Should There Be Play-offs in the Football League?

[CosbehFox]

4 minutes ago, StanSP said:

How about how Bundesliga do it - would anyone consider potential for 3rd in Championship having a 2-leg playoff against 18th in PL? And similar further down the pyramid? 

Doesn’t work that good there in terms of Bundesliga 2 teams progressing 

[Tommy Fresh]

Scotland do it differently don't they, albeit with smaller leagues

[Guest leatherhead32]

i was  brought up with 3 up 3 down in the top 2 divisions anyway and yes its fair, but the play offs came in in 1986/87 if mem serves with other differences than now,  it meant in short that if you were mid table at easter lets say , season was still alive and crowds would be bigger instead of playing basically dead rubbers ( like home game with hull for eg ) the last day also provides scenarios and the play offs more revenue and a big day out at concrete jungle wembley , the powers that be rake it in so wont change . but yes the fair way was the old way.   

[Bilo]

I quite like the Bundesliga system, but suspect that the gap between the PL and the Championship would mean that most seasons would only see two teams coming up. 

[cruzFOX]

Historically has the top 3 always pulled away from the rest? If so have 3 auto promo places then have 4,5,6 & 7 play off.

just my 2 cents. Prem league would have to agree to 4 teams coming up and 4 going down. 

[StanSP]

33 minutes ago, cruzFOX said:

Historically has the top 3 always pulled away from the rest

I can't recall a reason where all 3 have been title contenders all the way until this stage of the season. 

 

Usually it's one team clear at the top, then 2ns and 3rd battling it out, potentially 4th,.and then about 8 teams battling it out for the final playoff spots. 

[jayfox26]

Was having this conversation with my wife's step dad at the weekend and he said years ago it was just a straight 2 up 2 down. Problem with this was that after Easter, most seasons, the promotions and relegation were pretty much sorted so most of the league had nothing to play for for the last stretch of the season and the games became boring. Right now, there are 8-9 teams in the championship that could still get relegated, 3 fighting for the automatics, 1 certain to be in the play offs, 1 already relegated (not technically but near enough), and 6 teams fighting for the other 2 play off places (although I'd say wba are nailed on). If there was no play offs this season then every team from Southampton to Watford would have nothing to play for now. 

[foxfanazer]

The playoffs are great. Keep em

[Leeds Fox]

I don’t think a 24 team league could be justified without the playoffs. 
 

edit - just saw @Dan LCFC already said this. 

Edited 2 April by Leeds Fox

[Tuna]

Playoffs should only ever be one leg, at the highest placed team's ground and the same for the final, exactly as it is in non league, it's such a money spinner for the TV vompanies it isn't happening!

Edited 2 April by Tuna

[Bilo]

Just now, Tuna said:

Playoffs should only ever be one leg, at the highest placed team's ground and the same for the final, exactly as it is in non league.

I actually agree with that.

 

There should be more of a reward for finishing higher in the league than just getting the second leg at home.

 

Also, Wembley can look embarrassingly empty for League Two play-offs.

[purpleronnie]

Playoffs are brilliant, anyone that disagrees is wrong.

[Torten]

Without the play-offs, we wouldn't have witnessed the Kermogant chip nor the Deeney goal. 

 

Be careful what you wish for.

[zealot]

Yes

[Larry_LCFC]

Keeps the league competitive until the end. You think how many teams would been playing for nothing since Christmas. Atleast Playoffs keeps the season alive I guess.

[LCFCJohn]

100% yes to the playoffs for the reasons said, it keeps the league more interesting.

 

I do think it could be set up in a way that gives a bit of an advantage to teams finishing 3rd (or 4th in league 2 etc). The National League have already done this in the fact the teams in the lower play off positions play first and the teams finishing higher join after. That for me works as more teams get the chance to go up but the team(s) that have done better over the season get recognition for that. I’d like to see that added to the Championship/League 1 and 2.

 

The only other thing you could do that would be a bit more controversial would be to have a pre-set limit that all teams are aware of, that if the team in the highest placed play off position are, for example, 10 or more points ahead of the next placed, the system then reverts to straight promotion. I’m thinking such as Notts County last season who fortunately came up anyway.

[Crinklyfox]

The playoffs are good commercially but are inherently unfair - a middle of the road club getting into the final play-off spot twenty points below third could have a form or injuries advantage over three games that negates the efforts of the whole season for the more successful club.

 

I would never have introduced playoffs and dislike them to this day.

[BenTheFox]

Purely from a sporting merit point of view, I don't agree with them. However, they make for great entertainment and also mean that far more teams have something to play for. 

[Sir Steve Howard]

The playoffs are the best thing in football by an absolute mile. The fact the semis are over two legs makes them even better.

[BroughtonFox]

I’d actually add a potential extra promotion spot and relegation spot in every league just to change it up a bit and add more excitement. 

 

Top 2 - Autos (as normal)

Plays offs (as normal) winner gets promoted.

Playoff final loser then plays 4th from bottom in the league above and the winner either gets promoted or stays in the league above.

 

So basically,

Bottom 3 - Relegated (as normal)

4th from bottom - Plays against play off final loser. Win they keep themselves up, lose they swap and get relegated too.

Edited 3 April by BroughtonFox

[Fear Of The Fox]

PO format is good as it is. The league is competitive enough to justify it. If this changes for some reason in the future I would suggest a 20 teams league with top 8 PO (pts gap rules applied) and bottom 8 PO. 

[David Hankey]

22 hours ago, StanSP said:

Not saying this just because we may finish 3rd and then lose out in playoffs, but have thought about this for a while - why is it not a top 3 just go straight up? 

 

Why can it not be 3 up, and 3 down from PL? 

Whether it's us, Leeds or Ipswich it'd be an absolute travesty if there was a 3rd place finish and then somehow still didn't get promoted. Especially considering there could be a 20pt gap between 3rd and 6th. 

 

If there was a vote for keeping playoffs or changing it to a top 3 only, which way would you go? 

All to with money, money, money i'm afraid.

[stripeyfox]

If you asked all the clubs at the start of the season - do you want top 3 promoted (no play offs) or Top 2 promoted with Play off winner - I guarantee they would ALL vote for play offs.

 

It was the clubs that proposed and voted them in in the first place.

 

The endless drama they have created down the years means they aren't going anywhere. If anything, an extension to the play offs (like National League system) is more likely to happen

 

[Guy]

22 hours ago, StanSP said:

Not saying this just because we may finish 3rd and then lose out in playoffs, but have thought about this for a while - why is it not a top 3 just go straight up? 

 

Why can it not be 3 up, and 3 down from PL? 

Whether it's us, Leeds or Ipswich it'd be an absolute travesty if there was a 3rd place finish and then somehow still didn't get promoted. Especially considering there could be a 20pt gap between 3rd and 6th. 

 

If there was a vote for keeping playoffs or changing it to a top 3 only, which way would you go? 

As other older Foxes Talk members may have since said then this is all that happened in "old money" - in the four football leagues pyramid aka pre 1987. It was more fair for sure. A team like potentially us, Leeds or Ipswich could finish in 3rd place and whoever does will probably have finished 15-20 points clear of certainly the 5th and 6th placed finishing team (even if not that many points clear of the team finishing in 4th, most likely Southampton as things stand). After that it's then all square/equal in many regards, barring having to play the first leg away for the 3rd and 4th placed Championship teams - which may or may not be an advantage any longer.
 
Still, love the play offs or loathe them then they are the post 1987 rules that the league/clubs all signed up for years ago and nothing's since really changed a lot! I think the team finishing third bottom in the old first division/top flight took on the highest finishing second tier team outside the automatic promotion places over two legs for the first one, maybe two play off ending/deciding seasons initially but that all changed after 1989-90 I think, between the top two leagues to the format we have now....

[WigstonWanderer]

Really exciting end to the season for fans and neutrals alike. Just because we’re likely to be on a heartbreak end to things this season doesn’t affect that. Without these draws there wouldn’t be as much interest in the FL. Obviously it needs to stay as it is. Can’t think of a more fitting end to a season.