I actually prefer the way they do it in the conference, where the highest placed team goes straight to the final. You could then technically cut the play off spots down to 3 teams.
The highest team in the national League doesn't go straight to the final. 4th to 7th play each other with the winners playing 2nd and 3rd in the semi.
Its wrong that there's no reward for finishing higher up the table. It should be something like: 5th v 6th. 4th plays winner, at home. 3rd plays winner of that game at Wembley. All one leg.
Yeah that would work as well. It also gives that extra incentive for the teams in the play offs to still have something to play for / not rest players if the higher spots are up for grabs.
Should be one leg semis, with the highest place team being at home. Could also have something like in Rugby League, where the top placed teams get a life, or have to win one less match to get to the final.
Only issue with that solution is that, potentially, the team in 3rd will go weeks with no game, waiting to find out who they will face. And go off the boil in the meantime.
What I don't understand, is how being at home for the 2nd leg is considered an advantage. I would have thought in many cases, that puts you behind on aggregate after the 1st leg, with all the work to do to turn it round? Personally I would definitely prefer the home leg first, to get us off to the strongest possible start.
I think the idea is that you know what you need to do in your home leg and if the game goes to ET or penalties you're getting that situation in your own stadium.
I think it should be the top three, having proved by the number of points achieved that they are the best teams in the division should be promoted.
Or third top in league one plays third bottom in Championship in a winner takes all knockout playoff.
Of course its an advantage being at home second leg…..not guaranteed to win but having home fans backing is massive in last leg….crowd momentum and all that
Nah, it's never going back to that. The play offs are good for the game. They may be unfair but that's how it rolls. Everybody knows the score at the start of the season. When it was top 3 up, before play offs were introduced, teams from 6th downwards often had virtually nothing to play for by March. Look at L1 this season - the third placed team (Wednesday) has 90 points. The team in 5th (Bolton) has 75. It would have been clear weeks ago that Bolton and everyone below them had no chance of top 3. End of season for everyone. That's why they were introduced.
I am cynical... The idea there though is to try and make sure that two out of Leeds, Saints, Wigan gets to the final... how bad would it be if those who just make the league up got there.
I'd go a step further and promote and relegate more teams to add more variety and teams more chance of the big time. Top 3 up from Championship and Play-Off winner. 4 down from Premier League. That would give the likes of Southampton, Crystal Palace and Everton kick up arse they need to not be perennial strugglers pinching a living.
You’re absolutely right. I know it’s never going back to how it was, it makes waaaay too much money! Which is the only reason the play offs exist. It makes a mockery of the idea of having a league system in the first place. IMO the team that comes sixth has absolutely no rights to be promoted in place of the third placed team.
Especially giving the away team 5-6k tickets so by enlarge we actually lose the home advantage. Our greed as a club wanting as much away fans coin as poss in our pocket works against us on way too many occasions
We had a thread last night criticising Blackburn for limiting Burnley's allocation and you're suggesting we should follow suit. It can't have escaped your attention that we're in League 1 and finances are tight. If Ipswich and Wednesday both go up we're likely to be missing out on two big pay days. Just under 5k fans at £20 per head on average, plus beer and food sales equates to over £100k in the club's bank. I'd rather have more big away followings at Oakwell, especially if they help generate some atmosphere.
Wrong. Edit Matoakwell saved me the trouble of explaining. Play offs are one of the best things to keep the season alive for clubs and fans alike. Far longer than prior. Bigger end of season attendances. Etc..
I went to The Southern League Division 1 Central Play off Semi-Final last Night. Didcot Town beat Walthamstow 3-1. In the other Semi-Final Ware Beat Biggleswade 4-1 at Biggleswade. The final is at Didcot next Monday. Only 2 are promoted to the Premier Division. The winners go up automatically 2nd - 5th qualify for the play offs - 2nd have a home tie against 5th, 3rd playat home against 4th. The highest placed team qualifying for the final gets the home tie in the final. All 3 games are one leg. Thus Didcot Town play Ware at Didcot on Monday 1st May. CORY
I never liked the idea of the team from the league above, being involved in the Play offs. Surely the aim of the Play offs is to win promotion and the trophy at Wembley, rather than just staying up. Remember Chelsea were the first team to be relegated this way, from the top division.
