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You can't judge sporting stars of yesteryear by today's fitness standards. If the '66 side were about today, there's no reason to suspect they'd be any less fit than anyone else; therefore all things being equal they'd wipe the floor with Mowbray's Rovers. Similar sort of argument applies to golf. The players are physically much fitter than they were and the modern equipment and ball have taken a lot of the skill out of it. On the whole however I'd say the likes of Nicklaus, Player, Trevino and Watson were way better players than the majority today. Next up: George Best: Was he as good as Elliott Bennett? ?

I'm in the same boat as you Paul on this. I'm not particularly IT or social media orientated. I don't even know if as a season ticket holder I automatically have some sort of online account or not, I've never needed one - when I renew my Season ticket I nip down to the Club Shop to do it. When I want to buy some merchandise, I nip down to the Club Shop to get it. I've never watched a match on I Follow. My mate's son orders away tickets for the three of us. Said mates son was laughing at me at the weekend saying "You'd better not leave it until five to three before the first game." All of this will be no problem of course as long as the streaming actually works and I'm aware of the steps needed to set it up. I don't think the Club should underestimate though that a large percentage of the fan base might be technological dinosaurs like myself and will need very clear guidance on what to do. I have an active e-mail account and I don't seem to have received any texts or emails from the Club regarding this. All I saw was something on Sky Sports indicating that ST holders would be able to stream all the remaining games for free. (Which I think is exceptionally fair) My first thought was "how does that work; how do they know who's a ST holder or not?" The second was, ""What the hell do I do next?" Over to you Rovers!

Fake crowd noise isn't for me but I cant see what the issue if you have the option to turn it on or off! I think it could be quite interesting if you can catch a bit of what is coming from the respective benches once our Leagues return.

That's really excellent from Derby, like you say, something for everyone. Not sure how anyone could complain at that although I'm sure Stuart would have a damn good try. ? I'd take option 5 (and renew to whatever's on offer). I wonder how Clubs would deal with a situation whereby the season starts BCD then switches back to normal half way through? Would it have to be two prices advertised in advance, price A for a streaming pass whilst games are BCD and price B once things have gone back to normal? That would work for supporters paying monthly by DD which can be altered but how do you cater for fans wanting to pay it off upfront?

I don't think there's any absolute right or wrong opinion on this, on balance it seems to me to be an entirely sensible move to try and protect players from muscle injuries following a curtailed "pre season" . And that the benefit far outweighs any potential unfairness.

Just on that point I understand there'll be three windows only during which each side can bring on up to five players so that in terms of disrupting or stopping the game it won't be any different from previously.

I'm sure you're right. I'd say there was more than enough reason for a lot of people not to renew on the basis the entertainment is s***e alone without any of this.

I don't expect a refund from the Club as the situation isn't their fault. Indeed I'd go as far as saying I wouldn't dream of asking for one. However I accept that that isn't everyone's position and that technically people are entitled to refunds even if I personally would feel very uncomfortable requesting one. I think the deafening silence from the Club on the issue is really poor. Rather than say nothing I'd have a lot more respect if they were up front and honest and said that whilst they would like to be in a position to offer refunds, they're simply not in a position to do so. All boils down to the players at the end of the day. Maybe if they'd said some time ago that they were going without their wage or at least accepting a very substantial reduction for the forseeable rather than a piddling little deferral, I might feel more minded to consider asking for a refund.

Yes, there's no doubt that across the game as a whole, paying to watch BCD games on a stream even temporarily, won't be for everyone. This is where we will see if Waggott is really worth his corn. Will he be able to come up with anything innovative, or will his solution be to do what he's done thus far, squeeze the everdwindling hard core even harder?.

Some Clubs have always had stronger squad depth than others. That's just looking for things to complain about for the sake of it.

It might not be possible to compel Clubs to play but if they don't then surely you don't expect them to be able to keep money already paid for a service they haven't or can't subsequently deliver. If I've read you correctly your overall position on ST refunds is you would like one from Rovers to compensate for the games you'll be unable to view in the flesh. If you expect a refund off the Club, surely by the same line of reasoning the TV Companies should be able to get one off the Clubs as well!

Not sure I understand the logic behind this objection. It's the same for everyone so I can't see a lack of integrity there and it's surely a common sense move given the curtailed pre-season. Certain Clubs have always been able to unfairly shift the goalposts part way through a season by either poaching a star player at any point off a poorer rival or latterly by spending big in January. How is this minor temporary rule change any unfairer than that?

Not having a go at you in particular Parson, as I'm sure you're not alone by a long stretch, but I find it pretty bizarre that you no doubt accepted a three month or more virtual house arrest and curtailment of liberty on the advice of the Government and scientists without so much as a murmur of dissent or without even stopping to consider whether that was was proportionate, necessary or in reality likely to work. Yet when the same Government and scientists advise it is safe to start easing restrictions, you choose not to believe them! I also fully accept that football behind closed doors might not be for everyone and that they may choose not to renew a ST or purchase a streaming pass on that basis next season. However I think there's a big difference between not being a particular fan of the idea of BCD football but accepting it as a short term necessity, and being concerned about safety on the one hand, but on the other using BCD football as an excuse not to renew? Do you not think there's a distinct non sequitur or lack of logic there? It doesn't seem that long ago since me and you were both on a seemingly two man crusade on here to try and persuade people from turning their back on the Club as Venky's blundered from one disastrous decision to another. I really hope you don't use all this as a reason for breaking your long and illustrious association with the Club. I take the opposite view that whatever happens this Crisis will not be the thing that breaks my lengthy time watching the Club. The situation (for once) is not of the Club's making and out of their hands. If I ever decide to stop going, I want it to be on my own terms because I am so dissatisfied with what is being served up on the pitch in the name of entertainment.

I don't understand where you're coming from on this at all Stuart. Completing the season behind closed doors and hypothetically playing the next and the next BCD as well if it was necessary isn't about "throwing more money" at the Premier League, those sums would all have been agreed some time ago in the last round of TV rights. It's about those Clubs delivering what they have contractually agreed to do and not having to pay money which will already have been spent or committed back It's not as though we are starting from scratch from now and the TV Companies are chucking money about willy nilly at Premier League Clubs. Quite the reverse, I suspect the likes of Sky and BT are mortified by the current situation and that if there was any way they could wriggle out of the current deals they would do, because until things return to normal they are tied into paying the Clubs top dollar for an inferior product. You do also realise the Premier League and the EFL are two completely separate entities? If the EFL aren't satisfied with the deal that they negotiated with TV Companies and/or the PL then that is partly the fault of the Clubs themselves and their representatives and should have been sorted over the years with each successive round of TV deals. Who exactly are they going to walk away from, themselves? Who would give them a better deal? Would you subscribe to a Channel showing a lot of live League 1 and League 2 games? I wouldn't although I probably would if I supported one of the Clubs concerned. Overall though I suspect the demand from the neutral isn't there and that the potential numbers do not make it something broadcasters would be prepared to pay over the odds for unlike PL football.

It wouldn't affect my elation/enjoyment in the slightest. Of course it would be a shame if I hadn't been able to attend in person and I would have been particularly disappointed to have missed out on the chance to finally see us at the new Wembley. You probably also know my views on the crisis as a whole and the need or lack of it for ongoing restrictions going forward. I'd happily attend a game with crowds tomorrow but if that's deemed by the authorities to be impossible for the foreseeable future then it is what it is, there's nothing you can do about it and as with lockdown you have to get on with it and make the best of it you can. I think it would be more disappointing still if we somehow by some miracle scraped up through the play offs and we missed a sole season in the PL because the Authorities deemed it had to be thus but again what's the alternative? Surely if that did happen you wouldn't be saying "I wish this had never happened in the first place because in principle I don't agree with the concept of football BCD?"

I don't either and I agree, the more I think about it the more it annoys me. When Taylor signed his contract, all parties intended that it should run until the end of the 2019/20 season. The reason players contracts have run until June 30th in the past is presumably because it was a convenient half way point between the seasons, giving players a bit of a safety net if they were being released and also allowing them plenty of time to prepare for a new season if they were moving Club after their contracts expired. Taylor though is exploiting a loophole which has arisen due to this unprecedented situation. There's no greater chance of him being injured by playing when the season recommences than there would have been had he completed the original season with Charlton. Nor is it any particular inconvenience to anyone assuming the start of next season is put back. No doubt Clubs will reword players permanent contracts in future so that instead of running until a certain date they'll run until a certain date "or the end of the ........ season whichever is the later." That doesn't help them now though. In normal times you'd expect they might go off to Court for clarification on the interpretation of the contracts but that doesn't help when they've also said that players can opt not to play because of the virus anyway so most players wouldn't be so blatantly shameles but would behind that excuse if they knew they had a move in the offing.

How does football NOT returning behind closed doors because you don't like the idea of it, help said unfashionable lower league Clubs though? It doesn't. I can't deny that the 72 Football League Clubs face the most immense financial challenges going forward but stopping those that can from playing football behind BCD from doing so doesn't help that, indeed it makes it worse.

Yes, definitely. No - one is suggesting this should be a permanent thing or that football BCD is better than in front of a crowd. If it was being proposed that football was being introduced BCD either permanently or on a trial basis with a view to it becoming permanent I'd be similarly unenthusiastic or outraged. However, we are where we are in Society in general because of the virus, or at least because of the reaction to it, therefore as a temporary measure as far as football is concerned this is the next best option. Football BCD also also has the potential to help some Clubs secure their financial future so I can't see why any football fan is opposed to it in principle as a stop gap measure. In practice, we've seen from the Bundesliga that the product on the pitch can be delivered with no loss of quality whatsoever. As long as our namby pamby pampered Premier League stars who have expressed such opposition to a return also go about it in a similarly genuine and committed fashion, there's no reason why it shouldn't be extremely entertaining given that everyone here will have a dog in the race when it occurs.

I'd actually be fuming if I was a Charlton fan. There wouldn't have been this messing if the season had finished at the normal time and In all probability next season will start correspondingly late to reflect the delay to the end of this one so I can't see any difference whatsoever or why any player absolutely has to complete a move to a new Club at the same time as they otherwise would have.

To be fair though, Charlton would have been entitled to think that they had his services until the end of the normal season, whether he was leaving after that or not. That said, Lee Bowyer was extremely vocal a few weeks back about how it would be a disgrace if the season were to be stopped now and his team to be relegated given that they only dropped into the relegation zone fairly recently so as we've all remarked countless times there is no perfect solution and for me completing the fixtures BCD is by far the next best option even if some Clubs are missing one or two players.

Hi Paul. You have said on more than one occasion that you feel the Club "aren't looking after me" yet when I asked you what sort of measures you would to see taken if football with crowds was to return you don't seem able to come up with any suggestions in that respect. I'm not sure how the Club is meant to help if you don't know what you want yourself. For what it's worth, if social distancing is still deemed desirable or necessary as we return to normal in general I can't think of a way to make it work in relation to football, the only thing I can think of is drastically reduced capacities and how do you find a fair way of allocating who gets in to see the games? Season ticket holders allowed in on a rotation basis? Surely not. I think the only possible way forward is games BCD until infection rates are so low that crowds can be let back in as normal for those who wish to go. If you have any alternative suggestions, I'm sure Rovers would love to hear them.

At one point there was talk of an agreement for a blanket extension of players contracts until the actual end of the restarted season whenever that may be. Whether anything came of that I don't know. Probably not given how unaccomodating players have been regarding their wages. Even if that hasn't been agreed though, players whose contracts expire on July 1st are apparently paid up to the end of July anyway to allow them to find somewhere else in the meantime. So if we do get underway on June 20th and play three games in the first seven days and two games per week thereafter the regular season should finish round about July 20th with only the playoffs to fit in thereafter so it's difficult to see it being a major problem unless the season has to be stopped again.

You're the one who is particularly worried Paul, what sort of measures would you like to see?

I agree there may not be a reliable vaccine in the foreseeable future or indeed ever. Surely though, that's the strongest possible argument to let as many Clubs play BCD in the short to medium term in the hope they can survive?