Play offs

[alfie]

I never have/never will agree with play offs, look what we have now Derby who finished 13 behind Fulham can be promoted, if it supposed to make the end of season more interesting why don't they have play offs for relagation.

[Milo]

I never have/never will agree with play offs, look what we have now Derby who finished 13 behind Fulham can be promoted, if it supposed to make the end of season more interesting why don't they have play offs for relagation.

How would that work though? Obviously bottom of the league should go down... and even second bottom. Perhaps have the next two teams play a playoff for survival? Would certainly be interesting ha ha.

[grandad]

My view is that the play off should only be between 3rd & 4th over 2 legs. It is wrong to bring in sides 13 or more points less into the mix. They have not earned to right.

[Nero]

you wouldn't have minded last season, and if we could defend in London derbies we would have gone up in 2nd spot

[MJG]

My view is that the play off should only be between 3rd & 4th over 2 legs. It is wrong to bring in sides 13 or more points less into the mix. They have not earned to right.th

what is acceptable between 3rd and 4th... 4 pts.... 8pts.....9pts.....ten or more?

[filham]

It really does keep the season alive but my main objection is that a long, long season of league football is suddenly turned into a mini knock out cup.
I would be happier to finish with a four team mini league where everyone plays everyone.

[One Martin Thomas]

To give 3rd and 4th an advantage there should be one leg only at home and that's it. Fulham v Derby one match at CC and thus Villa at home to Boro. This would make it fairer and I think they do this somewhere in UK.

[One Martin Thomas]

As for the playoffs the rule is clear at the start of the season for every team: finish 3 to 6 and you're  in a playoff. If you want to go up finish in top 2. Nothing to complain about.

[Robbie]

I would have four teams up and four relegated. Top three automatic. Four and fifth fight it out in two legs with the away goal rule.

[Robbie]

To add to that  I am not going to the playoff semis only the final when we get to Wembley.

[Dixie]

If we had scraped into the playoffs in 6th place, this OP wouldn't even exist!!

I love the playoffs, it keeps the season alive for so many more teams than just top 3 up. If we don't go up, we have the same targets to aim for next season...

[alfie]

So you are happy that a team finishing 13 points below you can get promoted

[elgreenio]

could be worse, imagine playing in the Belgian league and having half your points scrapped 2/3's of the way through.

[Dixie]

So you are happy that a team finishing 13 points below you can get promoted

Yes - 100%

That amazing run of unbeaten games enabled us to challenge for the 2nd automatic promotion place, but we didn't quite make it. Now we are in the playoffs.
The amount of points more than Derby is completely irrelevant - their goal was to get to 6th place.
We all knew the score at the beginning of the season, and to get into the playoffs two seasons in a row is a great achievement. I am still buzzing from this season and excited about the playoffs

[Lighthouse]

We used to have play offs for relegation didn't we? But the whole final game meaning relegation was deemed too much.

[alfie]

So you are happy that a team finishing 13 points below you can get promoted

Yes - 100%

That amazing run of unbeaten games enabled us to challenge for the 2nd automatic promotion place, but we didn't quite make it. Now we are in the playoffs.
The amount of points more than Derby is completely irrelevant - their goal was to get to 6th place.
We all knew the score at the beginning of the season, and to get into the playoffs two seasons in a row is a great achievement. I am still buzzing from this season and excited about the playoffs

Ok appreciate your opinion but for a team to finish 3 places and 13 points above in this case Derby, and they can get promoted, no not for me.
Still the world will turn as usual.

[Wolf]

I would have four teams up and four relegated. Top three automatic. Four and fifth fight it out in two legs with the away goal rule.

If you're interested in unfair and arbitrary then the away goals rule sits high near the top of that list. Thankfully they were scrapped from the Football League Play-offs in 2000.

[MJG]

Using the 13 point gap as a basis of nit being allowed in playoffs how about 9pts from 3rd to 4th, should there be a game for that?

[Jimpav]

I'm not loving the play offs this year but last season I was.

I agree it can seem like a flawed system, given the gap in points us and Derby, but that's what makes this league so exciting.

For many fans the playoff's are the biggest appeal of the Championship - we have had two successive seasons where we have had a legitimate shot at competing at Wembley for promotion.

Personally I'm dreading the next two matches, but if we miss out then I can hope that we get another shot next year.

[Milo]

Look at League 1. Shrewsbury are the same. They're now tiring, dropping off and frankly (with the Lincoln defeat in the cup at Wembley) have absolutely zero confidence. No chance of winning the playoffs. Yet considerably more points than the rest.

We are not alone!

However it's what makes the Championship such a lottery.. not just game to game given how close the teams all are but also right up to who gets promoted. Something in it for everyone.