Mowbray on lack of mandatory testing & impact of no crowds

The third round Carabao Cup ties have thrown up positive tests at West Ham and Leyton Orient - whose opponents Spurs were given a bye - while their League Two fixture at Walsall today has been postponed.

Championship players and staff were tested twice weekly during project re-start, with results published weekly by the EFL, but the attached cost, which ran in to six figures, has seen that cut back for the 2020/21 season.

The Rovers players were tested upon their return to pre-season training, prior to the Doncaster fixture on August 29 and then again two days before the opening game of the season against Bournemouth.

That is the last time the players, and staff, were tested, though all club employees are required to fill in a medical questionnaire upon their arrival at Brockhall every day.

Testing will now only take place if there are particular concerns, or someone is displaying symptoms, though rounds are scheduled to take place after both the upcoming international breaks.

Asked if he had any concerns about the current protocols, the Rovers boss said: “We’re all governed by it. I had no problems with the two tests a week that felt like it went on for months.

“Yet there was a big cost attached to that and at this current time, with no supporters coming into the stadium, I can fully understand the cutting back of the testing programme for EFL clubs because of the pretty substantial cost attached to maintaining that.

“It leaves you a bit more vulnerable of course, but for all we know we could have someone with Covid in the building and that might be spreading, whereas when we were getting tested twice a week everyone felt safe and in a sanitised, protected area.

“That’s not always the case now but there’s symptomatic testing every day, we fill in forms, we have temperature checks and if that’s the guide we’re doing at the moment, for the football world, not just us, to protect on the costs then so be it.”

Clubs agreed a repayment plan with the EFL, who covered last season’s twice-weekly testing, as finances continued to be stretched as games continuing to be played behind closed doors.

There was a hope that a phased return of supporters would begin from October 1, something clubs had budgeted for, but it appears much of the remainder of this campaign will be played behind closed doors.

“I feel it’s a big blow to our club, and lots of clubs. To clubs in League One or League Two it could be a death knell for them,” he added. “For our club it’s an extra hardship, the CEO has got some huge decisions to make.“It’s a huge disappointment because I think we were all planning and preparing for the fans coming back and to have that taken away is a big disappointment.”

Eight EFL matches were played infront of fans last weekend as part of the pilot scheme that was supposed to be the first stage of fans returning to matches.

Rovers were knocked back in their application to be included, having not had fans inside Ewood since the 2-2 draw with Swansea City on February 29.

They head to one of the Championship’s biggest grounds tomorrow afternoon, Pride Park, but will be getting changed in a concourse area, a sign of the times according to Mowbray.

“I think we’d all got a mindset that fans would be trickling back from October 1 and we’d be getting back to some sort of normality,” he explained.

“I’ve seen the arrangements for Derby and we will use a concourse area at the back of the stand where the fans would normally be buying their drinks, and we’ll be getting changed on chairs.

“It’s not football, it doesn’t feel like football, climbing over the advertising hoardings to get on the pitch, it’s not ideal, but we all get judged on the results and the performance.

“We have to get on with it as the professionals trying to do the job on the grass but I do feel for the supporters who will be missing going to the game with their mates, cheering the team, or criticising the team, whatever it might be. I’ve no idea now when that’s going to happen.”