Never mind playing in empty stadiums, we won’t play again for months.

At this time I can't see the Olympics going on and if it does it will be greatly affected in attendance by both supporters and possibly some athletes via their governments.

Everything we know about covid19 tells us there will be others in the group who will test positive so it will be a rolling programme of 14 day isolation periods. Effectively, the team, the squad, the management, the staff - the entire Arsenal Football Club - are (or should be) in lockdown with immediate effect until at lest 14 days after the last sufferer has been given the all clear. And there will be other positives at other clubs.

Try organising a football season under those constraints.

Spot on with both your posts. I think the real and hidden numbers are a mile apart. Can a normal person even get a test? In Australia we have missed the boat and will only test people who have been in contact with a person with it or have been overseas. Absolutely stupid. I doubt we have the leaders for this. Many sports should be cancelled or without spectators immediately. Instead we have leaders who are weak.

With Arteta being diagnosed as positive I presume the entire squad will have to self isolate. The Brighton game this weekend will be postponed and surely the Sheffield United cup tie as well, as the 22nd March is only ten days away. When will Arsenal next be allowed to play with the head coach having it? I hope this season is called off before Liverpool are mathematically certain of winning the league.

I don’t like members being banned, but I do agree American has gone too far with his post about Mustafi and Xhaka. The term ‘bad taste’ doesn’t even come close, and his personal message to you says it all. He is a troll himself who stays to stop members enjoying the forum. He’s succeeded too, as I know two people who have stopped participating here to avoid him, and I bet there are others who I don’t know outside the forum.

AG is slowly but surely killing the forum, and my guess is that’s his intention. I would thus understand it if Warrior chose to ban him and even though I don’t like people being banned, I’m going to be hypocritical and say I’d support such a decision.

As I say Bern, it’s almost certain there will be more positives in such a tightly knit group of people who effectively all live, work and travel in the same space. Some will have been infected 14 days ago and others won’t yet have it - but sure as eggs is eggs, more will get it. That means at least 4 weeks and in all likelihood, much longer.

The bigger picture is a lot scarier though. The suggestion seems to be that whilst sufferers may be technically clear of symptoms and no longer infectious 14 days after contracting the virus, they are not recovered. It seems to take some people from 4 to 6 weeks to feel recovered - and they’re normal people, not highly tuned athletes for whom a runny poo will stop them playing. This is primarily a virus that attacks the respiratory system. People contract pneumonia, though mercifully, not everyone. But if an athlete’s lungs are shredded, how long will it take him to be able to reach the peak of physical condition required to play at the very highest level?

Short answer is that nobody knows but I’d bet it will be more that 4 to 6 weeks. If as seems likely, some of our players contract this virus, you’d fear for their careers.

AG’s thoughts on Mustafi and Xhaka are insensitive, to say the least.

I never really read AG’s post on football but I do find his stuff on American politics to be interesting.

Shot across the bows but please don’t ban.

Brighton game off.

Sadly, I think that’s it for the EPL this season.

Emergency meeting of Premier League tomorrow - that’s Friday. Still Thursday here.

Sorry DHD but a few posts here and there on American politics aren’t enough in my view to not ban him. His PM to Greeny indicates he’s trying to kill the forum, and slowly but surely I think he’s succeeding. People have been banned for less than AG is doing, in my view.

Brighton game is off? Not a surprise given the present circumstances. If the situation doesn't stabilize and ease up, will the rest of the season be null and void?
Wouldn't want to be a Liverpool fan if that happens. But there are things bigger than football.

It’s not just who’ll be champions. Who goes down in an incomplete season? Who come up?

Whatever happens, any records of the 2019-2020 season will have an asterisk.

A few on here up late. Not surprised given that Arteta has contracted COVID-19. No game Saturday. Most likely many more will be stopped as it is. Can only wish MA a full recovery. As well as all players who have self-imposed isolation, and those who have escaped this virus. Emirates should be closed completely.

if the season is made null and void, there will be no winners but in the larger context of what is happening, its a tough pill to swallow but under the circumstances what can you do?

Perhaps the same clubs play next season in a shortened season picking up where we left off. This of course doesn't do the Championship any good, 3 clubs will lose out. Perhaps financial compensation?

Everyone loses.

Just landed in Dubai yesterday and I've been told I have to 'self quarantine' in the hotel for 14 days. New rule. No one is watching me come and go, it's on my word so far.

AG, you are directly equating Chinese = Virus Carrier. That is a view which is too simplistic. Based on your theory, and with reference to Iran and Italy, some Chinese would have caused their numbers to balloon. Read the news closely, understand where the cluster started at. Usually from places with mass gathering, especially places of worship (unfortunately).

This is sick

I’ve taken Private Eye for generations, Bern. Bad taste and outrage are a given. Over the years, I have vehemently disagreed with much that they’ve published, but I have never un-subscribed.

The FA are usually not a favourite of mine but let me congratulate them on the decision not to play the Man City game. It was the correct decision in hindsight. If it prevents even the potential of players from another team being compromised it was a good decision.

Estimated that 1/4 Australians will get it. Everything will simply come to a halt. I would think the UK would expect the same if not worse. A wish for all those on the forum - may you and your loved ones survive these tough times.

France 24 reports:
Chelsea's players and coaching staff were ordered into isolation as Callum Hudson-Odoi became the first Premier League player confirmed to have the new coronavirus late on Thursday.

It really is now becoming real to many people.

Don’t ban AG. He may annoy some of you but just ignore if that’s the case. There have been far worse individuals on here than AG over the years.

Don’t think you should ban him but my word he posts some bollocks. What’s the point of the forum if you can’t see others posts because you have blocked them.

I read his posts and don’t think he’s a well person.

On Arteta testing positive I just think the government and premier league are living in cloud cuckoo land. Even Jeremy Hunt says he is concerned about this approach. All sporting events are going to get shut down the government doesn’t have the bollocks to make the decision

I saw someone asking a questioning on twitter about what happens to players contracts from July 1 if the season gets cancelled. I mean ffs who cares, really who gives a *%^@ about some millionaires next pay check.

The only thing the government cares about is trying to limit the amount of time the self isolation occupies for the economy as the associated cost of shutting down is a lot. The deaths aren’t a consideration at all just the money. If you put people like this is charge of a country you will see the consequences. The irony of Boris press conference wasn’t lost on me yesterday, standing there flanked by 2 experts he completely delegated responsibility too to explain the decision making process.

Coronavirus is just a needless distraction, we’re all *%^@** anyway

Angela Merkel is quoted as saying that the expectation is for around 80% of Germans to get the virus.

Hello Greeny

Exactly - American spends a good amount of his time on here 'trolling' which is ironic to say the least given his regular bleating about being a 'victim' himself. And yes, his post on Xhaka and Mustafi was the kind of thing you expect on the wild west of Twitter rather than on here.

However, I will not be leaving the forum because of this idiot.

I see Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea has now tested positive. Agree with other posters that drastic action now needs to be taken similar to that in China, although it may well be too late, as it's been estimated that here in the UK 10,000 may be infected despite only a few hundred being confirmed.

Stay safe everybody.

Absolutely impossible for health authorities to deal with those numbers. Would not like to be in a position where you have to chose which person more deserves a hospital bed.

All Champions league and Europa league ties next week now off.
Everton and Watford squads self isolating.
Premier league chief execs currently in conference.

There has never been transparency out of China. All their economic numbers are what they say it is and you have to do some forensic accounting to get an idea of what the true numbers are as they keep 2 sets of books.
The same I believe about their reports on the numbers affected and died. It's much, much worse than whatever stats they give.

Their ambassador, I think, tried to deflect blame to the U.S. military. Saying anything to maintain the veneer of power.

I'd rather err on the side of caution. No one in the media is talking about the fear or possibility of martial law and other violations of civil and private rights if it gets bad enough. You do what you can to stop the spread but you MUST balance it with as much adherence to personal freedoms. This is just the type of event why you vote carefully. God forbid you get someone like Trump who's ONLY concern is re-election literally no matter the cost.

The English Football League is suspending all fixtures until April 3.

Edit: all professional football in England suspended until April 3 at the earliest.

With the European Nation’s Cup (ENC) this summer, it doesn’t leave long to complete all league fixtures. If there’s another suspension beyond 3rd April it’ll make the fixture list round the Christmas and Boxing Day period look like a picnic. Unless the ENC is suspended as well.

We are weeks away from the peak of this outbreak and months away from the all-clear. This season is over. Euros, Olympics and Test Cricket are highly unlikely to happen.

Smell the coffee, people.

I agree - This is really major. I don't believe there will ever really be an all-clear for quite some time tbh.

Definitely a tough decision

American Gooner, Exiled, Bubblechris

One gets a hospital bed, one gets the hallway and the remaining one has to be let go.

Your decision, You pick ?

Anywhere where you are not suits me down to the ground.........................

As far as I am concerned the sooner we all get it the better. Instead of wrecking the world let it spread naturally and it will soon pass.

ALTERNATIVELY AS THE REMAINERS OF THIS WORLD THINK WE ARE DOOMED ANYWAY HOW ABOUT THEY VOLUNTEER TO BE TEST DUMMIES

Bournemouth latest club to confirm they are self-isolating

Bournemouth have confirmed that five of its employees are currently self-isolating, having displayed symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

Er..ah..thanks? I think? haha....common sense would dictate just ignore.
PS: It has nothing to do with my posts, just being here is a trigger for some. It's far more personal to them. The fact I won't read the insults is a further trigger. Most have been trolling literally for several years! We are entering 'see a therapist' territory when it becomes that bad.

No worries.

Looking back while I was in LA over the holidays I had what I now think were the symptoms according to the data but it could just have been the common cold or flu and I'm being an hypochondriac.

Dry cough being the one thing that makes go hmmmm? It was persistent and no matter what I did it wouldn't go away, including my 'flu busting' remedy of ginger, lemon and honey tea.

All other economic crashes in modern history was always due to either 1. some bubble or another popping such as housing bubble, currency devaluation, etc. or 2. war

This is a totally different animal. This has the potential to change how we engage our neighbors socio-culturally.
If you are on a bus or train and have the flu or a cold and are sneezing, will the people force you off the transport. This could happen in areas that eventually get hit hard enough. If you are in the cinema and sneeze or cough persistently, will you be asked (more like told) to leave? If you are in a cab or uber and cough persistently? Churches, synagogues, mosques? How will they deal with it? These days places of worship are elderly weighted.

All public spaces become a 'war zone' of sorts. How do they sort out prisons? In America we have the biggest population in the world (China has yet to surpass us there. ). The interaction between new prison arrivals, and paroled inmates, interaction with correctional officers who cavity search prisoners routinely.

Dating? Tinder, bumble, match.com how does this affect romantic pursuits? How will it mutate? Other demographic niches may now be get more cases and deaths.

We have all seen tons of movies about things like this but obviously in a far, far worse situation in cinema. Not to sound alarmist but one can't help thinking of those movies and the potential fall out. The economic fall out is bad enough, but like all financial crashes before, you know eventually it will come to pass. This new health component exasperates a come back.

Strange times indeed.

Out of the mates i’ve got who use Tinder right now I’d venture to suggest all of them seem little concerned about catching diseases at the best of times

As for the rest of the post you raised some interesting points and it’s definitely one to file in the “maybe he’s not a complete nutter” column