are no away fans (which is a possibility) then maybe we could do "pay as you go" in the North Stand.

Just a thought....

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

I do wonder if it will be home fans only, so we get the whole ground to spread out in

Apart from the obvious 3 'local suspects', doubt most other teams will bring many fans here next season?.

 

[BriggBlue]

I reckon about 6k is more than doable, as for the bottlenecks all it needs is a one way system to minimise face to face contact and the distance can be reduced to 1+m which makes things easier, people could also be encouraged to use face coverings in those areas.

I can see it being every other seat with the gaps being staggered so there is space in front and behind:

- X - X - X
X - X - X -

something like that, it makes sense to me at least

 

[Colin S]

If two or more people are from the same household they could seat together which may create more spaces !

 

[Richard Hearn]

But if singing in church is going to be forbidden (to supposedly stop pestilential projectile spittle killing thousands) surely they will attempt to ban singing, chanting and, presumably the equally deadly, shouting in grounds too.

Perhaps all the thousands of currently unemployed librarians could be sat around the ground to "SHHHHH!" any malefactor.

Like a lot of the current regulations it could all become farcical and, ultimately, unenforceable.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Sadly, looking into my crystal ball, the other is quite normal, I do not see an uninterrupted season ahead. If they did a film about Covid it would be called 'Rise of the Numpty' as the beach burks and party prats are going to ensure a second wave. Add to that the protesters, and those that just don't give a faecal pile, and you can see the writing is well and truly on the wall. No need for a Banksy.

We have a 'Ridgewell' economy. It's so unfit it has no option but to take and deliver no return. Taxation hikes are inevitable, the recession will not be brief, and the many 'on the brink' businesses are going to topple over the cliff into a sea of failure.

Football is going to be hit and hit hard.

You may think I am a doomsayer but I prefer to consider myself a realist. Shankly proferred, football is not a matter of life or death....., He was wrong. Instead of worrying about how many of us can go to watch matches we should consider how many lives we can save even if it's at the expense of football as we know it.

 

[Richard Hearn]

Is that the same imminent "second wave" that was "ensured" to arrive shortly after all the "beach burks" went to to the beach at Easter; some 2 months ago now?

 

[BriggBlue]

Is that the same imminent "second wave" that was "ensured" to arrive shortly after all the "beach burks" went to to the beach at Easter; some 2 months ago now?

No it's the one that was expected after VE day, then after the protest marches. you know based on the evidence of the spanish flu

 

[Somerset Ex-TTB]

2nd wave, but but but but what about VE day, but but but but Beaches, but but but bank holiday, but but but but kids going back to school, but but but protests, but but but shops opening, but but but 2nd wave.

New cases are steadily declining, down almost below 1000 a day. Somerset (A very large county) has declared 5 new cases in the last 4 days. Not exactly a 2nd wave is it.

 

[rigsby]

One thing we don’t need is the isle and pavement Nazis coming to RH..... No one is forcing you and if your worried don’t come to football

It’s that simple.

 

[southendkid]

2nd wave, but but but but what about VE day, but but but but Beaches, but but but bank holiday, but but but but kids going back to school, but but but protests, but but but shops opening, but but but 2nd wave.

New cases are steadily declining, down almost below 1000 a day. Somerset (A very large county) has declared 5 new cases in the last 4 days. Not exactly a 2nd wave is it.

Predictions of a second wave from VE parties, protests and beachgoers largely came from papers that make money out of selling outrage, I didn't see many actual experts predicting a second wave from those events. The evidence shows the risk of infection is much lower outdoors than indoors (which is why the government let us visit people in parks and beaches so long as we distanced a long time ago) and even shops aren't that big a risk because you aren't in prolonged contact with the same people for long (whilst it's not official advice the 15 minute rule has been floated around a lot). The big threats of a second wave come from enclosed spaces with poor circulation and a high density of people. As of May 6 90% of transmission events came from the home, workplace, public transport, social gatherings or restaurants. Only a single transmission event was sourced from an outdoor environment. There's been little reason to expect a second wave yet because indoor areas have had heavy restrictions on how many people can be in them.

The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them

Please read this link to learn about the author and background to these posts.It seems many people are breathing some relief, and I’m not sure why. An epidemic curve has a relatively predictable upslope and once the peak is reached, the back slope can also be predicted. We have robust data from...

www.erinbromage.com

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

It would be helpful if instead of taking entrenched polarised positions people could accept that there may be some middle ground somewhere between never leave the house and everything needs to go back to exactly how it was in February. Both those wanting to return to life and those wanting to avoid risk are coming from different perspectives but have a valid point, so please try and respect that and not be so dismissive when this is an emotional issue and people are still dying whilst others lose their jobs.

Thank you.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

One thing we don’t need is the isle and pavement Nazis coming to RH..... No one is forcing you and if your worried don’t come to football

It’s that simple.

This. If you feel “at risk” stay away. As soon as pubs open there’s no argument for me for keeping anything else closed.

 

[rigsby]

This. If you feel “at risk” stay away. As soon as pubs open there’s no argument for me for keeping anything else closed.

Once it gets down to personal choice, which obviously pubs and football are. I don’t see how you can complain.

With 4 sides to the ground and the East and South further divided I don’t see why we could have stricter rules in one part and say the Blue Voice allowed behind the the goal in the North bank

 

[kentblues]

Now apparently looking at an late Aug early Sept start (initial suggestions were around Sept 12th) and also now initially behind closed doors. How that helps clubs- increased costs bringing people off furlough whilst starting behind closed doors I am not sure. I’m sure I’m missing something.