Playoffs debate

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I know the arguments for keeping the season alive, and it would also be interesting to see it happen
at the relegation end, although of course we may have gone down the last 2 season.

But, the old chestnut, example, that Brighton finished 15 points above Sheffield Weds but are now in a precarious situation of not even reaching the playoff final based on 90 minutes during which they had 4 injuries and played 45 with only 10 men.

I know it's been discussed and argued over and over again, but this is the downside and unfairness, when they were
within touching distance of automatic promotion.

Any new thoughts or suggestions ?
eg: the 20th placed team is included in a 3-6th place +1 playoff in a 5 team round-robin

[westcliff white]

I have always been an advocate of  the team n the last relegation spot form the division above being included in the play offs.

But at the end of the day chairman have their selves to blame, they want the extra revenue they gain from them.

[Supermitch]

I have always been an advocate of  the team n the last relegation spot form the division above being included in the play offs.

But at the end of the day chairman have their selves to blame, they want the extra revenue they gain from them.

I agree re the last relegation spot team, they had that for one season if I recall correctly. 

Whatever the rights and wrongs all the clubs know at the start of the season that if they come 1st or 2nd they are promoted, if 3rd they are in the play-offs and have to take their chances through that route. 

[J]

That's English football don't see why we should change it...if it was meant to be "fair" we could just say the top 3 teams go up and that's that but the playoffs are what makes the championship unique

[Andy S]

Quite clearly it isn't fair but it is exciting. the Team that finish second wins a medal while the team that wins the play off wins a cup to add to the unfairness. It is one of those games that is great for the team that wins

[Nero]

But not really fair when you got Pl team with a budget of £160m against a championship club with a budget of about 20m

[Bill2]

But it is good when Hull stuff Derby 0-3 at their ground, how their fans must be so disappointed. Am I still bitter and twisted? Wonder if they are a bit upset.

[Slaphead in Qatar]

We wont be complaining if we finish sixth next season  :022:

[Slaphead in Qatar]

But it is good when Hull stuff Derby 0-3 at their ground, how their fans must be so disappointed. Am I still bitter and twisted? Wonder if they are a bit upset.

Derby played the poorest 90 mins I've seen any team play in a long time

[mike_corkcity12]

I think having the winner and the runner up going up automatically is fair. It is not palatable to me that the second runner up (ie third place) should be guaranteed automatic promotion.

I think the play-offs are fair game.

[filham]

Remember in the old days only two teams were promoted and relegated the chance of promotion for the team finishing third, when the system was changed to include a third promotion team in a play off routine it was then looked upon as a real bonus.

Agree that it now looks hard on teams finishing in such a close third as Brighton and then losing out to the team that finished in a poor sixth position but it does keep the league alive and all teams would welcome the condition at the beginning of the season.

It works well and for all we know Shef. Wed. may well prove to be a better Premiership prospect than Brighton.

The system has worked wel for a long time , don't medle with it.

[malc]

Just my opinion but the play offs suck.The 3rd placed team should go up-end of.

[westcliff white]

SuperMitch yes they had it for the first and maybe second year, but Andy is right it is so damn exciting.

Nero I get your point but it is a very good way of seeing if you can compete at the level above

[westcliff white]

I live local to Southend United and went to there 2nd leg playoff last season. First leg had been 1-1 at Stevenage, then Southend went 1 down on the night, only to equalise 10 minutes later. Last minute of the game Southend awarded a penalty, clipped the bar on the way over, pure drama simply unbelievable, a normal league game would not have the tension. was brilliant bit also terrible.

[fcfulham55]

They were 2 goals from being promoted because they'd scored more than Middlesbrough.

Brighton fans will definitely agree it's unfair. Must be horrible to see your team come so close. In a 46 game season.

Brighton lost 3-0 at home to Middlesborough. Had it been a 2-0 defeat. They'd be instead because of the 2 goal swing!

[fcfulham55]

They'd be up instead that is.

[dannyboi-ffc]

Wow that's very interesting. I've said it before but Reading experienced the same fate in the great escape year. We stayed up on goal difference by 3 or 4 goals. In the end a 38 game season came down to 2 injury time goals against Reading.  One from Healy and the crucial one by Nevland. Had we won those two games 2-1 and 0-1 instead of 3-1 and 0-2 then we would have gone down.

The margins are so close and although it's exciting for the neutral and clubs making a late surge for the playoffs, it's not really fair on the team who finish 3rd.

I also don't agree that the 3rd placed relegation place should join the playoffs as suggested by some. Why give them a second chance for failing against tbose who have been successful in the division below? That's like agreeing the Champs league losers join the Europa league which surely no one here agrees is fair?

My suggestion of what's fair but still exciting would be the bottom 2 prem teams go down. Top 2 champ teams go up. 3rd and 4th from both play a one off game at Wembley against each other to decide the final relegation and promotion places. I think the relegation one would be very exciting. In some ways fighting for survival is more exciting as there's more at stake.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

If it is 'unfair' that the third in the Championship does not get automatic promotion how is it fair that the fourth from bottom in the PL has to again fight off relegation in the playoffs?

Also, with the differences in revenue between the PL and the Championship would mean that the PL club would have an advantage.

Overall compare the current situation with two up-two down where the chances of promotion were much less. Three up-three down is much better because it keeps interest in both leagues going to very late, often the last two rounds, in the season. Only a few clubs solidly mid table have nothing to play for. And the possibility of a playoff place keeps the top half of the table interesting until the later stages as well.

Yes, the playoffs are possibly a little unfair to the third placed club if they are way ahead of the fourth placed club but it brings some excitement to the end of the season and the possibility of a visit to Wembley.

A good compromise I suggest between fairness and keeping interest high for most clubs until the end of the season.

[dannyboi-ffc]

If it is 'unfair' that the third in the Championship does not get automatic promotion how is it fair that the fourth from bottom in the PL has to again fight off relegation in the playoffs?

Also, with the differences in revenue between the PL and the Championship would mean that the PL club would have an advantage.

Overall compare the current situation with two up-two down where the chances of promotion were much less. Three up-three down is much better because it keeps interest in both leagues going to very late, often the last two rounds, in the season. Only a few clubs solidly mid table have nothing to play for. And the possibility of a playoff place keeps the top half of the table interesting until the later stages as well.

Yes, the playoffs are possibly a little unfair to the third placed club if they are way ahead of the fourth placed club but it brings some excitement to the end of the season and the possibility of a visit to Wembley.

A good compromise I suggest between fairness and keeping interest high for most clubs until the end of the season.

Not sure if you are talking about my suggestion or not. If you are then I think you've misunderstood it. I don't think the prem teams should be involved in the playoffs affecting the championship teams chances of promotion.  I meant 17th vs 18th of the prem in a one off survival game. 3rd vs 4th in the championship- one off game for promotion cutting out the semi finals with teams 5th and 6th.

Having said all that I think the playoffs are very exciting anyway so despite it being unfair, for the neutral it works and every club knows the rules.

[Burt]

Is it fair? No, not really. You could conceivably have a team who finished 6th in the Championship going up in place of the 3rd place team who may have beaten them twice during the "season proper" and finished loads of points ahead of them after 46 games. If Wednesday go up, for example, they would have finished 15 points behind Brighton and yet go up instead of them.

Having said all of that, and putting aside the money-spinning element behind why this was introduced, it is the rules, the team know what the rules are, and it does inject a bit of end-of-season drama and next season if we went up via the play-offs then I wouldn't be moaning too much about that.