How Peterborough United’s fate was confirmed after endless delays, pointless votes and acts of naked self-interest

After all there have been less surprising Russian Presidential election results than the outcome of EFL polling day on Tuesday.

The votes of clubs squirming with self-interest could have been cast a month ago, when the ludicrously unfair unweighted points-per-game average was first settled upon as the way to determine final placings, and the result would have been the same. Naked self-interest was always going to win the day.

Indeed the result was so clearcut the EFL helped test their four play-off contestants before the vote took place and around 75% of the votes cast were by proxy.

Yes, that’s right three-quarters of the clubs had decided which way to vote before Tranmere chairman Mark Palios had been given the chance to promote in person his proposal to ensure those who still had a great chance of winning promotion or avoiding relegation were treated in a more sporting or compassionate fashion.

This quite pointless delay just meant another month of stress and banging heads against a dense wall of instransigence for Palios and Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony.

Posh do at least live to fight in League One another day - and let’s be frank it wasn’t so long ago that eight successive seasons in the third tier would have been considered a triumph at London Road - but Tranmere are the big victims here. They’ve been shafted by a clique of clubs who have endured mediocre seasons and who feared it could yet get worse. AFC Wimbledon officials should be hanging their heads in shame after joining forces with their nemesis MK Dons to send Rovers down.

MacAnthony was up at 4am in Florida to sit through the first EFL meeting/vote, alongside co-owner Dr Jason Neale on Tuesday which started at 10.30am UK time.

An apparently ‘comprehensive’ majority of 71 EFL clubs voted to amend their regulations to allow for promotions and relegations to be awarded on a points-per-game average which paved the way for League One clubs to do just that five hours later by the convincing margin of 18-5. MacAnthony was quiet in both meetings believing words, no matter how eqloquent, would now be a waste of time.

He knew his race was over, but voted against both proposals in a last fleeting act of defiance. Posh, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Tranmere are believed to be the clubs who voted for the season to continue.

In between votes EFL chairman Rick Parry spoke, hilariously to be honest, about honouring EFL regulations (they’d just ripped up a huge, basic plank covering divisions being played over an equal number of home and away games) and consistency (ignoring the fact that two thirds of his clubs had voted a different way to the other third).

And just today (June 10) Parry spoke about the need for clarity after so many delays without accepting the delays and lack of clarity were largely a result of his and the EFL’s failed leadership. “We ran out of road,” Parry said. “The virus beat us.”

It didn’t beat Coventry and Rotherham though did it? Or Wycombe or AFC Wimbledon. The virus saved them the hassle of earning rewards under the rules set out at the start of the season.

MacAnthony was excellent when interviewed live on television this morning. He made his points about a grave injustice in a calm, unflustered manner which drew nods of agreement from the three former professionals sharing the moment with him.

I suspect most others without a dog in this desperately unsatisfactory fight would find it hard to disagree that Posh had been robbed.

MacAnthony retired to bed straight after his TV performance. He was exhausted, but proud of his fight for justice.