‘Implications are huge’ – Sky Sports pundit makes big claim about Leeds promotion
Sky Sports pundit and former Leeds United star Paul Robinson has said that “as much as it pains” him, Leeds must win promotion on the pitch or face another season in the Championship.
Norwich’s sporting director Stuart Webber said this week that if the Premier League played on and the Championship didn’t, there should be no promotion from the second tier.
That goes against the EFL’s position that if the Championship can’t be finished, it will be decided on a points-per-game model and Leeds and West Brom promoted.
Robinson, however, doesn’t think that’s fair and he said the decisions that need to be made are going to be “huge” for the clubs involved.
Talking on Saturday’s Football Centre (Sky Sports, 11am), Robinson said, “Every club is going to be in a different position and every club has a different opinion.
“If you’re a club like Leeds and West Brom, the financial implications are huge.
“As much as it pains me, to listen to Stuart Webber, he’s talking a lot of sense. Everyone wants to see football finished on the pitch rather than on a computer. Both leagues have to be completed on the pitch.
“It’s only fair if one league starts then another league should start. If one league’s decided on the pitch and another on a computer, it’s very hard to argue for promotion and relegation as many owners have touched upon.
“The decisions that are going to be made in the next couple of weeks are going to be huge. Some clubs will be delighted, others won’t be.”
This is quickly turning into the biggest debate surrounding Leeds’ bid for promotion.
Hopefully, the Championship can overcome any hurdles and finish on the pitch, making this argument dead in the water.
However, it’s been reported that one Championship chairman thinks that’s currently on a knife-edge with a 50/50 chance of the remaining games getting played.
Robinson, an MOT Leeds News columnist, certainly had his objective hat on when he was on Sky Sports today but we’d like to respectfully disagree with him.
Relegation from the Premier League is based on how well you do in that league. All the teams signed up for three teams to go down at the start of the season.
If the Premier League does play out to a conclusion, as looks likely, the three bottom teams will deserve to go down.
It doesn’t matter what happens below the Premier League and it’s got nothing to do with the three bottom clubs how the EFL decides to promote teams.
That’s our opinion. Thankfully, it’s one that seems to be shared by the EFL, the Premier League and the FA.
In other Leeds United news, Team behind Amazon’s Take Us Home set to premiere brand new Leeds United documentary tonight