Championship Play Offs

[Leicesterpool]

Awful two games, weve seen replays scrapped but id rather see play off 2 legs scrapped. Just play one semi final at the highest placed side.

 

Imagine losing 0-5 away in the first leg and then still have play an home leg.. would any fans bother turn up.

Edited 12 May by Leicesterpool

[Col city fan]

7 minutes ago, foxy boxing said:

Both games have been really cagey. The fear of losing, making a mistake and concealing a goal is worse than trying to win the game. All teams want to go into the next game with all to play for!.

This is the point I was making earlier. The attitude is ‘don’t lose’ rather than ‘fookin Hell, win this and we are at Wembley!’

Norwich today could have had a really good go, right from the off, but their tactical decision was not to concede goals.

Weak mentality really, typical nowadays of a lot of things 

[STEVIE B]

8 minutes ago, Systonfox74 said:

Why not just have one game played at a neutral ground and then onto Wembley for the playoff final? 

Money would be my guess. 

It's a good idea (yours) in principle.

I love the play offs personally as they are, I'm sure the powers that be will tweak it at some point.

 

The old system was ok too (as used in Germany now). 

Edited 12 May by STEVIE B

[Super_horns]

Exciting stuff so far then..

[Fear Of The Fox]

1 minute ago, Super_horns said:

Exciting stuff so far then..

What happened? A throw in? 

[UniFox21]

6 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Awful two games, weve seen replays scrapped but id rather see play off 2 legs scrapped. Just play one semi final at the highest placed side.

 

Imagine losing 0-5 away in the first leg and then still have play an home leg.. would any fans bother turn up.

Well Peterborough were 4-0 last year after the first leg and still lost the tie 

[Tommy Fresh]

5 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Awful two games, weve seen replays scrapped but id rather see play off 2 legs scrapped. Just play one semi final at the highest placed side.

 

Imagine losing 0-5 away in the first leg and then still have play an home leg.. would any fans bother turn up.

Taking the Wednesday, Peterborough semi final last year as an example then yes they probably would

[SafewayFox]

The ending to the season was a great advert for the Championship.

 

Today has been the opposite, minimal individual talent and a lot of plodding football.

[Dan LCFC]

That Norwich Leeds game is the worst game I've ever seen.

[STEVIE B]

1 minute ago, Super_horns said:

Exciting stuff so far then..

This is better than Norwich/Leeds...... just.

Set up for a Leeds v Saints final.

How does that make a Watford fan feel, preferably to  get Leeds in the Prem l guess ? 

[Super_horns]

Just now, STEVIE B said:

This is better than Norwich/Leeds...... just.

Set up for a Leeds v Saints final.

How does that make a Watford fan feel, preferably to  get Leeds in the Prem l guess ? 

Leeds as they will probably be strongest if they stay down and it’s furthest away .

[CrispinLA in Texas]

Southampton players must be sweating playing in black shirts in the baking 🌞 good thing we got promoted 😜 

[kenny]

4 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

Leeds as they will probably be strongest if they stay down and it’s furthest away .

They will be selling if they don't go up. It's hard to say what team they will have if they are in the championship.

 

Farke is always a handy manager to have at this level though.

[Leicesterpool]

10 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

Well Peterborough were 4-0 last year after the first leg and still lost the tie 

True got me on that one.

[UniFox21]

These 2 games have just been 4 out of form sides playing against each other 

[weller54]

18 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said:

That Norwich Leeds game is the worst game I've ever seen.

You not watching the women's F A Cup final then?🫣

[foxfanazer]

Can't wait for the second legs 

[Vacamion]

 

This game ending 0-0, then both second legs ending 0-0 and going to penalties, might kill the format.

[Kitchandro]

27 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Awful two games, weve seen replays scrapped but id rather see play off 2 legs scrapped. Just play one semi final at the highest placed side.

 

Imagine losing 0-5 away in the first leg and then still have play an home leg.. would any fans bother turn up.

Today’s games have been shocking but I’ve watched play-offs for many years and they are usually by far the most exciting thing in football. There have been many, many classic 2-legged semi finals so asking for a change in system just because of today is rash.

 

This has more to do with modern football’s obsession with coaches like Russell Martin (also Rodgers, Enzo, etc) and their rigid styles of play that take all the joy out the game.

 

I’m personally a fan of away goals (it would encourage Leeds and Southampton to have been more adventurous today) but there have been loads of great semi-finals without it.

[FrankieADZ]

THB for saints is horrid, think we dodged a bullet there

[KingsX]

2 hours ago, Col city fan said:

Fascinating how two, decent sides can play a whole season of football with the ultimate aim of getting promoted.

Then, when they DO get to the play-offs, they DON’T have a right good go at it. Two matches to play your fookin socks off, to reach Wembley.

Both managers must have drilled it into their players to be cagey. To NOT put everything onto the pitch for fear of losing.

It’s a real shame both for the players and the supporters. Reminds me of Southgate as England manager. This emphasis on ‘not losing at all costs’, rather than ‘winning at all costs’.

I’m guessing it’s bound up in the financial riches of making the Premiership. To lose in the play offs is to not win an awful lot of money.

But again, in terms of entertainment and a ‘spectator sport’ it nullifies it, unfortunately 

 

I agree with all of this, yet it may be beside the point.

 

The playoffs are a compressed version of tournament football.  You have to get out of your (two team) group, then you can leave it all out there in the final.  You simply cannot take a big risk of leaving yourself exposed in this round.  Especially with a hundred million pounds at stake, as you point out.

 

The excitement has to come from the emotional intensity and the stakes involved, because you wont get hell-for-leather entertaining football.

 

And yes, Southgate is a tournament manager who would suck to have at your club.  But that's his job. 

[Fear Of The Fox]

4 minutes ago, Vacamion said:

 

This game ending 0-0, then both second legs ending 0-0 and going to penalties, might kill the format.

It won't. Sky and the rest pundits will rave about the competitive nature of these games. Close, tight games which were decided on pens. 

I can't see how Leeds will get past Norwich. Today again everytime they tried to attack there were huge gaps in the midfield. If they decide to be more aggressive at the home game Norwich will punish them as Southampton did. 

Farke's tactics and style have been properly exposed. The only thing he can do is play again as passively as today and pray for a 1-0 win or go for the Russian roulette of penalties. 

[Legend_in_blue]

With a lot at stake and the hot weather, these games were only going to go one way.  90 minutes of dullness.

[fox_up_north]

So glad I didn't bother with any of these games. Sound absolute doggo

[Fear Of The Fox]

4 minutes ago, Legend_in_blue said:

With a lot at stake and the hot weather, these games were only going to go one way.  90 minutes of dullness.

Hi Klopp.