Premier League's Project Restart is lucre before lives and remains fraught with issues

So Project Restart get the green light and top flight football is due to return later this month.
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Lucre before lives?...we will have to wait and see, but already the Premier League return is fraught with logistical issues.

With seemingly no hotels open and very few domestic flights, all the 20 clubs will have to travel to away games by road, almost certainly on the day of the relevant fixture.

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Nine games in 36 days is already a heavier than usual schedule without even factoring in journey times.

Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter will shortly be on the touchline once again and hoping to steer his team to safetyBrighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter will shortly be on the touchline once again and hoping to steer his team to safety
Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter will shortly be on the touchline once again and hoping to steer his team to safety

For example in their remaining home games, at this time being played at the Amex the Albion entertain, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United and Arsenal.

Now a coach journey from North London isn’t that big an ask, but will the three clubs from the North West be expected for to travel to Sussex for a games that might kick off at noon or even 3pm?

The same can be said for Newcastle's visit or Albion going to Burnley.

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Clearly some games will have to have minimum start times of 5pm, but will there be a cut off point? I’ve been to Norwich on a coach in 1981, it takes quite a long time, so even then a 3pm kick off is borderline for the Albion.

Clearly this was all thought about when project restart was put together, so hopefully by the time you read this, we will know kick off times, and it will be all be a level playing field.

On the subject of level pitches, many are predicting the resumption and completing of the league will see the Albion end up in the bottom three and relegated to the Championship.

But not according to the bookmakers, as my dear old Grandad used to say, “You never see a bookie on a bike”

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The Albion are currently sixth favourites to go down at 11/4, so clearly the number crunchers think Graham Potter’s men have enough to retain Premier League status season.

In my humble opinion, I feel the removal of home fans obviously creates a different atmosphere.

Without stating the bleeding obvious, it comes down to the best team on the day winning, so quite simply I feel that on their day the Albion are superior to anyone except Man City and Liverpool, so out of the nine games left, they can get something from seven of them.

Seven draws gives them 36 points, which might be enough, but I feel there’s at least a couple of wins in those seven games, and I’m predicting the Albion to finish on 41 points, and safely above the relegation zone.

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‘Wonderful’ to see horse racing back behind closed doors, and I make no apologies for the insertion of the speech marks, with no one there at the race course, the hospitality industry doesn’t benefit, and the racecourse itself, doesn’t really either, the biggest winners in all this are the bookmakers.

Now with gambling every much as addictive as alcohol and hard drugs, I’m sure there’s a moral dilemma in there somewhere?

Finally, on Monday we bid farewell to Worthing FC’s oldest surviving footballer Ron Wood, who sadly passed away at the age of 94, just days after his wife of 71 years, Pat.

As a mark of respect. Both Ron and Pat will be driving past Woodside Road at 11.35am next Monday, June 8, and I hope as many of the Worthing footballing family will be there to pay their respects.

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