If the original version of the play-offs was still in place, we'd have been in them this season and Fulham wouldn't have been.
Because, like in rugby league, having g a team lower down the league winning a trophy in a play off and getting more recognition than the league winners is, in my opinion, a daft concept. Though many RL fans, especially ones of Grand Final winners, would disagree. The difference is with the promotion play off that the top rwo get their just reward and there is an incentive for the teams under them which maintains interest to the end of the season for their fans.
Yes, but we went up because of the playoffs. Those were the days. Selling out our allocation in 2 days and getting extra tickets.
That would have been interesting. Reading's new owners watching them play the club they originally wanted.
No I think was prior to the PL being formed. I'll have a look on soccerbase and see when it was scrapped.
From Wikipedia During the first two stagings of the play-offs in 1987 and 1988, the four teams involved were the three clubs that finished directly below the automatic promotions positions, plus the club which finished directly above the automatic relegation places in the division above.
Would have been great to see us beating Wednesday to join Charlton Athletic on that list of one. "During the first two stagings of the play-offs in 1987 and 1988, the four teams involved were the three clubs that finished directly below the automatic promotions positions, plus the club which finished directly above the automatic relegation places in the division above. This was part of the league's two-season-long restructuring that would reduce the number of teams in the top tier (from 22 to 20) while increasing them in the lower divisions (creating three divisions of 24 clubs); during these seasons, only one club (Charlton Athletic in 1987) that entered the play-offs in a relegation place managed to win the play-offs and therefore retain their divisional status."
Revamp the playoffs. Top 2 got up automatically as normal.. But the play-offs are extended to include teams who finish 7th and 8th Game 1... 7th placed plays 8th placed in a one off, at home. Game 2....6th placed plays winner of Game 1 at home in a one off game Game 3....5th placed plays winner of Game 2 at home in one off game Game 4... 3rd plays 4th at home in a one off game Winner goes to Final Game 5....Loser of Game 4 plays winner of Game 3 at home. Winner goes to Final Game 6...Is the final... Winner is promoted. This way those finishing higher will have home advantage and have to play less games...
And in tge event of a tie the club without their name on their shirt would go up. Would only be a problem if it involved ourselves abd Wolverhampton Wanderers. In that case the place would go to the club with the shortest name.
The play-offs are excellent as they are, I don't understand why anyone thinks we should start buggering about with them.
Not wanting to over-complicate things but I'd try and address the 'Huddersfield' problem we saw this season. Fielding weakened teams when a play-off spot is guaranteed leads to an integrity conundrum - Birmingham City were the benefactors of that. Maybe a system that gives more advantage based on the number of points between your opponent ? Eg if a team in 3rd finishes more then 6pts ahead of the team in 6th then it's a one-off game with home advantage. Less than 6 pts and it's 2 leg home and away affair or something along those lines.
I don't think that needs fixing. It's a problem that happens. Similarly we suffered from a fixture list quirk that meant Sunderland's entirely predictable 'best performance of the season immediately after being relegated' display came against us, while it was again predictably back to normal the following week in front of their unforgiving home crowd when we needed gthem to beat Swansea. It happens though. Ultimately there are always more important factors across a season.
