Norwich City’s Sporting Director, Stuart Webber says that both the Premier League and the Championship must be settled on the pitch to ensure a fair resolution to the season in terms of both relegation and promotion.
Talking to Sky Sports’ Football Show on Wednesday morning in a live broadcast from what looked like his front room, Webber discussed a number of subjects with Gary Neville and Graeme Souness, making some interesting points about the recent Premier League stakeholder meetings and the potential for finishing the season in both of England’s top two leagues.
It comes amid an article in The Athletic in which it is reported that whilst Leagues One and Two are likely to not play again this season, that the Championship is also struggling to get to a position to play things out on the pitch.
▪️ Senior club figures fear league will not be played to a conclusion
▪️ Some suggesting only play-off fixtures be played
▪️ Club staff messaging journalists for insight into what might happen next📝 @AdamCrafton_ @stujames75 @SteveMadeley78 @mjshrimper @DTathletic @Worville
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) May 13, 2020
Earlier in the week, the FA issued guidance that the football season in England should be decided on sporting merit in terms of it’s outcomes involving promotions and relegations, with litigation already being threatened by Peterborough Chairman, Darragh MacAnthony, who has promised “a legal battle of epic proportions” if the Posh come out on the wrong side of a points per game finish in League One and don’t get promoted. Just like all the other leagues, there are issues in which some teams have more games left to play than others and some have more to play at home than others, skewing the issue horribly.
"Self-interest certainly took over at the start."
Norwich City Sporting Director Stuart Webber speaks to the #SkyFootballShow about how Premier League clubs are now 'coming together' when discussing 'Project Restart'.
Watch live on Sky Sports Premier League now! pic.twitter.com/bO3sy2YwYT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 13, 2020
When Stuart Webber spoke on Sky Sports he gave no illusion to the fact as to how he sees the season panning out. If the Premier League has to play out it’s remaining games and that sees Norwich City relegated, then so be it. The Canaries have the smallest budget in the Premier League and all along have budgeted to finish 20th.
No-one of a Canary persuasion is going to like that but, I think, we all understand that this is the route our club have decided upon, a self-funded model rather than borrowing and struggling with huge, Club threatening debts in the future if it doesn’t work out.
However, Webber also feels that the Championship must be settled in it’s entirety on the pitch too, otherwise it just isn’t a level playing field.
"It has to be settled on the pitch." ⚽
Norwich City Sporting Director Stuart Webber believes if football cannot resume then there should be no Championship clubs promoted and no Premier League clubs relegated. ❌#SkyFootballShow pic.twitter.com/FJOWJzQicd
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 13, 2020
If that cannot happen, then there should be no relegations or promotions in Webber’s opinion and that, I think we can assume, is Norwich City’s position on the matter. It’s also likely to be Bournemouth and Aston Villa’s position too, not to mention West Ham’s if a weighted points per game model were to be used to settle the season, in which case the Hammers might be relegated.
With meetings finally due to be held today with Premier League managers, players and staff surrounding the resumption of football, something that I think should have taken place a long time before now, this season has still got a very long way to go yet before we will know how it’s going to end.
In court, seems the best outcome to put your money on, I’d say.
OTBC