bluebruce

I asked the AI (Copilot) a few more questions and established that apparently, no game in any professional football league anywhere in the world has ever resumed a game from the score and minute it was abandoned, as far as the AI can find. Some amateur levels have experimented with it (seems mad that semi-pro and amateur levels can be more sensible about this shit IMO) and American Football and Basketball have been known to 'pause and resume due to weather or technical issues', not sure if that's the same thing or not. But I can say with about 99.99% certainty, this match is getting replayed in full starting at 0-0 and with 11 men v 11.

With a bit more probing, I managed to find 2 games where a team was allowed to keep a victory, but both were non-league. One of them the winners had a 3 goal lead and it was the 85th minute, the other one was only a 2-1, but it was the 88th minute.

Well lads, I think we can give up on the prospect of getting to finish this game, or being awarded the points. I asked AI to give me some precedents from the last 10 years, and I'd say we've no fucking chance. Apologies if these have been mentioned already (or if any are wrong due to AI innacuracy): 1. Blackpool vs Huddersfield Town (May 2015) Abandonment Time: 48th minute Reason: Fan protest—Blackpool supporters invaded the pitch. Score at Abandonment: 0–0 Decision: The Football League declared the match a 0–0 draw, as it had no bearing on promotion or relegation. 2. Charlton Athletic vs Doncaster Rovers (April 2023) Abandonment Time: 85th minute Reason: Medical emergency in the crowd. Score at Abandonment: 1–1 Decision: The match was replayed in full, despite being nearly complete. The EFL cited fairness and competition integrity. 3. Leyton Orient vs Hartlepool United (March 2021) Abandonment Time: 87th minute Reason: Floodlight failure. Score at Abandonment: 2–0 to Leyton Orient Decision: The match was replayed in full, even though Orient were winning and the game was nearly over. 4. Coventry City vs Rotherham United (February 2017) Abandonment Time: 85th minute Reason: Waterlogged pitch. Score at Abandonment: 1–0 to Coventry Decision: The match was replayed in full, despite the late stage and clear lead. So one game where the result stood, but only because it would definitely have zero impact on relegation or promotion. The other three all replayed in full, including a ridiculous situation where the game was abandoned in the 87th minute with Orient 2 nil up! That one seems to solidify we have no chance (with the slight caveat that the game was abandoned due to floodlight failure which, unless there was a blackout, would probably have distinctly been Orient's fault...but equally the EFL could ask us to prove we've done everything we can to improve our systems to prevent this flooding). The 4th game there is the most similar to ours, except that Rotherham didn't have 10 men, but Coventry were 5 minutes closer to victory. We're screwed. The second game was a playoff match btw, and with the score being level seems fair enough to me it was replayed. For what it's worth, Coventry and Leyton Orient both won their replays 5-0. So they actually ended up with more dominant wins. Knowing our luck, and with Ipswich being preseason favourites to win the league, I doubt it will go that way for us. And it's still another game we shouldn't have to play with our thin squad.

I very nearly said something similar in my post but decided against it. I do rate Leonard a little higher though, mostly because he would actually work and didn't act like he didn't want it. Vale was frequently lazy in a Rovers shirt.

That's Leonard who went Peterborough, that'll be why you thought that.

Cheers, I'd only seen things saying they could replay it or let it stand, none saying we could potentially just do the right thing and finish the match. When do the authorities do the right thing though.

And utterly ignores that we already played 80 minutes of the game and almost had it in the bag with a man and a goal advantage. As I say, finishing the game is the fairest option. The least fair is to punish the team who had worked hard to be in the lead and reward the team who had very likely fucked the game up, and to replay 90 minutes for the sake of 10.

For me, if I take Blackburn Rovers out of the equation and look at it like this... Which is fairer? Telling a team who were 1 nil up against 10 men with 10 minutes plus injury time remaining that they have to do the whole thing again against 11 men and starting at 0-0? Or telling a team who were 1 nil down with 10 men and 10 minutes plus injury time left that they have to accept the defeat they were thoroughly on course for? To me it's very obvious that the second one is vastly fairer. The actual fair outcome would be to have a behind closed doors game to finish the 10 minutes plus injury time with 11 vs 10. Ludicrously, that doesn't seem to be permitted in the rules. And with the way our luck goes I'm sure we will instead be punished by the far less fair outcome of replaying the whole thing.

Crushing blow that.

The u21s exist to create players for the first team, not to be a source of entertainment or win leagues. It makes sense that the u21s would be required to use the same system preferred by the first team manager. That is their best chance of being ready if called upon.

I'm not sure it's ever happened at any club tbh. Let alone the day before a game (when weather reports would also be most accurate). But it's an interesting idea. Do the authorities even allow it at such short notice?

My reaction wouldn't be much different. Phil Jones can get to fuck.

Weird they're only just announcing it. When I posted it already had a photo of him that I thought was of him signing. Waiting for a slow club news day perhaps.

Surely you're tech savvy enough to get yourself a free ticket online Tyrone? You've been at this internet stuff for a good while now!

I was calling him that a couple of months after he joined us 😂

Yep, not like he has earned mega bucks in his career so far. I'd imagine his contract with us will be the most lucrative one he has had so far, and now he's proven himself in this league he'd earn more in his next one (at another club).

Aye, I understood that. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

I don't buy this at all. Who in Norway is going to pay him what he could earn in the Championship at another club? I'd be amazed if he goes back to Norway in the summer.

Not even as squad filler in Duru's case it seems. What's going on there? Not in the matchday squad but in a friendly tells me he isn't injured, unless he has only just come back from one and they're easing him to fitness. Otherwise he has played a whole 2 games for them and then become surplus to requirements. Great for his development. If O'Riordan isn't ready to handle Paul Mullin then I'd suggest he isn't ready for the Championship yet. It could be a good learning experience for him though, but I don't know if I'd be in a hurry to recall him in Jan unless he progresses more by then.

Same as last year.

Depends who lost money...if it was Danny Murphy, as someone alluded to, and let's say Roy Keane and Joey Barton, I'm not sure I'd even be able to finish getting the hankies out before I was done.

You're not making any sense to me either. For starters I literally don't live in East Lancs and haven't since about 2010.

Since there is a pattern, and such a strong one at that, do you accept the club has fallen short in sorting out the contracts?

That doesn't seem to make any sense in response to what I said.

Weird, but you do you I guess. It's just the people who want to bang on like it makes you any less of a fan or is somehow offensive to us that irritate me.