Sky Bet Championship: Points per game average? Take reverse results? How could the season end?
The Sky Bet Championship season has been put on hold with no return scheduled until May at the earliest.
The EFL have dealt with the current problems in a good manner. Regular communication has been available to supporters in difficult circumstances.
Football is irrelevant at this point but for plenty of people staying at home, a return to the pitch will provide a pick-me-up during these tough times. That's why there have constantly been football-related questions.
In a statement released on Friday, the league said: "The Premier League, EFL and PFA agreed that difficult decisions will have to be taken in order to mitigate the economic impact of the current suspension of professional football in England and agreed to work together to arrive at shared solutions.
"The leagues will not recommence until April 30 at the earliest. They will only do so when it is safe and conditions allow.
"Further meetings will take place next week with a view to formulating a joint plan to deal with the difficult circumstances facing the leagues, their clubs, players, staff and fans."
The important point to highlight is that the EFL seem committed to playing out the remainder of the campaign when it is safe to do so.
But should the season be brought to a premature end? And if so what would be the best way to decide it?
Our EFL man Tom Carnduff looks at a few different scenarios.
Points-per-game averages
This is a system that has been suggested at National League level with an on-going debate there surrounding how the season should play out.
An important point to make is that this wouldn't alter current positions in the table as everyone has played the same amount of fixtures.
However, it would mean that the campaign does conclude with a table that reflects normal points tallies after 46 games.
We've been generous with the averages and rounded up any figure that presents a .5 or above in it.
Final Championship table based on points-per-game averages:
- Leeds - 88pts
- West Brom - 87pts
- Fulham - 80pts
- Brentford - 75pts
- Forest - 75pts
- Preston - 70pts
The final standings have Leeds as winners and they finish eight points clear of Fulham in third.
West Brom, currently six points clear of the play-offs, end seven points ahead while they boast a huge 17-point cushion between themselves and Preston in sixth.
Brentford keep fourth due to their superior goal difference over Nottingham Forest although both teams end up with 75 points given the fact they both sit on 60 currently.
Taking the reverse results
This is likely to be the most unpopular of a number of options that will not please everyone.
But it's interesting to see how the final Championship table would look if we took the results from the first meeting between sides who are set to meet in their final nine games.
Final Championship table based on taking reverse fixture results:
- West Brom - 91pts
- Leeds - 85pts
- Fulham - 79pts
- Brentford - 77pts
- Forest - 77pts
- Preston - 74pts
The big winner here is West Brom. The Baggies not only take top spot back but they finish a huge six points ahead of Leeds.
Slaven Bilic's men would also go the remainder of the campaign unbeaten. Their record against teams who make up their remaining fixtures is six wins and three draws.
Leeds are still promoted and still possess a comfortable gap over Fulham in third. Bielsa's men would pick up the lowest amount of points from the top-six though with 14 from a possible 27.
Fulham would also near match their points-per-game average. The reverse results put them on 79 with the averages having them at 80 after rounding up.
Goal difference is the only measure that would separate Brentford and Forest once again with both sides finishing on 77 points. That means that the current standings, points averages and this measure all have them equal.
It is good news for Preston who retain their play-off spot and create a huge gap between themselves and the current two sides behind them. North End would finish on 74, with Bristol City on 67 and Millwall on 66.
How should it end?
We can look at various formulas and the maths that help to decide how the campaign should end and the above are just some of the ways in which that can be done.
The answer seems simple though. We play out the remainder of the campaign when it is safe to do so.
There appears to be some sort of fascination with starting a new season and completely disregarding a campaign that is 80% completed.
Nobody can really put a timescale on when we will be able to watch live football again but the postponement of the Euros in the summer shows that UEFA is looking to give leagues the time to reach their conclusion.
By scrapping the current season just so we can stick to traditional timescales, there's an admission that the 37 games that we have played out have been a waste of time and money - to put it bluntly.
Plus, there's the potential legal implications and financial impact that come with denying a team their spot in the Premier League - but now is not the time for those sort of discussions.
I was intrigued by a suggestion from former Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas, now at Marseille, who brought up the potential for changing the football calendar.
"From 2021, we should base ourselves on the civil calendar," he said.
"That way, we will come to an agreement with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which will take place in winter. And then, why not try to come back on a more classic calendar?"
Would moving the football season to match the calendar be a positive move? Given the World Cup will be played in the winter, it's a suggestion that does make sense.
There are obviously some issues that come with how we return to normality after the World Cup but his argument holds strength if the season continues to be delayed.
The current April 30 deadline looks somewhat ambitious but we just don't know when sport will return.
If we hit June or July, there are still nine games to be played alongside the play-offs, meaning it's a real possibility that we could see those post-season play-offs taking place in September or October.
For now though, we await any outcome with football taking a back seat.
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