English Football: Should The Play-Offs Be Scrapped?

[headhunter]

Sparked from a recent convo I had on MSN.

Should the Play-Offs be scrapped?
Team X with 80pts could end up in the same division while team Y with 70pts goes up. Disgraceful?


or

If your not good enough to win the play-offs you don't deserve to go up?

Thoughts?

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

English Football: Should The Play-Offs Be Scraped?

You want the Play-Offs to under go Gynaecological testing? Apparently, there's a vaccine that eliminates the need for the scraping these days.

In other news, the Play-offs are a great occasion and a chance for a lower-tier team to work their way to Wembley. Eradicating the play-offs also increases the size of the area of "mid-table obscurity" on the football ladder, ensuring a greater volume of meaningless games as the season reaches it's climax.

Play-offs should be retained.

 

[headhunter]

You want the Play-Offs to under go Gynaecological testing? Apparently, there's a vaccine that eliminates the need for the scraping these days.

In other news, the Play-offs are a great occasion and a chance for a lower-tier team to work their way to Wembley. Eradicating the play-offs also increases the size of the area of "mid-table obscurity" on the football ladder, ensuring a greater volume of meaningless games as the season reaches it's climax.

Play-offs should be retained.

Lol, my bad.
Sigh just spotted another one is the poll.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Anger-inducing as they may be, they are an absolute definite must. Without them, most leagues will be full of dead patches by February.

 

[Matteh]

Get rid of the Playoffs? What yo' talking 'bout fool?

Personally i hope Exeter lose tomorrow, but that's just me.

 

[Simon]

voted yes, for the reason you gave, season lasts 46 games and some punk team has a good run of three or four games in may and they go up when they haven't been quite as consistent. Also find it funny the team that wins through the play offs gets a trophy, wtf is that about? You're third best ffs, you don't get a trophy.

 

[Agent TBY]

Play-offs are an absolute must for 24-team divisions. Since they don't have European spots to play for, making the top three auto-promote would make for some very boring football after a certain point in the season.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'm a fan. As others have elluded to they create more interest for longer. I think I read yesterday that 10 of the 13 Championship games had something resting on them, be it automatic promotion, a play-off spot or avoiding the drop.

 

[Tom Halsey]

In other news, the Play-offs are a great occasion and a chance for a lower-tier team to work their way to Wembley. Eradicating the play-offs also increases the size of the area of "mid-table obscurity" on the football ladder, ensuring a greater volume of meaningless games as the season reaches it's climax.

Yes, AWTA, though I would rework them slightly.

IMO it should be done like the Super League is (I think), where 6th plays 5th, the winner plays 4th and so on. I'd like a reward for finishing 3rd rather than 6th.

One football rule that should be scrapped as soon as possible is the away goals rule, what an utter **** that rule is.

 

[Craig]

Yes, AWTA, though I would rework them slightly.

IMO it should be done like the Super League is (I think), where 6th plays 5th, the winner plays 4th and so on. I'd like a reward for finishing 3rd rather than 6th.

One football rule that should be scrapped as soon as possible is the away goals rule, what an utter **** that rule is.

Yes I agree, at least then it makes the games more interesting and the teams have to come out and play football instead of a European Cup Semi Final if the away team draws 1-1 (or whatever scoring draw), they can just sit back and play long ball up to the lone striker up front for 90 minutes. Boring I say.

 

[BoyBrumby]

One football rule that should be scrapped as soon as possible is the away goals rule, what an utter **** that rule is.

Yes I agree, at least then it makes the games more interesting and the teams have to come out and play football instead of a European Cup Semi Final if the away team draws 1-1 (or whatever scoring draw), they can just sit back and play long ball up to the lone striker up front for 90 minutes. Boring I say.

Would disagree there. All it would mean is more penalty shoot-outs. At least the away goals rule half-encourages teams to have a go away from home.

If away goals didn't count double Benitez would've just stuck 57 men behind the ball at Stamford Badge on Weds. As it was yer Scousers had to chase the result & we had one of the more entertaining Euro semis.

 

[biased indian]

Yes I agree, at least then it makes the games more interesting and the teams have to come out and play football instead of a European Cup Semi Final if the away team draws 1-1 (or whatever scoring draw), they can just sit back and play long ball up to the lone striker up front for 90 minutes. Boring I say.

Away goals should be considered only if goals has been scored in both games....

that way we could have minimum 2-2

 

[Tom Halsey]

If away goals didn't count double Benitez would've just stuck 57 men behind the ball at Stamford Badge on Weds. As it was yer Scousers had to chase the result & we had one of the more entertaining Euro semis.

It also works the other way, just encourages home teams to defend, which is my main problem with it. On Tuesday, United gradually became less and less adventurous because we knew that one Barca goal would put us out.

Rangers have got as far as they have by playing negative football, partly motivated by the away goals rule - they know a 0-0 at home first leg, while not ideal, is not the worst result due to the away goals rule. Of course there was also talk prior to Tuesday about Barcelona's 0-0 at home against us being a good result.

It would result in more penalty shoot-outs, which is why ideally I'd make the European Cup, the UEFA Cup and whatnot a straight knock-out again, meaning less games and more time for replays. Obviously this won't happen, which is IMO a shame.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It also works the other way, just encourages home teams to defend, which is my main problem with it. On Tuesday, United gradually became less and less adventurous because we knew that one Barca goal would put us out.

Rangers have got as far as they have by playing negative football, partly motivated by the away goals rule - they know a 0-0 at home first leg, while not ideal, is not the worst result due to the away goals rule. Of course there was also talk prior to Tuesday about Barcelona's 0-0 at home against us being a good result.

It would result in more penalty shoot-outs, which is why ideally I'd make the European Cup a straight knock-out again, meaning less games and more time for replays. Obviously this won't happen, which is IMO a shame.

I'd prefer it as a straight knock-out too, no question about that. The cup doesn't really come alive until after the group stage.

I do think tho that if we did away with the away goals rule it would lead to an increase in negative football. Both teams would become more defensive, rather than just the home team.

Ultimately any way of splitting teams is going to be arbitrary, but I'd take away goals ahead of pens &, ultimately, more shoot-outs would be the result. I enjoy a penalty shoot-out as much as the next man, but they are something of a lottery.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yes, I agree, I hate penalties too, no question about that. In an ideal world, replays is what I'd do. Anyway, I have a feeling this discussion is becoming circular.

I'm not sure why both teams would become more defensive - why would become more defensive without away goals?

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'm not sure why both teams would become more defensive - why would become more defensive without away goals?

There'd be no imperative for them to attack. Most successful teams are built from the back (with the odd exception, obv), so I just think teams would go into their shells more, particularly away from home where the home team is generally regarded as having the advantage anyway. It's a risk/reward thing.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Sorry, screwed the question up there, making it nonsensical.

I understand that the lack of away goals would cause away teams to defend more, but I am just quizzical as to why home teams would be just as defensive without away goals - surely, without the worry of conceding such a vital away goal, they'd come out of their shells more and look to make the most of their home advantage?

 

[chaminda_00]

Back to topic now.

Playoffs are ok when it is only 3rd v 4th. But when you have playoffs between 3rd-6th it becomes pretty stupid. I would like to know the actually record first of all of sides that have come 6th that have won the playoffs and secondly their record in the premiership. I would be surprised if many sides that came from 6th spot actually stayed up.

Over the course of season if you can't produce a side that is good enough to come in the top 4. I think you have next to no chance of staying up in premiership. Atleast if you finish in the top four you have a shown you have a decent side and with some changes you might be competitive in the premiership. Finishing 5th or 6th your on a hiding to nothing, unless you had massive injuries during the first half of the season.

24 team league is too much also, but that is another debate.

 

[Neil Pickup]

How is the two/three points that usually split fourth and fifth (one win, one screw up, one incompetent refereeing decision) an indicator of who will be most suited to the division above?

Don't really give one about Prem/Champ, but from the last few Conference seasons:
02-03: Yeovil champions, Doncaster [3] won playoffs
03-04: Barnet champions, Shrewsbury [3] won playoffs
04-05: Chester champions, Carlisle [3] won playoffs
05-06: Accrington champions, Hereford [2] won playoffs
06-07: Dagenham champions, Morecambe [3] won playoffs

Out of the five sides that went up as Champions, Yeovil are now in League One, and the other four finished 12th, 22nd, 17th and 20th in League Two this year.

From the playoff victors, Doncaster and Carlisle will be in the League One playoffs this month, Hereford were promoted from League Two, and only Morecambe (11) and Shrewsbury (18) are still in League Two for 2008-09.

 

[Neil Pickup]

My heart is going a hundred miles a minute. Scrap the playoffs. I'll die if I keep going through this. They're a health risk.