I know they're great drama and they keep the league open for much longer but I was just looking at the league table (I was missing my daily fix) and Watford finished 9 points clear of Leicester. Add 9 points to our total and we'd be in the top 10 despite . . . well, I don't need to remind anyone here how close we came to division 3. Is it time to call time on the play-offs and go back to promoting the top 3 teams over the course of the season?
No way, great source of entertainment. Just like last Saturday you get every single emotion in one game.
I enjoy watching them but do think it's wrong as if you finish first or second you rightly gain promotion on a seasons work but the play offs are a knock out situation.
No chance - I love them and they are here to stay. Of course there is an element of unfairness about them, but everyone knows the rules at the start. The Play off finals have produced some of the most enthralling games over the years, including both of ours.
But it's still hard work over a season to get in the top 6 out of 24, we've proved that well enough over the years. The play offs mean more teams have something to play for right to the end of the season and provide all that drama. I see your point but I think the positives overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives.
Gillingham 2-2 Man City Sunderland 4-4 Charlton Athletic Barnsley 2-2 Swansea City Ipswich 4-2 Barnsley(sorry) Birmingham City 0-4 Barnsley Huddersfield Town 1-3 Barnsley Watford 3-1 Leicester City There's a few reasons why they shouldn't be cancelled for pure entertainment and emotional reasons.
I see your point, but I think there's some teams who go out with the ambition of sneaking into the top 6.. I mean, look out Leicester.. how they managed to get into the play-offs this year.. I have no idea. Like others have said above, it's all about the entertainment.. 3rd being promoted would be very boring and you wouldn't see teams like Blackpool getting into the Prem!
Bang on. In a season where the top 3 are clear, there may be not much for any clubs in the top half to play off beyond Easter - that was one of the key reasons for their introduction I think. Now, teams right down to near mid table are in the mix right up to the last 2 or 3 games.
i think the play-offs are awesome. just 14 points separated relegation and play offs this year. every team know that a couple of results can put them right in the hunt, or right in the $hit. wouldn't want it any other way
Well, they certainly seem to be popular. I'm still in the undecided camp myself. I like the entertainment, the same as I enjoy IPL T20 "cricket", but to me it represents a similar devaluing of the real game. And let's not kid ourselves - they're about money, not entertainment. But I think if pushed then on balance I'd probably have to agree with [MENTION=6918]Knowlesy[/MENTION] - although possibly without the "overwhelmingly".
No. I've seen 3 or 4 fantastic games of football over the last 10 days. Bradford and Burton twice. Two brilliant games. Brentford and Swindon 2nd leg and Watford and Leicester today. Keeps the season alive for me. Don't forget. We achieved promotion through the play offs, we didn't finish third either. Each to their own. I prefer them.
More importantly, if we scrapped the play offs we wouldn't get to laugh at Sheffield United nearly every season they f*ck it up again in the most painful way.
I'll second that. Have some blunt fans in the family. Think they've left he country, or maybe in hiding. Definitely AWOL though since last week.
if there had been no playoffs, thee would have been no reason for palace to beat posh in the last game this season
I'd even suggest extending the principle to the 3rd relegation place if it weren't for the fact that we would have been in them for the last few years. How about 3rd bottom playing off against 3rd top from the division below?
The original idea was something like that. I believe the third from bottom team played in the league belows playoffs. If they won, they stayed in the division.
