Playoffs - I want to TINKER with them...

[Gritt23]

Tch, in the time I took to type that ........

 

[Spiros]

What about changing it so that the 6th placed team plays the 5th, then the winner of that plays the 4th placed team, then the winner of that plays the 3rd placed team. Sounds silly, but to me it gives a decent advantage to the higher teams by gradually removing the amount of one-off "pot-luck" matches they have to play.

I've always felt that this is fairer. The higher you finish the better your chance of winning the playoff

 

[Rookie]

3rd should play 3rd bottom of the league above in a winner takes all game, it would be immense

 

[magoo]

But they'd have had to have battled their way through tough away ties at teams who finished higher than them in the table, so to an extent, they've earned their shot in the Final after that, no ?

They have all the other games in the rest of the season to do that.

 

[The Large One]

Did you go to Cardiff ?

Good day out ?

Yep. Cost a packet.

And, delighted though I was that we got promotion, it still never felt right that we should usurp what should have been someone else's place.

I reckon 95% of football fans would vote not to scrap the play-offs if such a vote was ever offered, and with good reason. Firstly, for all your misty-eyed memories of 3rd place promotions, you are forgetting that for half the teams in the league, the season became pretty meaningless from February onwards before the play-offs arrived. This is not a good state of affairs for an industry in the entertainment business.
Secondly, everyone knows the score - if you finish 3rd, you go into the play-offs. But I think tinkering with the play-offs to partly redress the lack of advantage for higher placed teams is probably quite sensible.

Nothing misty-eyed about it - it's about what's fair and right.

 

[Mendoza]

I liked the play offs when it involved teams from the league above, think it was done in Scotland not so long ago.

There would be a play off zone, just above the relegation zone in the division above, and a play off zone just under the promotion zone in the division.

There would then be a play off between a team from Division 1 (almost relegated) against a team from division 2 (almost promoted).

A win for the team from the lower division would then relegate the opposition, as well as get yourself promoted. Proper GLORY

For example now, it could end up being Palace vs Peterborough

 

[Simster]

Nothing misty-eyed about it - it's about what's fair and right.

Meh. Everyone knows the rules at the start of the season.

Leeds played in front of 32,000 on Saturday, Forest had nearly 28,000 where both are fighting for 6th spot. Just those two games alone probably saw 10,000 extra punters through the turnstile because the play-offs are in place, never mind attendances elsewhere in the league and the increase in attendances throughout the second part of the season because you can be in 15th or 16th in February and promotion is still attainable.

 

[Notters]

The playoffs should involve teams from the division above, it's the only fair way.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

The play-offs are essential for the vialbility of the Football League clubs. They keep the season alive for half the division, who would otherwise coast from February onwards.

I do think they should do away with the two-leg semis though, and play one game at the home of the higher placed team.

If any of the anti-play off brigade want some AMMO for their side of the argument, BOGNOR lost their Rymans league play-off last night, to a team who finished the season THIRTY ONE POINTS below them

 

[Wozza]

If any of the anti-play off brigade want some AMMO for their side of the argument, BOGNOR lost their Rymans league play-off last night, to a team who finished the season THIRTY ONE POINTS below them

Super Dulwich Hamlet!

 

[Seagull on the wing]

With that system of including 7th place,would we know who made it before the friendlies for next season?

 

[Deleted User X18H]

The current system has been in place since, what, 1986 ? Time for a change I reckons. One of the bugbears is always the fact that a team finishing 6th can triumph over a team finishing in 3rd, and a chasm in points between the teams can make stuff-all difference - the one (small) advantage being that the higher placed team gets the 2nd leg of the semi at home. Sooooo, hows about this.

1. Top 2 go up as usual. But the team finishing 3rd in the League gets a BYE to the Playoff Final.

2. The teams that finished 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th play off against each other. They play a one off match at the home ground of the higher placed team in the League. So the fixtures would be:

4th v 7th
5th v 6th

3. The winners of these one-off ties then play each other in another one-off match, again at the home ground of the higher placed team, for the right to face that 3rd placed team in the Playoff Final.

Yes, ultimately you could now end up with a 7th placed team beating the team that finished 3rd, but at least all the way through, this method recognises and gives home advantage to the teams who have finished the season higher in the table than their Playoff opponents.

The 3rd placed team has had maybe a couple of weeks rest before playing the Final, again a nice advantage, but by keeping the games down to a single legged jobbie it means only 2 games are played by the others instead of 4, so its not excessively exhausting for them either.

It also extends the "excitement" of the season by making an additional Playoff spot available.

What says ye ?

The play -offs re-commenced in May 1987 after an 85 year break (Season 1986-87) Test matches as they were called then.

 

[Marshy]

Hands off Easy, its fine as it is man

 

[magoo]

Why do we care

 

[Easy 10]

Why do we care

Cos my way, 7th place gets us 3 games away from the PREMIER LEAGUE.

 

[MattBackHome]

Cos my way, 7th place gets us 3 games away from the PREMIER LEAGUE.

3 away games away from the Prem. Visits to (currently) Swansea, Reading then Cardiff? Actually that sounds easier than I thought it would. As you were...

 

[Muzzy]

The current system has been in place since, what, 1986 ? Time for a change I reckons. One of the bugbears is always the fact that a team finishing 6th can triumph over a team finishing in 3rd, and a chasm in points between the teams can make stuff-all difference - the one (small) advantage being that the higher placed team gets the 2nd leg of the semi at home. Sooooo, hows about this.

1. Top 2 go up as usual. But the team finishing 3rd in the League gets a BYE to the Playoff Final.

2. The teams that finished 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th play off against each other. They play a one off match at the home ground of the higher placed team in the League. So the fixtures would be:

4th v 7th
5th v 6th

3. The winners of these one-off ties then play each other in another one-off match, again at the home ground of the higher placed team, for the right to face that 3rd placed team in the Playoff Final.

Yes, ultimately you could now end up with a 7th placed team beating the team that finished 3rd, but at least all the way through, this method recognises and gives home advantage to the teams who have finished the season higher in the table than their Playoff opponents.

The 3rd placed team has had maybe a couple of weeks rest before playing the Final, again a nice advantage, but by keeping the games down to a single legged jobbie it means only 2 games are played by the others instead of 4, so its not excessively exhausting for them either.

It also extends the "excitement" of the season by making an additional Playoff spot available.

What says ye ?

Sounds like you are after a job at the FA to me...

I am not a fan of the play offs and never have been. If a team finish 3rd on merit then as far as i'm concerned they should go up! I am appreciative that this system create's more excitement for some towards the end of the season and means less dead rubber games, but it must be sickening for clubs and fans that you can be so far ahead of the 6th placed team over a season but still miss out, it's just not fair.

You only have to look at our last 3 games to see that form does not always last forever! I know that our season was over before the last 3 games but that doesn't mean that the results would have been different!

Therefore, if we have to have these play offs, then leave well alone imho.

 

[Surrey Phil]

Noooooooooo. First two up, then 6th play away at 5th; winners away to 4th; winners play 3rd in final. Home advantage is recognised - job done!!

 

[Perkino]

I think we should have an anti-playoff where the bottom 3 go down but the teams finishing 18th-21st play out a play-off competition where the loosing team goes down

 

[clapham_gull]

Where we really need a play off is for the extra Champions League places. Now that would really stir the Premiership up.

Totally disagree with returning the play off to the system where it included the team above. If you disagree with a team finishing 6th gaining promotion, can't see how you extend the chance of the price the a team finishing 3rd from bottom.