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BIRMINGHAM. — There are so many proposals — and counter-proposals — on the table for the completion of the Premier League season it’s a wonder that table hasn’t buckled under the weight.

Neutral venues, voiding the campaign, waiting however long it takes to play to a natural conclusion, all of these plans just sum up how suboptimal the current environment is.

But, it appears, whatever decision might eventually be taken, it could spell doom for Marvelous Nakamba and his Aston Villa teammates with relegation from the Premiership now looming large.

There are also challenges, in the event they slip into the Championship.

One of the suggestions is for the final Premier League standings to be decided on a points-per-game basis, that would mean averaging out how many points Villa have accrued over their 28 games — and extrapolating over the course of the rest of the season.

The calculation would include a weighting for how many games Villa have already played away and at home — six of their final ten matches were due to be at Villa Park. Be warned, it doesn’t make happy reading.

The table below shows that Villa would still finish in their current position — second from bottom — and therefore be relegated back to the Championship.

That is an outcome that would be devastating for the club, with Christian Purslow revealing earlier this week it would leave a financial black hole.

“When you say to a club at the bottom ‘Look we want you to agree to a bunch of rule changes that may make it more likely that you get relegated’, they are not thinking about TV money. “They are thinking about ‘My goodness am I going to agree to something that results in me being relegated and losing £200m”.

“There are no rights and wrongs here every club has to protect its own financial position and the positions are wildly different from the top to the bottom in our league. Hence the need to find something that works for everybody.”

PPG clearly wouldn’t work for Villa but The Athletic reports that full tables calculated using this method have already been submitted to the EFL board ahead of a key vote next week — with growing support.

It would see promotion for Swindon Town, Crewe Alexandra, Plymouth Argyle and Cheltenham Town from League Two, while Stevenage would be relegated into the National League.

In League One, Coventry City would be crowned champions and Rotherham and Oxford United would be promoted to join Stoke City — permitting they stay in the Championship themselves — in 2020/21.

Tranmere Rovers, Southend United and Bolton Wanderers would be relegated.

And, it’s not looking good in the Championship, either, should Villa drop into that league.

English Football League chairman, Rick Parry, wants to abolish parachute payments in a move which could have grave implications for Villa.

Rick Parry

The football world is currently in turmoil due to the coronavirus pandemic and The FA, Premier League and EFL are desperate to resume the season next month.

Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but Parry is calling for changes in the way the Premier League’s money is distributed across the EFL.

Parachute payments were introduced to support the three teams relegated from the Premier League and ensure they can continue to fund their wage bills despite the significant drop in revenue.

The payments last for three seasons after relegation and allowed Villa to operate with a significantly higher wage bill than the majority of their rivals during their recent stint in the Championship.

However, Parry says it gives teams an unfair advantage and wants to bring about changes once the pandemic is over.

With Villa among the contenders to return to the Championship, such a move would have a huge effect on the club’s dealings.

“I do think we need a complete reset and we do need to look at the redistribution of the revenues,” Parry told MPs earlier this week. “I touched on parachute payments which I think are an evil that need to be eradicated.

“We have six clubs in the Championship in receipt of parachute payments, giving them an average of £40million per club. The other 18 clubs get £4.5million each so they are then struggling to try to keep up.

“And, lower down, the solidarity money is welcome but it becomes very small. I do think there’s a need for a reset. I wouldn’t call it a bailout, I’d call it a restructuring and a re-thinking. For me it’s overdue and it’s necessary.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has addressed arguments against finishing the Premier League season at neutral venues.

Writing in his column for The Telegraph, the former England centre back addressed comments made by the likes of Villa and Brighton opposing completing the campaign at eight-ten selected grounds.

“What is certain is the way to avoid perilous situations and ensure the final games do not matter is to perform better earlier in the season,” Carragher writes.

“That is why I do not accept the claim it undermines the integrity of the league to complete this season at neutral venues.

“The two clubs making the biggest noise on this issue, Brighton and Aston Villa, have very similar fixtures remaining.

“Both face five of the top eight at ‘home’, with Villa having an extra game.

“That is a tough schedule, but it means they enjoyed home advantage against their relegation rivals earlier in the season, in front of a full crowd.

“The relegation candidates that have already played and lost at Villa and Brighton have as much cause to curse their luck at missing the chance to play those critical games in neutral territory.

“For Brighton, a tough ‘away’ game at relegation rivals Norwich would now be on neutral ground, and likewise for Aston Villa with a potentially defining game ‘at’ West Ham. There are as many gains as losses in the spirit of compromise.” — Birmingham Live.