[Football] Union Saint-Gilloise

[murciagull]

Any idea what's happening following their last match?
The RUSG website shows match abandoned, the league table shows them as having played only 33 games one less then everyone else, except Beerscolt.

 

[albionalex]

Any idea what's happening following their last match?
The RUSG website shows match abandoned, the league table shows them as having played only 33 games one less then everyone else, except Beerscolt.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/spo...ent-fans-brawl-belgium-abandonment-beerschot/

 

[Driver8]

USG awarded 5-0 victory in final game.

https://rusg.brussels/article/lunion-lemporte-sur-tapis-vert-face-au-beerschot

 

[Pavilionaire]

USG awarded 5-0 victory in final game.

https://rusg.brussels/article/lunion-lemporte-sur-tapis-vert-face-au-beerschot

That extra 2 points gained for the win means Antwerp and Anderlecht are now 7 points behind USG in the play-off table, so draws are no good for them and they will have to go for it.

 

[Vicar!]

Has anyone been over to USG this season, who would like to be interviewed for a Belgian newspaper?
I have a friend who is a journalist who is pulling together a piece about the relationship between our clubs?

 

[Audax]

That extra 2 points gained for the win means Antwerp and Anderlecht are now 7 points behind USG in the play-off table, so draws are no good for them and they will have to go for it.

As I understand it, the playoffs table will start looking like this:

USG - 39*
Club Brugge - 36
Anderlect - 32
Antwerp - 32*

* = rounded up, so loses any tiebreak if they finish level on points.

They then play each other home & away, so 6 matches each. That's a potential 18 points on offer.

USG are already qualified for Europa Conference League due to being top at the end of the regular season.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

It's a league system which may be described as "overengineered"

 

[amexer]

All it does is give those in 2nd/3rd/4th place another chance to win the league Completely unfair on original winners

 

[Audax]

All it does is give those in 2nd/3rd/4th place another chance to win the league Completely unfair on original winners

What original winners? Topping the league doesn't make you a winner (other than a guaranteed Europe Conference League place) of anything. They all know the rules going into it, and they all seem to accept those rules. The rules apply to them all equally. So it passes the fairness test for me.

Is it a weird and unusual system? Sure, especially for those used to a system like the Premier league where it's a very simple "top of league at season end = winner" approach. But if you look at other sports:

IPL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
ARL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
NASCAR - if you want to win the series you must be in the top 16 with 10 races remaining. Then, you need to be top 12 with 7 to go, top 8 with 4 to go, and top 4 for the final race. It's weird, I don't understand all the ins-and-outs of how it works. But if (extreme example) the guy who is 17th with 10 races to go then wins all 10 of the final races and the drivers who were 16th or better all fail to finish those races ... they still can't win the title.

The Belgian football playoffs system isn't all that different from a quarter- / semi- / final system when you think about it. With baked in advantage for the team that did best in the regular season, and without the actual knock out side of things.

 

[nwgull]

What original winners? Topping the league doesn't make you a winner (other than a guaranteed Europe Conference League place) of anything. They all know the rules going into it, and they all seem to accept those rules. The rules apply to them all equally. So it passes the fairness test for me.

Is it a weird and unusual system? Sure, especially for those used to a system like the Premier league where it's a very simple "top of league at season end = winner" approach. But if you look at other sports:

IPL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
ARL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
NASCAR - if you want to win the series you must be in the top 16 with 10 races remaining. Then, you need to be top 12 with 7 to go, top 8 with 4 to go, and top 4 for the final race. It's weird, I don't understand all the ins-and-outs of how it works. But if (extreme example) the guy who is 17th with 10 races to go then wins all 10 of the final races and the drivers who were 16th or better all fail to finish those races ... they still can't win the title.

The Belgian football playoffs system isn't all that different from a quarter- / semi- / final system when you think about it. With baked in advantage for the team that did best in the regular season, and without the actual knock out side of things.

It’s certainly a better system than our play offs to decide who wins the 3rd promotion spot to the Premier League - the most valuable prize in world football - where a team can finish 15 points ahead of its semi final opponents but carry no advantage into that 2-legged tie.

Also, it’s not exactly that confusing, is it? Halve your points and then add points from an additional 6 games each. It’s Key Stage 2 level maths.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

What original winners? Topping the league doesn't make you a winner (other than a guaranteed Europe Conference League place) of anything. They all know the rules going into it, and they all seem to accept those rules. The rules apply to them all equally. So it passes the fairness test for me.

Is it a weird and unusual system? Sure, especially for those used to a system like the Premier league where it's a very simple "top of league at season end = winner" approach. But if you look at other sports:

IPL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
ARL - League position only gets you as far as the finals.
NASCAR - if you want to win the series you must be in the top 16 with 10 races remaining. Then, you need to be top 12 with 7 to go, top 8 with 4 to go, and top 4 for the final race. It's weird, I don't understand all the ins-and-outs of how it works. But if (extreme example) the guy who is 17th with 10 races to go then wins all 10 of the final races and the drivers who were 16th or better all fail to finish those races ... they still can't win the title.

The Belgian football playoffs system isn't all that different from a quarter- / semi- / final system when you think about it. With baked in advantage for the team that did best in the regular season, and without the actual knock out side of things.

Rugby Union have a similar system domestically.

In all examples it cheapens the sporting integrity of the product for a chance to make a few quid (IMO). Amazed the PL haven't tried it.

 

[strings]

Rugby Union have a similar system domestically.

In all examples it cheapens the sporting integrity of the product for a chance to make a few quid (IMO). Amazed the PL haven't tried it.

Generally I agree, however I would argue it makes it fairer in Rugby Union, as the best players are lost to international fixtures for part of the season, which disproportionately affects the better teams. The Play-offs reduces the impact of the international absences.

 

[Swansman]

Rugby Union have a similar system domestically.

In all examples it cheapens the sporting integrity of the product for a chance to make a few quid (IMO). Amazed the PL haven't tried it.

Football tradition is that the team in top wins the league. Many smaller leagues such as the Danish and Swedish has tried it over the years because the playoff system has some advantages: plenty of leagues have two or three teams that are a lot better than the rest and having them go against it eachother for x games brings in money and it also makes teams play against good opponents more times which really helps when they are qualifying for continental cups.

It is rarely popular though and often gets scrapped after a few seasons. I think the general opinion in Belgium is still that the fans dont like the system but pretty much all of the clubs want it.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Football tradition is that the team in top wins the league. Many smaller leagues such as the Danish and Swedish has tried it over the years because the playoff system has some advantages: plenty of leagues have two or three teams that are a lot better than the rest and having them go against it eachother for x games brings in money and it also makes teams play against good opponents more times which really helps when they are qualifying for continental cups.

It is rarely popular though and often gets scrapped after a few seasons. I think the general opinion in Belgium is still that the fans dont like the system but pretty much all of the clubs want it.

And in any disagreement between sporting integrity and income the battle lines will be drawn thus.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Football tradition is that the team in top wins the league. Many smaller leagues such as the Danish and Swedish has tried it over the years because the playoff system has some advantages: plenty of leagues have two or three teams that are a lot better than the rest and having them go against it eachother for x games brings in money and it also makes teams play against good opponents more times which really helps when they are qualifying for continental cups.

It is rarely popular though and often gets scrapped after a few seasons. I think the general opinion in Belgium is still that the fans dont like the system but pretty much all of the clubs want it.

Oh yes, and I reckon that's because it's implicit in the word "league"

 

[Swansman]

Oh yes, and I reckon that's because it's implicit in the word "league"

Its not.

There is quite a few 100+ year old leagues in the US and they all have playoffs.

 

[Mortdecai]

 

[Slum_Wolf]

Club Brugge live on Mola now v Royal Antwerp. 1-0 Brugge with 25 to go.

 

[pornomagboy]

1 up after 2 mins

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[Bakero]

1 up after 2 mins

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2-0 after 12.