Doncaster Rovers in hibernation as football drifts further away: Liam Hoden column

But, one week on, the normal business of football feels even further away - and that is without descending into pessimism.

Last week’s move by Doncaster Rovers to furlough Darren Moore and talent identification manager Adam Henshall - joining other staff and the playing squad - felt like a major indicator of just how far we are from getting back up and running.

It was a declaration that football has halted entirely at the club. Until further notice there will be no active planning for Moore’s squad or what that group may look like in the future.

Rovers are effectively in hibernation, waiting for the nod from the EFL that work can begin again.

The last information provided from the organising body was that players should not return to training before May 16, while there were tentative suggestions that action could resume in early June.

The EFL is in the unenviable position of needing to navigate through a sea of question marks, with no ideas of when plans can be implemented or the timeframe in which they can be carried out.

The major problem is - and this applies beyond football too - it does not matter what plans are drawn up, until the coronavirus situation improves significantly, nothing will come close to getting back to normal.

We can glance enviously across Europe to Germany, and the plans being made there for a resumption of the game. We can consider how we might follow their lead.

But in the battle against Covid-19 we are a million miles behind the Germans - and therefore equally as far back when it comes to football.

And so we are left floating in the ocean of uncertainty, where reports of what may happen all come with big ‘ifs’ and very few definites, barring that the situation is hardly improving.

It is tough to get your head around, except the fact football is not coming back any time soon.