Play offs

[Rams forever]

Here's an idea why don't they play the semifinals as a one off game at wembley,then all fans from both clubs could get tickets.

Would also make more money for the clubs as well,bit like the fa cup semi finals,just a suggestion?

[SaintRam]

9 games at Wembley in order to find out who get's promoted from each level of the football league seems a bit much. Neutral grounds should be for finals only. Don't like the change to the FA Cup, wouldn't want it here. This is a league play-off, it's right that the semi is like replaying your league fixtures against the team. 

[StockholmRam]

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

[SaintRam]

1 minute ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

If you can't play your best in the play-offs, you can't be expected to turn up in the prem, where every game is just as big. Brighton have more than enough to beat Sheff Wed, as long as they turn up. The only way Sheff Wed get through is if Brighton have an off day, and if they do then they certainly don't deserve a crack at promotion. The way I see it anyway.

Besides I don't care about how fair/unfair the process is, football is entertainment first, and the playoffs are usually very entertaining games.

[Rammeister]

I think whoever had the highest average attendance should either go straight up or straight to Wembley.

Obviously this system would stop after the end of this season with Newcastle and Villa coming down.

[JW37]

4 minutes ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

It's not always like that though. It wouldn't be fair if the 3rd place side went straight to the final if they finished there on goal difference or 1/2 points. Also the side that finished 3rd would have nearly a month with no games waiting to play the final. I think its quite fair how its done now especially with league position deciding which team gets home/away leg first. It's just Sky that don't help with their ridiculous kick off times.  

[cool_as_custard]

3 minutes ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

Other leagues have tried this, other variants included a club from the higher division trying to avoid relegation.

Why not be consistent and have Sheff Weds play at the iPro in a one-off match so there are no more games of football? Brighton would have to sit around for a long time waiting for the final though.

$ky wouldn't want the format altered though. Keeping the current format you could handicap Sheff Weds one goal for each group of 5 points they ended the season behind Brighton. 15 points would equate to 3 goals so they would begin 3-0 down.

We ended 5 points behind Hull so would have a 1 goal handicap.

Not sure if we got through to play Brighton in the final whether a 2 goal handicap (11 points behind) would be fair but I can see why some would argue that.

[Wolfie]

6 minutes ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

I do like that idea but I'd maybe make the 5th v 6th a one-off game as well.

5th v 6th (at 5th's ground)

Winner v 4th (at 4th's ground)

Winner vs 3rd at Wembley

That way, there's a bit more of an advantage to finishing 5th over 6th.

[SaintRam]

Just now, Wolfie said:

I do like that idea but I'd maybe make the 5th v 6th a one-off game as well.

5th v 6th (at 5th's ground)

Winner v 4th (at 4th's ground)

Winner vs 3rd at Wembley

That way, there's a bit more of an advantage to finishing 5th over 6th.

3rd doesn't get to play at home though, and has a long break between end of season and the final which could be detrimental.

[Wolfie]

Just now, SaintRam said:

3rd doesn't get to play at home though, and has a long break between end of season and the final which could be detrimental.

Yeah, I did wonder about that.

Given the choice though, I'd rather forgo the home match to be guaranteed a Wembley final, than take the risk of losing.

[SaintRam]

Just now, Wolfie said:

Yeah, I did wonder about that.

Given the choice though, I'd rather forgo the home match to be guaranteed a Wembley final, than take the risk of losing.

Don't think it should be at Wembley at all. 5th v 6th, 4th v W, 3rd v W - league position matters, etc. 

I don't have a problem with the system as it is, I enjoy it, but I'd vote for that system if it was to be changed.

[Tamworthram]

47 minutes ago, Rams forever said:

Here's an idea why don't they play the semifinals as a one off game at wembley,then all fans from both clubs could get tickets.

Would also make more money for the clubs as well,bit like the fa cup semi finals,just a suggestion?

No thank you. Possibly a tad hard on the team finishing 3rd (I wasn't complaining when we finished 3rd if any Brighton fans are reading this)but, I'm ok with the current format. Also, how would more Derby, Hull, Wednesday or Brighton fans get more tickets?  We wouldn't get more than 30,000 tickets and, nearly that many can get tickets for the home leg now.

Call me old fashioned but I'd prefer Wembley to be reserved for finals only.

Other reasons I don't like the idea:

1) OK for the teams in the South East but tough, and expensive for supporters further away. 

2) kick off would be at silly o'clock to meet TV demands making train journeys home impossible.

Can you imagine next year, Sunderland v Newcastle kicking of 5:30 on a Sunday evening? 

 

 

[Wolfie]

6 minutes ago, SaintRam said:

Don't think it should be at Wembley at all. 5th v 6th, 4th v W, 3rd v W - league position matters, etc. 

Yeah. Only problem with that in my mind is that for the final, the away team could have hardly any fans there, depending on the capacity of the 3rd team.

It's a balance between making it fair and being nice to the fans.

....or be totally radical and have a home & away playoff with all teams involved and the 3 best teams at the end go up. A bit like a league table.

At the end of the day, I hate that the playoffs even exist.

[North_Stand_Ram]

Think the system is fine.

The fact that a team can have average season minus one great run and nick 6th place, which allows them to have a great shot at promotion to the biggest league in world football is fantastic. 

[StockholmRam]

39 minutes ago, JW37 said:

It's not always like that though. It wouldn't be fair if the 3rd place side went straight to the final if they finished there on goal difference or 1/2 points. Also the side that finished 3rd would have nearly a month with no games waiting to play the final. I think its quite fair how its done now especially with league position deciding which team gets home/away leg first. It's just Sky that don't help with their ridiculous kick off times.  

No I get your point but I think being 1 point off 3rd is fairer than 15 points.

i guess I'm never going to get over Blackburn in 92!! Made me dread the damn things ever since. 

[Kernow]

55 minutes ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

Isn't this the system in some leagues? I think it's 3rd straight to the final, 4th plays 5th in the semi-final for the other final spot. The argument is that the 3rd place team has a long wait without a game whilst the other team will stay match-fit. It's a three week gap between the last day of the season and the play-off final.

[StockholmRam]

46 minutes ago, Kernow said:

Isn't this the system in some leagues? I think it's 3rd straight to the final, 4th plays 5th in the semi-final for the other final spot. The argument is that the 3rd place team has a long wait without a game whilst the other team will stay match-fit. It's a three week gap between the last day of the season and the play-off final.

It's similar in Swedish football and Hockey leagues ( hockey is best of 7.. Sometimes back to back home and away games day after, and football complains they play too much).

Also in Swedish cup football the lower league team gets to take a penalty or a few prior to kickoff. So if a team is two leagues below they get two spot kicks and potentially could be 2-0 up before kickoff.

 

[Mafiabob]

1 hour ago, StockholmRam said:

I do have a suggestion I think fairer for all concerned in 3rd to 6th position. 

3rd place goes straight to Wembley. Directly to final.

5th and 6th play each other home and away to determine who plays 4th in a one off game at 4ths ground.

So this season Derby v Wed 2 legs

Winner plays Hull away at Hull.

Winner plays Brighton at Wembley.

i think it's crackers and totally unfair that perhaps Sheff Wed can beat Brighton over 2 games and have a shot at promotion this way. There's about 15 points difference between the two. 

Think it's the fairest way myself, as someone else suggested. If you can't turn up for the PO. Then when would you 

[RadioactiveWaste]

Take the big horrible variable of games of football out of the play offs all together.

Instead, representative from 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th appears on a reality TV format show where they have to pitch to a panel of PL, FA and Sky representatives that promoting their club would add the most monitary revenues and brand uplift impact.

The promoted team would be the one that sky wanted anyway each and every year. The PL would love it, Sky would love it, therefore, fans would be endlessly told to love it even though everyone hates it.

Let's hope Rupert isn't reading this.....

[StockholmRam]

2 hours ago, SaintRam said:

If you can't play your best in the play-offs, you can't be expected to turn up in the prem, where every game is just as big. Brighton have more than enough to beat Sheff Wed, as long as they turn up. The only way Sheff Wed get through is if Brighton have an off day, and if they do then they certainly don't deserve a crack at promotion. The way I see it anyway.

Besides I don't care about how fair/unfair the process is, football is entertainment first, and the playoffs are usually very entertaining games.

. Given that the season is played as a " league table" format I'd say it's entirely wrong to say if you have an off day you don't deserve a crack at promotion. We'll certainly not above a team that came 15 points behind you. 

There are enough " cup" competitions as it is. A league is just that...a league. But I'm all for fairness and actual best interests of the game. I'd just simply say that neither Derby or Wed deserve promotion or are ready for it. 

Its just a money making extra that quite often deals a cruel hand to some that are far more deserving. In this case Brighton.

Another cack edition to Sky " inventing" the game...