The excitement of it is nothing compared to The Championship, and that's not just us it's the entire Premier League product,
Not a single moment in the entire Premier League this season could even remotely compare to the drama at Sunderland tonight,
Be honest with yourselves when did a Premier League game at Craven Cottage last compare to that night against Derby County in the play offs?
If we ever get relegated would it honestly be the end of the world?
For me personally it would mean attending more games.
Potentially having 3 playoff games, where 2 could be as dramatic, every other year (unless we aim to lose the final every year) would be a huge perk.
You could also get the same drama qualifying for Europe or by doing well in a cup. A lot harder to have last gasp deciders in a league format.
Championships a nightmare when your struggling at the bottom end but the best when your near the top
This mid table Prem thing does get rather dull
BUT
beating Liverpool Chelsea Spurs etc. felt fantastic
I seem to recall our promotion from the bottom tier under Mickey Adams was pretty exciting, but it is not an experience I would hurry to repeat.
Also, a return to the Championship does not necessarily mean we would be fighting for promotion. Look at Luton this season, or at us in 1968/9. Relegated from the top flight and slipping right through to a second successive relegation.
No, boring mid table obscurity with occasional victories over the Liverpools and Chelskis of the world is fine by me.
Never boring watching Fulham imo!
I think people have short memories to find the Prem boring - I suppose it was a bit boring to watch us getting beaten all the time back in the day, but now we're usually at least in with a chance at most games - hence our frustration at our recent drop off in results.
But there's always that jeopardy in the Prem - you're never too good to go down for most of the teams.
How would it be if we were doing badly in the Champ. for fans? And you can always drop again.
Well it's happened before to us, and we had good players then, too.
Love the Championship but in a different way to the Premier League. We can win the Championship but not the Premier, maybe that's the difference. But the other good thing about the Championship is no away fans in the home areas generally, and no var.
Quote from: SuffolkWhite on May 14, 2025, 07:35:14 AMLove the Championship but in a different way to the Premier League. We can win the Championship but not the Premier, maybe that's the difference. But the other good thing about the Championship is no away fans in the home areas generally, and no var.
No VAR has actually been a nightmare this season in the football leagues. Huge number of mistakes with offsides. VAR works, it's the operators of the system are not up to the job.
Great dramatic finish last night, playoffs are exciting end to the lower leagues season but finishing third by an odd point, then losing out seems pretty painful.
Quote from: sarnian on May 14, 2025, 07:52:59 AMQuote from: SuffolkWhite on May 14, 2025, 07:35:14 AMLove the Championship but in a different way to the Premier League. We can win the Championship but not the Premier, maybe that's the difference. But the other good thing about the Championship is no away fans in the home areas generally, and no var.
No VAR has actually been a nightmare this season in the football leagues. Huge number of mistakes with offsides. VAR works, it's the operators of the system are not up to the job.
I think VAR is in place for the final which I guess would make sense
The play offs is essentially a short-form cup competition, so you can't use it as the basis for comparing Championship and PL. The PL could also implement a play-off if they wanted, e.g. a play-off between 18th-20th of PL and 1st - 3rd of Championship, or other formats.
A better comparison would be the Champions League semi finals (very high quality football with lots of drama) and the play-offs.
Exciting as the play offs can be, the best league in the world is the premier league. We must continue to solidify our position as relegation would be a disaster. The gap is just too big
Quote from: St Eve on May 14, 2025, 11:44:31 AMExciting as the play offs can be, the best league in the world is the premier league. We must continue to solidify our position as relegation would be a disaster. The gap is just too big
St.Eve's correct,
Out of Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield Utd / Sunderland - how many of these three promoted sides will still be in the EPL this time next year?
The best comment I read on the BBC HYS when asking about how well Leeds & Burnley will fair in the EPL ... and someone said "I will give them both 3 seasons - Autumn, Winter & Spring" !! :slap:
Says it all really ... all three will probably struggle next season - and those in the Championship will be desperate to come back up.
Last night's game though was excellent entertainment. Big fan of the play-offs.
COYW
6-0 on aggregate is a joke and embarrassing
Coventry were the better team but they play like us keep the ball cross the ball to no effect maybe score 1 but it isn't enough teams need to go for the throat when they are on top
Generally the matches in the Championship are usually more entertaining. Teams tend to like to have a go and have various tactics. The Prem can be at times a littler pedestrian to watch even with the top teams.
Undoubtedly the Prem is the elite. But as is often the case. The lower you go down the leagues the more entertaining and have a go the matches are.
Say what you like, but I'd rather see FFC in the PL, all the time. Saw this topic discussed during recent yo-yo years, and some fans prefer second tier football for various reasons. To each his own. For me, no thanks. Were there some exciting happenings in the Championship? Sure. Can't ever forget the Odoi header flick-on, or the Cairney slot in off the Sessegnon pass. Terrific fun and excitement.
But I think every player desires to be in top flight. And I think fans of various teams should feel the same way, but that's just me. Top flight is the goal. To reach it, and stay in it. Though we've had a disappointing end to this season, plenty of excitement to be had in those wins v Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. If you couldn't get excited about those results and felt top of the world as a fan, then we may need to check for heartbeat. Top flight for me - all the time.
Quote from: Fulham Tup North on May 14, 2025, 12:59:44 PMQuote from: St Eve on May 14, 2025, 11:44:31 AMExciting as the play offs can be, the best league in the world is the premier league. We must continue to solidify our position as relegation would be a disaster. The gap is just too big
St.Eve's correct,
Out of Leeds, Burnley and Sheffield Utd / Sunderland - how many of these three promoted sides will still be in the EPL this time next year?
The best comment I read on the BBC HYS when asking about how well Leeds & Burnley will fair in the EPL ... and someone said "I will give them both 3 seasons - Autumn, Winter & Spring" !! :slap:
Says it all really ... all three will probably struggle next season - and those in the Championship will be desperate to come back up.
Last night's game though was excellent entertainment. Big fan of the play-offs.
COYW
As much as it hurts to say it , I think Leeds will do well this time around . Yeah they didn't win the championship by a big margin but I thought they looked quite polished this season . I won't be upset if I'm wrong I vividly remember the bunch of animals that played there 50 years ago .
So some of you want the excitement of the Championship to go up to where we are now?
I read somewhere that Leeds will be a force next season if they can buy a decent keeper, CH, CM & strikers - no easy task.
Just been reading the exciting news that Sky are going to screening an extra 70% more games, with more Friday night games and more Monday night games and even more Sunday 2pm kick offs,
Worth considering if you are in two minds about renewing your season ticket.
League One play off tonight, Oliver Norwood playing Stockport and Ollie O'Neill scores for Orient.
Entertaining game.
Quote from: C Block on May 14, 2025, 08:54:29 PMJust been reading the exciting news that Sky are going to screening an extra 70% more games, with more Friday night games and more Monday night games and even more Sunday 2pm kick offs,
Worth considering if you are in two minds about renewing your season ticket.
That isn't good news, I will buy a ST for next season and share my ticket, hopefully I can do most weekend games, Friday nights are doable but Monday's are a nightmare.
As I see it, the thing that makes sports so attractive to the fans is the competition. The Championship has it in droves while the Prem is essentially three leagues. You have the top 4 or so that have the big name stars that treat the Prem as a practice league for European football. The second team for the likes of Liverpool would probably challenge for the top spot in the Prem as would a few others. The next 4-6 flit in and out of competition for the top spots but seldom reaching those heights. And there is the rest that flit between the bottom of the Prem and the Championship. If something could be done to even the playing field then I think it would make for more enjoyable football. If the size of the team could be regulated such as a total limit of players instead of teams like the scum grabbing up every young player with potential and then using the loan system to train, prep and evaulate future prospects How much further along would Sess be if he had stayed here rather then collect splinters at Tottenham? Maybe the quality would be more balance if loans were limited. Say a player comes with two loans. After his second loan he must either make the team or be gotten rid of. That would discourage players being grabbed up for for future potential or simply to keep them away from a rival. A good manager fits his system to the players he has available rather than horde players to fit a system he envisions.
Get rid of ffp end of problem
Quote from: blingo on May 15, 2025, 06:42:29 PMGet rid of ffp end of problem
... and the EPL would end up like the Scottish Premiership... a few top teams winning the title and everyone else fighting for the scraps ... not for me.
COYW
The Burnley fan I speak to at Park Run doesn't think they will stay up.
A bit of a contradiction saying it'd be better in the Champ. with more entertaining games, and we'd have a chance of winning the league.
which we likely would; but that's the contradiction:
teams like ourselves and Burnley, probably the richest in the division, aspire to do as well as possible, be in promotion spots - well, all the teams aspire to do that - you need to do as well as you can, otherwise you'll likely go in the other direction.
You cant just coast in mid-table: every game is fiercely competitive, with all the riches of the Prem available to the most successful sides. You need to be competitive just to stay in the league, rather than the financial cost of relegation.
And if you're one of the best teams, then you'll go up to the Prem, where you likely won't do so well, unless you get the financial investment to match the top teams riches, and ffp is a fact mitigating against this, for a start, as well as the fact that millionaire investors, such as the Saudis, only want to invest in the teams already at the top.
They're unlikely to take a chance with a less successful team and a smaller club, that doesn't attract the TV money of the top teams. We were lucky to have the Khans take over form Al Fayed.
Without a rich owner we would likely have dropped like a stone, as many once successful clubs have.
Its all down to money in the modern game, basically.
Quote from: RaySmith on May 16, 2025, 01:33:03 AMThe Burnley fan I speak to at Park Run doesn't think they will stay up.
A bit of a contradiction saying it'd be better in the Champ. with more entertaining games, and we'd have a chance of winning the league.
which we likely would; but that's the contradiction:
teams like ourselves and Burnley, probably the richest in the division, aspire to do as well as possible, be in promotion spots - well, all the teams aspire to do that - you need to do as well as you can, otherwise you'll likely go in the other direction.
You cant just coast in mid-table: every game is fiercely competitive, with all the riches of the Prem available to the most successful sides. You need to be competitive just to stay in the league, rather than the financial cost of relegation.
And if you're one of the best teams, then you'll go up to the Prem, where you likely won't do so well, unless you get the financial investment to match the top teams riches, and ffp is a fact mitigating against this, for a start, as well as the fact that millionaire investors, such as the Saudis, only want to invest in the teams already at the top.
They're unlikely to take a chance with a less successful team and a smaller club, that doesn't attract the TV money of the top teams. We were lucky to have the Khans take over form Al Fayed.
Without a rich owner we would likely have dropped like a stone, as many once successful clubs have.
Its all down to money in the modern game, basically.
To slightly contradict all this, rich owners ARE investing lower down,look no further than Birmingham and Wrexham, if Charlton join them as well (they have the potential to be bigger than Fulham and Palace) it makes for an ultra competitive Championship next season, the likes of QPR need to be on their guard next season.