The pros and cons of what Peterborough United can be expected to vote upon by the end of the week

Peterborough United expect to be able to vote on their 2019-20 season fate by the end of the week.
Posh co-owners Dr Jason Neale (right) and Stewart 'Randy' Thompson.Posh co-owners Dr Jason Neale (right) and Stewart 'Randy' Thompson.
Posh co-owners Dr Jason Neale (right) and Stewart 'Randy' Thompson.

The EFL Board are due to meet today (May 20) to prepare some proposals regarding the end of the current season to put to League One clubs.

Clubs will keep voting until one proposal receives a 51% (12 votes) share of the vote.

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Here are the proposals likely be put forward with the pros and cons of each.

Rotherham United are currently second in League One.Rotherham United are currently second in League One.
Rotherham United are currently second in League One.

DECLARE THE SEASON NULL AND VOID

Pros: It ends the confusion of how to finish the season. Has any team really done enough to say they are certain of promotion? Teams blow up in the run-in when pressure is at its greatest. Pompey recently started the final day of a season in third place and finished on top.

Cons: It would save Bolton and Southend from relegation which even they would surely admit they hardly deserve. Would Bolton then be forced to start next season on -12 points as well? It complicates matters with League Two who have already voted on how their teams win promotion.

Swanny’s Verdict: Posh director of football Barry Fry has already ruled this one out. He believes League Two clubs have made this option impossible. It is however a fairer outcome than awarding promotions on a points per game average.

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CONTINUE SEASON AND DECIDE FINAL PLACINGS ON AN UNWEIGHTED PPG AVERAGE

Pros: It is at least definitive and doesn’t rely on a computer model to predict outcomes. The number of matches played is in theory irrelevant.

Cons: It fails to take into account the standard of opposition you have already played and have yet to play. Wycombe would jump up to third from eighth using this method, but their game in hand is away at leaders Coventry which you’d expect they’d lose.

Swanny’s Verdict: The route League Two have taken which means there’s a great chance it will be adopted for League One as well. Doesn’t make it right though. It’s a flawed method when the teams from 2nd-8th are separated by just three points. That’s not the case in League Two where it barely had any impact on finishing positions.

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CONTINUE SEASON AND DECIDE FINAL PLACINGS ON A WEIGHTED PPG AVERAGE

Pros: This model at least takes into account home and away form. You work out the average number of points a club has taken in home games and away games and then multiply that average by the number of home and away games remaining. Posh have five home and four away games left so this method would benefit them. Six of Wycombe’s remaining 10 matches are away.

Cons: The method is also flawed. Posh would reasonably expect to win all five of their remaining home games so collect 15 points, but on WPPG they would be awarded 11.47 points (5 x their current average of 2.294 pts every home game). Wycombe have collected 1.06pts per away game this season, but that still entitles them to claim more than a point from their game at Coventry.

Swanny’s Verdict: It’s fairer than the unweighted points per game method, but it is still an unfair and cruel, and hardly decisive, way to award potentially lucrative promotions or ruinous relegations.

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PROMOTE THE TOP TWO AND EXTEND THE PLAY-OFFS TO INCLUDE EIGHT TEAMS

Pros: The EFL admitted a creative solution will probably have to be found to unblock the League One impasse and this is the likeliest solution. Certainly it will help the clubs involved financially as live TV would be guaranteed.

Cons: Ipswich are currently 10th, in freefall and having played more games than most. If they went up by winning three knockout matches it would be an absolute travesty. It also doesn’t properly address the ‘Rotherham’ problem. They would be promoted in second even though they are just three points ahead of eighth-placed Wycombe and they face the hardest run-in of all the teams contesting promotion.

Swanny’s Verdict: I would imagine this suggestion was put out there to persuade more clubs to vote to keep the season going. It’s not about fairness, more about finances. If it happens it has to involve Rotherham and Posh co-owner Stewart ‘Randy’ Thompson believes the idea gained traction over the weekend.

PLAY THE REMAINING GAMES WHENEVER IT IS SAFE TO DO SO

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Pros: The only real fair way to finish. Clubs sign up to play each other home and away in a season and a 44-game table wouldn’t really lie, unlike the current table. It takes away the fear of some potentially expensive refunds

Cons: Playing matches that don’t matter behind closed doors would be financial suicide for many clubs. There are issues with players falling out of contract at the end of June. Coronavirus testing is prohibitively expensive.

Swanny’s verdict: This has to be the way forward. We don’t even know when the 2020-2021 season will start so why the rush to complete this one? Contract issues are easily resolved if players want to play and Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony claimed last week that the cost of testing had been resolved.

This remains the preferred option of Posh as club co-owner Dr Jason Neale stated over the weekend, but they appear to be fighting a losing battle.