Bizarre situation but admirable stance at Leeds United after big EFL call - David Prutton

FOOTBALL is finally back in at least some form with the return of the Bundesliga behind closed doors.
'ICONIC': Borussia Dortmund's Leeds-born striker Erling Haaland, left, celebrates his strike in last weekend's 4-0 win against Schalke 04 social distancing style in a stadium without fans.  Photo by Martin Meissner/Pool via Getty Images.'ICONIC': Borussia Dortmund's Leeds-born striker Erling Haaland, left, celebrates his strike in last weekend's 4-0 win against Schalke 04 social distancing style in a stadium without fans.  Photo by Martin Meissner/Pool via Getty Images.
'ICONIC': Borussia Dortmund's Leeds-born striker Erling Haaland, left, celebrates his strike in last weekend's 4-0 win against Schalke 04 social distancing style in a stadium without fans. Photo by Martin Meissner/Pool via Getty Images.

I have read quite a lot of different viewpoints from different journalists about it with some having a very extreme reaction to it and some that have seen it for what it is. It’s not ideal, it’s top level sport without fans and the fans make it what it is.

I thought Jurgen Klopp’s comments were pretty good when he said about how when you are a kid you dream of playing football, not necessarily in front of thousands and thousands of people.

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It’s the love of the game that gets you into it and if you are fortunate enough to play in front of people it’s a euphoric feeling.

But it’s not like we were watching something that was completely alien that was beamed in from a different planet. Fundamentally it is the same game.

There are people on the bench in masks and physios and managers with masks and then suddenly when the players are on the pitch it becomes slightly more communal.

But it was an iconic image with Leeds-born Erling Haaland scoring the first goal in Borussia Dortmund’s victory against Schalke 04 and the players stood around him celebrating but no-one near him. That is just what it is going to have to be about.

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But from a footballing point of view it’s a step in the right direction and it just shows it can be done.

Obviously if there is a health fall out on the back of it then that’s quite a grave concern.

But if it’s a step in the right direction that shows football games can be played and that seasons can be brought to a conclusion then it’s something to give people hope.

From a Leeds United point of view, the EFL obviously still hope to get the remaining Championship games played though they have also said that if seasons are curtailed then divisions will be settled via points per game with relegation and promotion still being retained.

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That would see Leeds crowned champions and the EFL have also said the season will be finished early if 51 per cent of Championship clubs vote for that to happen.

But Whites managing director Angus Kinnear has been quick to state that Leeds want to conclude the season on the pitch.

It’s a bizarre situation if suddenly you get presented the opportunity to win the league.

We have seen Leeds go on dismal runs for about the same amount of games that there are left in the season.

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You can speak about football without fans but if you are bringing it back and there are actual points to play for then there is still that jeopardy which is what we love about sport.

If not then it is purely mathematical and down to what’s gone on so far in the season and that’s how it is worked out.

But I can understand what Kinnear is saying and there is a certain admirable trait to it and I think you have to make the right noises with regards to trying to get it finished on the pitch.

That’s got to be everyone’s first port of call.

But as we have said since minute one with this, the greater health of everybody involved and the knock on effect it has is by the far the most important thing.

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We are just not talking about the bunch of people that play on the football pitch and the staff that are there, it’s everybody that they meet and everybody who they then meet.

We have all seen how rapidly this coronavirus can spread and it’s not just a sphere of influence in and around say Elland Road, it’s the greater global picture.

It’s tough because you look at how it could pan out and the voting on what should happen and the perceived grievances between clubs or vendettas.

But you would like to think that for once this would be different and that you could understand why a club voted for something for a specific set of reasons. Without sounding selfish, you would like to think a club’s vote reflects the situation they are in.

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Money wise, if it’s a no go then you could understand why a club might vote a certain way.

But if there’s that essence of it not being null and voided and promotion and relegation still being on the table then it still brings it into quite acute focus.

If a club says we don’t want to play the rest of the games yet there is a chance they are going to slip into the bottom three then that’s a purely financial forecast we are looking at rather than anything else.

It’s tough, really tough as you look at it from a football point of view as in can a team get enough points to make themselves safe or to get into the play-offs or to get promoted.

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But then you have the other side of it and I thought Lee Bowyer talked about it quite eloquently when he said if players don’t want to come to training because they have got very serious concerns with regards to family members then how on earth can I tell them to do it? I can’t.

He was looking at it from a quite a humane point of view which I thought showed a real level of empathy with his players and the people that he works with.

I think we are all on the same page in that if we can watch it and take it in and it can get played to a conclusion then fantastic.

If not then there will not be a perfect solution to this.

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