[Salopbaggie]

I know the topic comes up now and again............... but, the play off's.

We now see Walsall finishing third and being pushed out in one game (edit..2 games - TY St Charles) by the team finishing sixth.  It is such a lottery and its only purpose is to stringing out the season and make more money.

We always hear from the pundits "no one wins the league by accident", well if that is true and I am quite happy to accept that is, surely the same logic applies to "no one finishes third by accident".  

Walsall finished with 10 points more than the team finishing in sixth place, so in two games,  potentially 10 games with getting something from a game, mean less than a team ability to get a result in two legs.

No I don't follow Walsall on the quiet, it is the whole issue of play offs I have a problem with!!  

To me it just cheats a team deserving of promotion on ability and replaces them with a team who has earned their place by getting a result in a couple of games, unlike the seasons worth of games, which the team finishing third has achieved.

Just another excuse to earn a few more bob for some

[RainbowTurnedEastStand]

Surely we have a half decent centre back to flog to Walsall as that James O`Connor has to be the worst player ive ever seen.

[St Charles Owl]

Walsall were hammered by Barnsley over two legs, not just one game!!  On that basis they don't deserve their place in the final!!  In fact all three divisions have gone the same way with us knocking out Brighton and Wimbledon knocking out Accrington.  Of course we have nothing but praise for the whole playoff system currently!!

Of course they is an element of unfairness to it when Brighton finished 15 points ahead of us, but of course the old cliche does apply that everyone knew the rules before the season started!!  Had there never been a straight 3 up and 3 down in past years we wouldn't even give it a second thought!!  Prior to their being a 2nd division and the introduction of relegation in the 1800s I bet fans and clubs were saying how unfair on the bottom teams that now had to be relegated!!  

As regards the money aspect, for once football made a change that increased revenues for the clubs involved or challenging for a playoff spot, but for about the first time it's a money generator where the money goes to clubs who really need it rather than just the Prem.  The playoffs generate a lot of money for those clubs who get into them but they also generate money for teams playing games towards the end of the season who are involved in games that could effect the playoff places.  Take us for example, our last two home games attracted crowds well over 30k, has it been the old way then we would have lost revenue, as would have Cardiff and other teams playing to bigger crowds because the games mattered.  I don't see any problem in making changes to the game that give the likes of Accrington Stanley or Walsall or Barnsley or Plymouth etc the chance to improve revenues by having the season be meaningful right up to the final games, that is what sport should be about!!

I think I read somewhere that this is the very first time though that all the 3rd (4th in Lg2) placed teams did not progress to the final.  Over the 20 odd years that the playoffs have been around the 3rd placed team has won promotion more than the other places, so on average it does work out how the table ends, just not this year!  But as I say, your OP won't get any approval or agreement from any Owls fans on here this season!!!

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Officially, I don't like them. When we lost to Peterborough in the L1 final, we had finished 3rd on 80some points that wouild have seen us automatically promoted most other years! I felt the unfairness of it that year! However, the year after we finished 4th and won in the final. That was unfair but, like SCO, how can we complain when we benefited from it?

[silverbaggie]

Please spare a thought for Forest Green Rovers of the Vanamara National League.

Yes I know that they are fierce rivals of Cheltenham Town whom I have followed this season but, consider these facts.


1)  In the National league only the Champions achieve automatic promotion with the second placed team forced to take  part in the play offs.

2)  FGR won their first nine games of the season creating a new record of success in the National league. (Perhaps even any other Division that I can think of.)

3) They finished the season with 89 points, a total which would have resulted in automatic promotion in the three Divisions other than the Premiership. (it would have won them Division One.)

4)  They finished with nine points more than 4th placed Grimsby Town; the team that ultimately beat them in the final.

Deadly rivals of the Robins or no, they fully deserved to become the very first 'Village Team' playing professional football in Division 2.

I know that most of you will be more concerned with the unfairness of the play off system in the loftier leagues but!

Imagine a situation where only the Champions of the other Divisions received automatic promotion; I think that there would be uproar.

[talkSAFT]

I almost gave you a 'Like', Salop, but come to think of it it had used to be 2-up 2-down. So, the 3rd place is a bonus (for the top few teams) - and Saddlers would have missed out in the old days, anyway, by coming 3rd.
Instead it keeps the season alive for Clubs as low as about 10th having a chance. And didn't the 18th Prem team used to join the 3rd to 5th Championship teams in the play-offs some years back?

[Stairs]

I liked all comments as in the end I agree with you all. It's not fair but there again it's exciting and does seem to work.

I would suspect that any club at the start of the season would vote for the playoffs to exist.

[Lord Snooty]

Here's a suggestion then. Now that the leagues are going to be reduced to twenty teams, that gives us scope to add another round to the play offs. Making it an eight team competition, giving tenth place a qualification. There would be hardly any dead rubbers at all at the end of the season.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

In all fairness, we benefited from this ourselves during the '93 promotion under Ossie. Imploded in the springtime after leading the league most of the season, dropped down to fifth or sixth place come season's end, but then regained our mojo in time to see off Swansea and Port Vale, both of whom had finished above us.

You also have to look at things like Blackpool making it into the Prem (regardless of what's gone wrong for them since); a fairytale that just wouldn't have been possible in a straight-three promotion system.

[Tibby Baggie]

In all fairness, we benefited from this ourselves during the '93 promotion under Ossie.  Imploded in the springtime after leading the league most of the season, dropped down to fifth or sixth place come season's end, but then regained our mojo in time to see off Swansea and Port Vale, both of whom had finished above us.

You also have to look at things like Blackpool making it into the Prem (regardless of what's gone wrong for them since); a fairytale that just wouldn't have been possible in a straight-three promotion system.

Some of my happiest memories as a Baggie are from that season. Particularly the Swansea game; cracking atmosphere.

Whilst I agree that the play off's are more beneficial for those clubs scraping into 6th place, I'd miss the drama that these play off games create if they were scrapped. Long may the upsets continue!