Quote:BELMONT
Looks like any decision if Bolton get any points deduction according to reports this morning will not happen today, but will put off till next week at the earliest.
Quote:You would hope that AldoM but if that is the case why has it taken so long? Do they even have regulations in black and white? If so , why does nobody seem 100% sure what they will get.... and why are we 3 months into the season? Last year's cancellation should be clear cut. This year's postponement is either acceptable on health and safety grounds or not. Should take around 30 minutes to decide....Aldo'smuzzy
My conspiracy theory is that there is no conspiracy and Bolton will be treated in line with the EFL regulations.
Quote:I agree I doubt very much it will be more than 6 and I suspect it will be 3 for last season's game and maybe 1 for this season's game on basis it was Health and Safety issue BUT they called it off themselves rather than seek EFL approval which if they had would have been givenAldo'smuzzy
I agree the delay is frustrating but it's similar to a legal trial in the sense that all the evidence has to be gathered, and all facts and circumstances, including mitigating factors, have to be established and presented. It takes time and is costly too
The EFL rules cater for postponements. There's a degree of subjectivity around the penalty they can impose (same as there's a range of penalties a judge can give someone who's, say, robbed your house, using the legal trial analogy again) and I read in one of the papers it's a maximum of six points per postponement. For a first offence, I can't recall anyone getting more than a three point deduction - and even then it's sometimes suspended.
For Bolton's second offence, they do seem to have a reasonable argument for calling it off (namely the authorities' own guidelines in how frequently young players should play competitive football) but the big problem is that they unilaterally called it off, before telling or getting permission from the league.
When the verdict is announced, I expect we'll hear the reasoning behind it.
Fwiw, I'd have no problem if they ended up with a six point deduction, and I'll be (pleasantly!) surprised if it's more than that.
Quote:ADD
I agree I doubt very much it will be more than 6 and I suspect it will be 3 for last season's game and maybe 1 for this season's game on basis it was Health and Safety issue BUT they called it off themselves rather than seek EFL approval which if they had would have been given
Quote:rossb07
Not everyone agrees.
What about the teams who’ve been punished in the past that weren’t forced to be relegated to the NL? Should we go back and make the same example of them and yes that goes for us too.
Quote:as do Mk Dons, Wimbledon, Accrington and Lincoln....DevonExile
At the current rate we may dependent on further points deduction to keep Bolton beneath us by the end of the season