The Matt Scrafton column: Creed of greed at some clubs shows priorities are all wrong

There seems an air of inevitably about it and, bar the odd chairman complaining about missing out on promotion, I don’t see too many having any complaints.

Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has misread the public mood completely with some of his recent comments.

“Three points from second place, best goal difference in our league, nine games left, five at home (with one of the best home records in the league) and we play, I think, against seven of the bottom 11 clubs,” he moaned on Twitter.

“And the EFL and these owners think Peterborough will take these alleged decisions about to happen/get voted on – according to the press – lying down? Not a chance.

“Prepare for a legal battle of epic proportions – and that won’t just be from our club, trust me on that.”

Thousands upon thousands of people continue to die from this awful disease and yet the self-serving MacAnthony is only interested in gaining promotion for his club.

He’s only spitting his dummy out because the points-per-game average that is likely to be used to complete the league table won’t have Peterborough finishing in the promotion spots. Such a shame.

Threatening legal action during a time of national crisis is utterly shameful and history won’t judge him well.

You can bet your bottom dollar the Irishman’s view would be the polar opposite were Peterborough currently inside the top two and not sixth.

MacAnthony is just as bad as those owners and chairmen of the bottom six clubs in the Premier League who are brazenly calling for relegation to be scrapped this season. Their greed and opportunism knows no bounds.

If reports are to be believed, a key vote is to be held this week among the 23 clubs in League One and the 24 in League Two. The Championship, somewhat unsurprisingly, continues to go its own way.

It’s claimed the EFL has already canvassed opinion among clubs in its lower two divisions and has found an overwhelming desire to conclude the season now, with as few as three clubs in the third tier keen to complete the remaining schedule.

Bad luck, Posh.

Without money coming in from gate receipts, the majority of clubs simply aren’t capable of finishing their games.

A recent study showed that it will cost clubs at least £700,000 to stage their remaining fixtures.

How is that supposed to be funded when those games will be played behind closed doors?

Were it to happen, it would only be a matter of weeks until clubs started going to the wall.

As for Blackpool, given their league position in mid-table, you’d imagine they will be voting in favour of ending the campaign now. Should PPG be applied, the Seasiders will finish 13th.

I have asked the club what their stance will be but I didn’t receive a response.

That’s not a huge surprise given their levels of communication during this lockdown have been virtually non-existent.

It seems the message from up high at the club has been to say absolutely nothing.

That’s their prerogative but where’s the transparency? Where’s the openness that was promised to supporters at the beginning of the new regime?

Have club staff been furloughed? Have players taken a pay cut?

What’s the club’s position on how the season should be finished?

We don’t know the answers to any of these questions. We’ve been left completely in the dark.

I’ve put these questions to the club on several occasions, yet to date I’ve received absolutely nothing back.

The club do, however, deserve enormous credit for the work they’ve been doing to engage with supporters, whether it be through the work of the brilliant Community Trust or the phone calls players have been making to supporters cooped up in isolation.

But it’s almost two months to the day since we’ve heard any official communication from the club, whether that be the head coach Neil Critchley, one of the players or those at the top of the club’s hierarchy.

I understand that sometimes it’s best not to say anything at all but I still think the club can do better.