Tranmere chairman Mark Palios believes deciding who would be relegated by determining the League One standings on a points per game basis is unacceptable.
Rovers sit in the bottom four, three points off safety albeit having played a game less than 20th-placed AFC Wimbledon, and Palios called for the season to be voided if there is no way to complete the remaining fixtures.
📺 An important message from Chairman @markpalios1. Part two of two.#TRFC Chairman @markpalios1 has provided a detailed update of the Club's position with regards to completing the 2019/20 @EFL season.#TRFC#SWApic.twitter.com/EDxnnfrsDe— Tranmere Rovers FC (@TranmereRovers) May 19, 2020
Palios, a former Football Association chief executive, said on Tranmere’s official website: “In a sporting competition, you set the rules at the start of a competition and everybody’s happy, understands the rules and the consequences of success and failure – you don’t change the rules of the league mid-season.
“If the decision is made that we will not play the season out then I think it’s quite clear that the season should be voided, rather than deciding on what is a mid-season change of rules and a fairly arbitrary decision as regards how we deal with promotion and relegation.
“In order to find an acceptable compromise, it has to be just: a compromise that is fair.
If PPG had been used to determine the outcome last season, at the same point in the season, 3 out of the 4 teams who would have been relegated were not in fact relegated. Those who argue it is the “fairest” way are factually wrong. #TRFC— Nicola Palios (@NicolaPalios) May 19, 2020
“Our suggested solution follows on from what League Two voted in favour of last week and while that’s not a binding vote, it’s indicative of where their intentions were and that is promotions, without relegation.”
Palios added that PPG is “flawed as a mechanism” before writing on Twitter: “If you want to change the regs in mid season then do so but don’t penalise teams as a result so no relegations. Use PPG with a margin for error.”
Palios’ wife and Tranmere’s vice-chairman, Nicola, then wrote on the social networking site: “If PPG had been used to determine the outcome last season, at the same point in the season, 3 out of the 4 teams who would have been relegated were not in fact relegated. Those who argue it is the “fairest” way are factually wrong.”
