Play-Offs

[Billy Mays]

Not sure if this has been talked about before on here but does anyone agree there should be an overhaul of the play-offs with a greater advantage given to the team that finishes third? I would advocate something like the third place team gets a bye to the final with 5th and 6th playing off for a one-legged semi away to 4th.

Might be asking a lot of the team in 6th to win back to back away games to get to Wembley but at the moment I don't think a second leg semi at home is a big enough reward for potentially finishing 10 points above 6th.

Good idea or am I talking wibble?

 

[sten_super]

Not sure if this has been talked about before on here but does anyone agree there should be an overhaul of the play-offs with a greater advantage given to the team that finishes third? I would advocate something like the third place team gets a bye to the final with 5th and 6th playing off for a one-legged semi away to 4th.

Might be asking a lot of the team in 6th to win back to back away games to get to Wembley but at the moment I don't think a second leg semi at home is a big enough reward for potentially finishing 10 points above 6th.

Good idea or am I talking wibble?

The Rugby Union Premiership did something similar for a while (I'm not sure if they still do). However for at least a couple of years it seemed to give a massive advantage to the teams finishing 5th/6th (in your example) as they were on form and playing well, whereas the teams finishing 4th (and particularly 3rd) went a while without playing a game and were then caught cold.

 

[strings]

I love the fact that the team in 6th place can win the playoffs. West Ham went up to the Premier League as a 6th Place team, and they haven't given too bad an account of themselves.

I understand what you are saying and the logic for it, but in my opinion, the third place team already has that advantage of playing the 6th place team.

 

[Notters]

I still think the playoffs should consist of teams from the division above and the division below, it makes no sense otherwise.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I like the idea of having the play offs down to 8th, if they can work out a way to have 6 teams in it. keeps the season alive for longer.

 

[sten_super]

I still think the playoffs should consist of teams from the division above and the division below, it makes no sense otherwise.

How would that work though? Presumably you would still have some (say, 2) automatic promotion/relegation places. The obvious playoff is then 3rd vs 22nd; however one of the key purposes of the play offs is to keep teams interested in the latter weeks of the season by offering a chance of promotion for teams further down the league. How would that work if it was a straight promotion/relegation playoff?

 

[bhaexpress]

I'd like to see a return to the time when the club that finished just about the relegation zone had to play the team that finished just below the promotion zone of the division below.

Would have been hilarious to see Millwall playing Palace last season.

 

[Simster]

I like the old 5 team superleague model, so it would be something like this:

1st and 2nd placed teams promoted

Wednesday
Elimination Final: 6th vs 7th (at home ground of 6th)
Qualification Final: 4th vs 5th (at home ground of 4th)
[Bye: 3rd placed team]

Saturday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Minor Semi Final: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Final
Major Semi Final: 3rd placed team vs Winners of Qualification Final

Wednesday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Preliminary Final: Winners of Minor Semi Final vs Losers of Major Semi Final
[Bye: Winners of Major Semi Final]

10 days later:
Play off Final: Winners of Major Semi Final vs Winners of Preliminary Final

 

[Notters]

How would that work though? Presumably you would still have some (say, 2) automatic promotion/relegation places. The obvious playoff is then 3rd vs 22nd; however one of the key purposes of the play offs is to keep teams interested in the latter weeks of the season by offering a chance of promotion for teams further down the league. How would that work if it was a straight promotion/relegation playoff?

Championship
-----------
21st vs 4th
22nd vs 3rd
-----------
23rd Automatic Relegation
24th Automatic Relegation

League 1

1st Automatic Promotion
2nd Automatic Promotion
-----------
3rd vs 22nd
4th vs 21st



I believe it used to be done like this?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I like the old 5 team superleague model, so it would be something like this:

1st and 2nd placed teams promoted

Wednesday
Elimination Final: 6th vs 7th (at home ground of 6th)
Qualification Final: 4th vs 5th (at home ground of 4th)
[Bye: 3rd placed team]

Saturday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Minor Semi Final: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Final
Major Semi Final: 3rd placed team vs Winners of Qualification Final

Wednesday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Preliminary Final: Winners of Minor Semi Final vs Losers of Major Semi Final
[Bye: Winners of Major Semi Final]

10 days later:
Play off Final: Winners of Major Semi Final vs Winners of Preliminary Final

How did the old Australian League do the play offs? it was something along those lines, it was pretty entertaining

 

[captainmorganrum]

I like the old 5 team superleague model, so it would be something like this:

1st and 2nd placed teams promoted

Wednesday
Elimination Final: 6th vs 7th (at home ground of 6th)
Qualification Final: 4th vs 5th (at home ground of 4th)
[Bye: 3rd placed team]

Saturday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Minor Semi Final: Winners of Elimination Final vs Losers of Qualification Final
Major Semi Final: 3rd placed team vs Winners of Qualification Final

Wednesday (home advantage to highest finishing team)
Preliminary Final: Winners of Minor Semi Final vs Losers of Major Semi Final
[Bye: Winners of Major Semi Final]

10 days later:
Play off Final: Winners of Major Semi Final vs Winners of Preliminary Final

My head hurts!

 

[Easy 10]

I'd like to see a return to the time when the club that finished just about the relegation zone had to play the team that finished just below the promotion zone of the division below.

Would have been hilarious to see Millwall playing Palace last season.

The very first season of the Playoffs they had the team finishing 1 place above automatic relegation playing off against a team from the division below. I seem to recall Chelsea (then as the top flight team trying to stay up) meeting Middlesbrough in a Playoff semi and losing over two legs, and it all kicked off BIG time at the Bridge as a result.

They scrapped relegation playoffs after that, the stakes are probably that bit too high I suppose.

 

[Thimble Keegan]

Championship
-----------
21st vs 4th
22nd vs 3rd
-----------
23rd Automatic Relegation
24th Automatic Relegation

League 1

1st Automatic Promotion
2nd Automatic Promotion
-----------
3rd vs 22nd
4th vs 21st



I believe it used to be done like this?

From my memory only 1 team from the division above entered into the play-offs...So the bottom 2 went down automatically and then the team finishing 3rd from bottom joined 3rd, 4th & 5th from the division below (obviously a little different for the lower leagues with 4 up and down between them).

The team from the higher division would play the team finishing in the last play-off place in the lower division in their 2-legged semi-final.

Albion & England forever.

Thimble Keegan
Littlehampton BHA

 

[withdeanwombat]

Championship
-----------
21st vs 4th
22nd vs 3rd
-----------
23rd Automatic Relegation
24th Automatic Relegation

League 1

1st Automatic Promotion
2nd Automatic Promotion
-----------
3rd vs 22nd
4th vs 21st



I believe it used to be done like this?

I'd prefer this one.In fact,I'd favour three up,three down without play offs.Don't see why the team that comes third after a full and fair season should lose out.Yes,yes,everybody knows the system,and it prolongs the season and makes for less dead rubbers at the end of the season but there seems to be an inherent unfairness to it.

Let the season sort it out.

 

[Mackenzie]

I'm quite happy with how it is now. Perhaps the 3rd and 4th position teams could choose if they wanted home advantage in the first or second leg.