Too Poor To Prosper - Division 2 2020/21

[Capybara]

Please, you've really got to make it this time.

I agree with this.

[Ray de Galles]

He did say the relegated sides Ray.

Ha ha, duh! My mind had awarded Derby the relegation they so richly deserved. Sorry for the early morning brain-fail.

[lambers]

Thanks for the commiserations. You'll be shocked to hear that I had accepted we would be relegated a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to wait for the Quest highlights, which I've just caught up on. Massive gut-rencher for GO and the Wednesday fans.

So wycombe got 22nd, an impressive finish considering. Is that their highest position all season?

Not quite, but the highest since we played our second game. On opening day we lost 1-0, whereas three teams lost by two goals. By alphabetical order we were 21st, but you could argue we were joint 16th. I think it took about 20 minutes of the second game to drop into the relegation zone and make that our 'home' for the rest of the season.

[Patrick Thistle]

According to the Daily Mail [spits] Derby might still get relegated for breaching FFP rules.

I have not read the Daily Mail btw. I have seen links to the article on Twitter.

[Snake Plissken]

Wycombe could still stay up. The EFL have won their appeal against Derby not getting a points deduction.

[longeared]

Replay Saturday's games!

[Nesta]

Wycombe could still stay up. The EFL have won their appeal against Derby not getting a points deduction.

Oh please, please...

[Sean of the Shed]

From what I've heard (I'm currently in Derby at work), the deduction will be applied next season if at all. I think applying it this season would be fairer seeing as Wednesday were given their points deduction for this season, but if it was applied this season then Derby would certainly appeal and this could drag on too long to be able to confirm the league placings.

[Foot of Astaire's]

The seasons finished now barring the play offs. Much as I wanted Derby to drop you can't be deducting points from the season gone, so late in the day. Points deductions for administration have a cut off date for which season they'll take effect, its only right this does too imo.

[longeared]

In all seriousness, there is a difference between the Wednesday and Derby cases. The process is that the case is heard by an independent panel and a punishment handed out. In Wednesday's case this was a 12 point deduction, announced in July 2020 not long after the season ended, and applied to the 2020-21 campaign. At that point both the club and EFL can appeal the punishment as each party sees fit - in our case we did, the league didn't, and the appeal reduced the deduction to six points which was announced in November 2020. This was the end of the process, neither side could appeal any further - Chansiri murmured about looking into taking further action but nothing came of it.

Derby's findings were announced in September 2020, with them getting not much more than a slap on the wrist. The EFL appealed this, presumably the club didn't. So now if the league has won their appeal then they're at the same stage the Wednesday case was last November, and there would be nowhere for Derby to go, save for them really escalating it and going to CAS or the High Court or something daft. Quite why it's taken this long to hear the appeal is a question.

There is a more relevant precedent here - Macclesfield last year, who were deducted points after the season ended which relegated them rather than Stevenage.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Derby should be relegated. Whichever interpretation of the rules in letter and in spirit achieves this is the right one.

[Foot of Astaire's]

There is a more relevant precedent here - Macclesfield last year, who were deducted points after the season ended which relegated them rather than Stevenage.

Good shout. I'd forgotten about that. Poor Macc, their demise barely merited any attention whereas the Rooney factor with Derby is likely to make the EFL twitchy.

[Satchmo Distel]

There's going to be an appeal no matter what happens. If Derby stay up, Wycombe will appeal, I assume.

[lambers]

I can already hear the brain-implosions of some Peterborough fans at the mere mention of this...

In all seriousness, I'm fairly unbothered whether Wycombe stay up or not. Yes, it's nice to set the challenge of the higher level, but then it's also nice to (probably) win more games. It would also be weird to be reprieved by a technicality enforced post season end.

[Satchmo Distel]

The Guardian claims that the EFL may request a raise of the limit to 25,000 for the playoff final if the CL final is switched to Wembley with a 25,000 limit:

An exemption for a crowd of 25,000 might have to be agreed if the final was [sic] to be moved to London, and there is speculation the EFL would also expect a crowd of 25,000 to be allowed into the play-off final were it be forced to change.

https://www.theguardian.com/football...bul-to-wembley

[Ray de Galles]

https://twitter.com/secondtierpod/status/1392047158929543169?s=21

[Discordant Resonance]

Interesting to see how Bournemouth and Barnsley orchestrate the limited crowds tonight - presumably significant spaces between one family bubble and the next, and no away fans permitted?

[Sporting]

Finished work, off to see on TV.