I was really impressed with the Premier Li today because I think you know, Gary's mentioned off the economic side.

There's the obviously the health situation but the Premier League also looking at the football side of it.

Also, I think what they did in terms of saying the league will basically, I think they said today the league will finish at some stage.

I think that's been the biggest question from a football point of view.

Really.

There's lots of intricacies within that.

I think it's almost gave closer to the questions of different people and maybe people looking after themselves and the team's going up going down Champions League places, maybe Liverpool for the title.

I think that has been the question sort of shrill around football, really, and that almost put that question to an end now and it's just weather the Premier League with you a fat Howard effects next season.

But actually it just feels to me When the statement came out for the criminally today, I thought that was I thought it was great leadership and just sort of sending a message to everyone.

This is what's happening now.

We've gotta find a way to make it with Andi.

I think it puts a lot of questions to bed in some ways, and now we can start asking different ones.

How do we actually get where we need to get to and the time scale of this season finishing on also how it affects next season?

Remembering, I suppose, is as well that there isn't actually any government advice about what football should be doing in this.

This circumstance that the football world is is working on their own information and to some degree on the broader government guidelines of recommendations.

I think you're absolutely right, Kelly And that's why I was critical 10 days ago about the Premier League, because the idea that they were willing to put a 1,000,000 people into football stadiums over a Premier League week and then thinking they could just win, get and get away with it to me was was reckless.

I felt as though when Michaela the Macallan that situation was announced on that Thursday evening on they essentially ended up with reactive leadership.

They were made to look a little bit foolish in my opinion, where they know that call from the government always not the biggest problem that actually the government's, that they lead from the government on the leadership coming from the government is not right.

What did you actually want to probably to do there in that situation?

We've just seen the guy who represents the government speaking.

To be fair, I think your football is going to take their stare from him that nothing.

Ultimately, I've got no faith in football.

We know every other country, every other country in this situation talk.

Their decision from the government probably couldn't have doing anything different.

I don't think I accept.

It's unprecedented times.

I accept the difficulties of this, but what I expect is decisive leadership that puts health of supporters, football players on their stuff.

First, it was plainly obvious as the situation was developing that week and I started tweeted out around when they choose to saying What are you going to do Premier League NFL?

Because it could sense that this was brewing into a situation that's gonna come back and hit them hard.

You remember there's a government.

Two weeks ago, Boris Johnson publicly was essentially Joel, really bragging about shaking everybody's hand to have grown in the Corona virus in hospitals 45 days later, he was talking to us about herd immunity strategy in the fact that that was the right way to go in three or four days later, then talking about an isolation strategy.

So I think if your football and you're looking at the guidance of the guy that we've just seen speaking there, you gotta read between the lines and think, Well, okay, the American League.

It shut down the Italian league.

It shut down the Spanish league.

It shut down the foundation from the government on a contingency basis.

You're the Premier League and you sit down on the Thursday morning.

What happens if one of our managers, one of our players, one of our fans in the stadium or something happens over the weekend?

What will that do to the Premier League?

What what example?

What it said.

So essentially, I feel there's enough intelligence of national leagues of other things that were happening that should admit, in my opinion, let to the Premier League making a reality size of decision, taking the lead, ignoring essentially what was a government that was all over the place and that you put yourself in the pregnant league position you've got.

You've got someone in there, Richard matches.

You just come in.

It's being there for 20 years ago.

Richard Scudamore.

Nothing like this has ever happened before.

That you said yourself, it's unprecedented on your actual against the government, the legal trouble, the Spanish lii, the Italian E.

That was That was a recommendation from the government.

First of what I would say that the league, the club's up the power in the Premier League, so I wouldn't put it down to an individual second.

What I would say is, in moments of crisis, the rial, the rial leaders stand up and make tough decisions, which sometimes go against the grain of essentially what's happening.

The government at that time through Boris Johnson, were essentially zigzagging all over the place with their messages.

Even today, he's talked about you.

Let's protect Teacher that I watched his address earlier on at five o'clock, and he talked about essentially self isolating protect each other, be resilient on this.

But he's not sure Clubs, bars, restaurants, pubs, skills are closed until tomorrow evening is the messages are so conflicting from government and at a fair, economically driven at times, I have to say, and I felt the Premier League, saying that the games would continue for another weekend, was almost winging it to try and get another round in.

But however, I understand I understand the complexities of it, but I do feel it'll decisive Leadership's important.

Carrie.

We should point out that the comments about herd immunity were made by Patrick Valance rather than by the prime minister, and he's one of the scientific advisors.

The government are working with a strong scientific team and with the information that's available to them, and I'm sure that if they were approached to respond to your comments, that's what they would put that they're working.

They're working with science.

Yeah, I mean, I think every time I see the chief medical officer stood next Thio Boris Johnson asi he looks more and more uncomfortable, you know, he did explain his strategy with the prime minister present and then was challenged by 200 of the scientists over the week and then, essentially, Matt Hancock on a Sunday program.

I think it wa ce it might even been a certainly a newspaper behind a paywall initially I think actually suggested that they were going to pursue that strategy.

So again, ultimately, I'm not a scientist, but you have to have consistency of message and indict decisive leadership.

I do feel actually now this week, the government have got decisive leadership.

I do feel there is consistent messaging.

I think I understand the predicament the Premier League we're in.

But if they couldn't smell the danger and we know that from obviously the press leaks as well, certain clubs were very uncomfortable about playing that weekend If they couldn't smell the danger of basically what the impact it would have on the Premier League global if something happened on their watch.

I just think it needed to be a bit more decides to think it was difficult for him.

There's a Champions League game.

I was out on the Wednesday night between political Madrid.

There was actually a case involved in Walls and Olympia course.

We think they'll NPR cost only I can track the virus and still it wasn't abandoned.

So I think that puts the Premier League in a really difficult decision.

Is not leadership coming from Boris Johnson on the probably actually just take their own lead on that body's.

Johnson hasn't closed Popes.

He hasn't closed hotels, restaurants, different things.

Well, what about leadership?

Did you close your restaurant last week or two weeks ago on the back?

When you see it, you don't know making your own decision and do not know, Listen to me way have clothed me.

We have closed.

We are close now.

It is not a strong now down to get a message from someone else or football, because that's what you criticize an apprentice for way.

Essentially, we are closing.

And the fact of the matter is that essentially you make decisions that, you know, we were putting a 1,000,000 people in stadiums over a weekend with the Premier League brand on.

That is ultimately what the Premier Li were doing that weekend.

Except that you know, we as a hotel's a CZ sulfur city haven't trained for a week and two affair.

We'd written a letter to the way they agreed this morning, the working the train next week.

Before that.

Could you stop Salford's game that weekend without the e f l or certainly the old saying you're allowed to?

Could you not have just said.

OK, we're not late.

I'm bound by confidentiality in some ways.

But I did write to the F l, urging them to cancel football fixtures that weekend before they made the decision.

So essentially, you know, I was also to fair publicly on Twitter to three days before the penalty said they would continue, saying.

I thought the Premier League NFL needs to act, so I don't think you have a lot on their shoulders are after the sort of events.

I just feel the Premier League has asked to be the highest standard of flag bearing of decision making in this country.

I have more faith in the Premier League football because I know football generally is full of good people, that of people that have generally believe that because I've been in it for such a long time with government.

There are economic decision made decisions that essentially they got lots of consider conception can't stay close this close that accept these things a difficult decision.

But you want consistency in decisive leadership in these moments.

I do believe now to be fair government on dhe the Premier League, more importantly, which is more interested in making very decisive decisions that making the right calls, that they're telling everybody early, canceling games early, that keeping players away from training grounds early.

So I feel more comforted now that essentially that being more definite, important health first rather than economic reason first.