Even if Manchester City win and West Ham lose, meaning Manchester United will definitely finish fifth, there's still something riding on the abandoned Old Trafford match - Bournemouth's finishing position. A win in Manchester, as scores stand, would see them finish in 13th place which is three place and, more importantly, worth £3.6m more. Not much in the current TV climate but every little helps.
Football Neutrals Thread - Part 2
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Swansea have definitely not given this game up and City's defence is not exactly solid. This game is not over.
Boom, and Swansea have leveled the match via a deflected free kick.
Boom, and Swansea have leveled the match via a deflected free kick.
Originally Posted by NiteOwl12:
“Discussions will have to occur with, among others, the police, who have to manage the traffic and crowd, coaches have to be booked for travelling fans and so on. No idea when it will happen, but it will not be tomorrow.”
“Discussions will have to occur with, among others, the police, who have to manage the traffic and crowd, coaches have to be booked for travelling fans and so on. No idea when it will happen, but it will not be tomorrow.”
Though harsh on the fans could they feasibly play it behind closed doors?
Originally Posted by StarryNight1983:
“Oh sugar forgot their cup final - probably looking at next week then sometime?”
“Oh sugar forgot their cup final - probably looking at next week then sometime?”
England play next Sunday that's why I am convinced it will be within 48 hours
Originally Posted by DUNDEEBOY:
“England play next Sunday that's why I am convinced it will be within 48 hours”
“England play next Sunday that's why I am convinced it will be within 48 hours”
Yeah that does seem the most likely thing to happen considering they have finals and internationals coming up!
swansea equalise but man city still in driving seat for fourth spot as they only need a point!
Originally Posted by Fudd:
“Though harsh on the fans could they feasibly play it behind closed doors?”
“Though harsh on the fans could they feasibly play it behind closed doors?”
I doubt there is much precedence at all for this situation. Whatever they come up with, it is very problematic at this time of year.
Well, I was expecting to come back from holiday to some sort of dramatic occurrence on the last day of the Premier League season but I must admit I didn't envisage the one that's happened at Old Trafford today.
Quite clearly the questions will concern what the suspicious package was, what potential it had to actually cause harm to spectators and how it found its way into the ground.
What sort of security checks on spectators currently take place at Old Trafford generally?
Quite clearly the questions will concern what the suspicious package was, what potential it had to actually cause harm to spectators and how it found its way into the ground.
What sort of security checks on spectators currently take place at Old Trafford generally?
According to some it was a suspicious mobile phone device at Old Trafford
Shame one or more people have put a big blot on the last day of the season, let's hope they are caught very quickly
Shame one or more people have put a big blot on the last day of the season, let's hope they are caught very quickly
Man united now seventh at the moment and if Swansea win gives a big spectrum of possibilities for when the game is played
And just to make it even more difficult, it isn't just simply a matter of rearranging the match. They have to be confident whoever has placed this device, if it is what they fear it might be, isn't around to do so again. In other words,it isn't simply a matter of schedules, it is also a question of being able to hold the match safely. My guess is the police will want to err on the side of caution. They are now talking of holding a controlled explosion.
You get a feeling every major football match is going to be targeted now, it must be serious if they are doing a controlled explosion
Spurs limping to the end of the season, as it stands they will lose the runners up spot to Arsenal. I'm a touch sad about this, they have played so well for so long, shame their heads have dropped in past few weeks.
Originally Posted by NiteOwl12:
“And just to make it even more difficult, it isn't just simply a matter of rearranging the match. They have to be confident whoever has placed this device, if it is what they fear it might be, isn't around to do so again. In other words,it isn't simply a matter of schedules, it is also a question of being able to hold the match safely. My guess is the police will want to err on the side of caution. They are now talking of holding a controlled explosion.”
“And just to make it even more difficult, it isn't just simply a matter of rearranging the match. They have to be confident whoever has placed this device, if it is what they fear it might be, isn't around to do so again. In other words,it isn't simply a matter of schedules, it is also a question of being able to hold the match safely. My guess is the police will want to err on the side of caution. They are now talking of holding a controlled explosion.”
That's why I questioned whether they'll just play it behind closed doors - maybe televise it as Sky had already picked it as a TV match? That way it can be played either later this evening or tomorrow - get the match out of the way and they won't have to hire the same number of police/stewards as there won't be a crowd.
Holidays and contract decisions will be affected - not just the players but I would think that some (at least) of the OT staff will have booked hols etc
Originally Posted by rhumble:
“You get a feeling every major football match is going to be targeted now, it must be serious if they are doing a controlled explosion”
“You get a feeling every major football match is going to be targeted now, it must be serious if they are doing a controlled explosion”
This is going to up tension further heading into the Euros. The French will already be on edge after what happened in November; now a further reminder from across channel at how fragile security can be at something like a football match.
If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it
Originally Posted by rhumble:
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
We saw how they behaved when their coach was under 'attack"
Seriously, though, they probably have to wait for the OK from the Police to leave as it may cause traffic issues outside the ground with so many people about
Originally Posted by rhumble:
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
We are not talking about a thermonuclear device; they will have assessed the nature of the device, its potential range and the area which needs to be evacuated and people kept safe.
Originally Posted by Fudd:
“Bomb Squad called to stadium; potential controlled explosion coming up at Old Trafford - Sky.”
“Bomb Squad called to stadium; potential controlled explosion coming up at Old Trafford - Sky.”
Wow, that does sound serious.
Thank God that they found it, as I do not want to think of the possible ramifications if they had not.
Originally Posted by rhumble:
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
“If its so serious, why are the players still inside the ground, considering the ramifications , hearing that it seems like they are still being too casual about it”
They're in a suite, no doubt a sizeable distance from the suspicious package. They're no doubt having to arrange a safe way to get the players away from the stadium - it's also worth remembering if fans see players vacating the stadium they're likely to go over them for photos and autographs rather than vacating the area themselves. The players will be in a safe zone; they won't be in danger. Remember they held some fans in the stadium after the game was first abandoned to allow the concourses to clear.
Of course, they could be holding the players in the stadium to play the game behind closed doors once the package has been neutralised though, as I said before, that would be harsh on the fans.
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