The cash that you are "happy" to confirm ie £40bn is not even the tip of the iceberg here and the cost to the country in terms of business closures and bankruptcy will be massively higher this time around.
The lockdown will be followed by a prolonged recession and I'm sure that you realise this.
Indeed, it was in one of your own posts where you suggested that very, very few companies carry a 3month (and it could be more) slush fund.
This will take on a look of a world record domino toppling contest but, this time with businesses falling in place of the dominos.

I really hope that I'm wrong but, really, I cant see any other outcome.
The "support" for business in terms of furloughing staff and rates relief will help a little but, it wont be anywhere near enough.
Then you have to factor in the huge reduction in tax receipts, both vat and corporation tax and you begin to see what lays ahead.

It's unprecedented in peace time but, the rebuilding of the ecconomy WILL be worse than the last recession.

I think the generate/have dichotomy is at the heart of many of our disagreements!

On the original topic title, if the PL season isn’t restarted do y’all think Liverpool should be crowned champions (natural justice) or not (rules are rules and they didn’t win it)? Or some sort of asterisk-footnote type of solution?

Both the first two options feel like BS to me, for differing reasons.

I appreciate there much bigger fish to fry, but just to shoot the breeze.

I'm a man utd fan so would insist the season has to be finished or declared null and void!

They have plenty of very wealthy supporters, the difficulty sometimes comes on just how some of those supporters made their money ??

Arsenal fan here...

I would award Liverpool the title, it will always have an asterisk to this season but they are clearly ahead and deserve it. If it was a situation where say they were 3 pts ahead of Man City who had a game in hand and superior goal difference then I'd just say nobody wins.

I wouldn't have promotion or relegation. Effectively run the 2021 competitions on the same team lists as 2020, so Champions League / Europa League in 2021 would be based on qualification from the 2019 season.

Liverpool have won the title, no asterisk required, we won it months ago.

The problem is the final standings of the rest, ultimately it will come xown to £££££, I hope we can finish the season, butI'd swap nomore professional sportof any kind for no more COVID-19.

I don’t really have a horse in this race. My wife supports Manchester United, being from that part of the world, and I have a bit of a soft spot (that I try not to remind her of) for Manchester City, having gone to a few games at Maine Road as a student in the 90s and early 00s, before I met her.

For me it is just a tidiness issue. I’ll really feel for Liverpool fans and the team if they aren’t awarded it because they have won it near as dammit. I don’t want to overdo the sympathy for the 30 year wait because for fans of most clubs that is nothing and Liverpool had two Euro Big Cups during that time, but it’d be less of a choker if they’d won it in ‘18-‘19. ‘Giving’ them it feels like it is an insult, as they’re so close to taking it, but if they can’t take it because the season is abandoned, whose is it to give anyway? Teams had only played three games in the 1939-40 season, so that isn’t sensible precedent.

I’d be happy for this season to be extended well into 2020, if necessary, delay the start of the next and use an abbreviated format for it. But there’s not guarantee that’ll be workable, of course.

It would be utterly embarassing if the title was just handed to Liverpool because..they haven’t won it yet.

2 wins, mathematically the best City can do is 87 points IF they win every game, Liverpool have won it.

I think the difficulty is that there’s truth in both of those. They’re so far ahead of the only team that could theoretically stop them, it obvious they are/were going to win it, but the fact is they haven’t yet.

If it comes to it, it isn’t obvious how the decision should be made, never mind what it should be. You can’t even really just leave it ambiguous - at some point the trophy has to presented or not.

It’s a fudge, but I think Champions* would be the fairest and most honest option overall, under these very unusual circumstances.

Whatever the history book say, it will always be remembered as the most muted PL win ever, there can be no public gathering when it is awarded, Lime Street, St George's, Bold Street, Pier Head... all would have been totally rammed under "normal" circumstances, as it is they may as well hand over the cup in Knutsford services on the qt.

Perhaps Pep and Klopp could play FIFA for it - broadcast live on Twitch of course, with lucrative sponsorship by unsavoury gambling companies, and 3 hours of pointless punditry before and after the game?

If no further games are played, the title would always be tainted - even though it's an absolute foregone conclusion that they would/win
The real difficulties come further down the table and in the lower leagues.
Champions League spots are huge, both in terms of kudos but, also in terms of cash and then there is the relegation issue.
It would be cruel to relegate any side unless it's mathematically impossible for them to avoid the drop and then, who do you promote ?

The only sensible option is to keep the season on hold, until the fixtures can be completed and then decide a start date for the new season at thet point.
If it has to start a few months later than usual, so be it - the same should apply for rugby league too, although Toronto may end up not being to play a "proper" home fixture.

Failing that, scrap the season altogether and start a new season when we can but, this just seems wrong.

And that is how the decision will be made, IF sides are relegated without the full season being played out (and they still had a mathematic chance of staying up) the legal ramifications would be huge, equally, IF sides were in a position where they [ushould[/u have been promoted they too will seek redress through the courts. It is, as you suggest, a minefield.

I can't see beyond finishing the season at all levels when we can, and making adjustments to the next few seasons to "catch up". Althpugh unpalettable to many, I'd just cancel the Euro's in 2021, there isn't one single country that misses out, 12 nations will take whatever 'hit' there is, the majority of which the football watching population would rather see domestic football and Champions League being played.

Bin Quatar and the USA in 2022/2026 respectively and play the World Cup across many nations in 2026, use the Olympics in Paris 2024 to relaunch world sport, by then we will understand a lot more about how we need to change/improve global travel etc. to prevent (as far as possible) a repeat pandemic like this.

I'm sure the likes of Leeds, West Brom, Fulham, Brentford and Forest etc would have something to say about that.

I think you need to view this from a different perspective.

If it were Man United say in this position, and not the scousers, do you think all the scousers would be cheering and encouraging all the other teams supporters, that Man United should get the coronation?

Yes, even Evertonians can see that Liverpool have won it, and Man City fans, Chelsea players and coach....

I see the Queen is going to broadcast to the nation - that should help!!

A bit insensitive for some so deleted Durham Giant

it will probably mean a heck of a lot to the majority of those at most risk, and those who see themselves as fulfilling a moral obligation and sense of duty.

Presumably you're talking about key workers? I'm one - and I can tell you with certainty that I'm supremely indifferent to whatever the queen has to say. I'm also not especially ar5ed about clapping on the doorstep - I just want PPE, and tests for my frontline colleagues. I wonder if she can help with that?

IF you are a key worker, what contribution are you making spouting rhetoric, opinion and general spite on a Rugby League forum?

What PPE are you lacking?
Which front line role do you fulfill?

It is interesting - at my firm I have adapted to the changes - home working for those who can - distancing for those who need to come to the depot. I have upped the cleaning regime - changed break start times etc. In two weeks since we instigated this not one person has gone off sick and I have drivers delivering all over the place. It shows working can be conducted safely with a bit of thought - simply no need to crash the economy in the way they have - bonkers IMO.

What do Sweden know that we don't - I see for all their testing the numbers of deaths in Germany are on a significant upward curve.

As a private business surely you will have bought all the PPE and tests you need - you obviously saw this coming and took the obvious precautions?

Will you two grow up or yet another thread will be locked - come on I know the schools are shut but shouldn't you two have school work to get on with!!