EPL Play Off Structure
Increasing from 4 to 6 teams next season....
View: https://x.com/SkySportsNews/status/2029514184086430119?s=20
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EPL Play Off Structure
- Thread starter Banana
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JANORAK
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hanworthbee
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Jay Bee
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Leonardo
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Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
The discussion has been done at length in the previous thread(s) - I personally still think it is a good chance after over 35 years of exactly the same format and not a particularly drastic change.
I'm amazed so people are fearful about "fluke" wins damaging the integrity of the play offs, and the PL - if someone in 7th/8th overcomes three other teams from further up the league to earn promotion they have proved themselves in a similar way to the teams that currently get promoted in 5th/6th by winning two ties. The fair fix would be to abolish them completely but that ain't going to happen. Despite this "radical" format being used in the National League, a team promoted from the National League has still never been relegated in their first season at the higher level.
@ABEEE someone bad like Bristol made it to the top six last season - should that also be banned somehow? Sounds a bit #teamslikebrentford
The only mystery to me is why they are only doing it in one division for now, it makes it seem more like a TV gimmick than a real desire to give more teams a chance.
I'm amazed so people are fearful about "fluke" wins damaging the integrity of the play offs, and the PL - if someone in 7th/8th overcomes three other teams from further up the league to earn promotion they have proved themselves in a similar way to the teams that currently get promoted in 5th/6th by winning two ties. The fair fix would be to abolish them completely but that ain't going to happen. Despite this "radical" format being used in the National League, a team promoted from the National League has still never been relegated in their first season at the higher level.
@ABEEE someone bad like Bristol made it to the top six last season - should that also be banned somehow? Sounds a bit #teamslikebrentford
The only mystery to me is why they are only doing it in one division for now, it makes it seem more like a TV gimmick than a real desire to give more teams a chance.
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rebus
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EPL Play Off Structure
Old bill wouldn’t fancy that. That’s why that got scrapped in the 1980s. It got a bit tasty when Chelsea were relegated by Middlesbrough at the bridge.
Untouchable
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EPL Play Off Structure
I reckon they could sell the TV rights for Millwall relegating West Ham for a record fee.
JANORAK
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Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Promote the top two but give one of the 3 PL teams a chance to survive? I wonder how many people would have supported that type of change before we were in the PL.
No way is there going to a chance for more than 3 PL teams to be relegated in one season.
longtimeagobee
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bexleybee
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Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Yeah let's just promote the team in 18th! That's exactly what's on the cards isn't it!
It was four teams in the play offs for 40 years. I'm not sure anyone is plotting endless expansion apart from a few luddites online.
This format, if used in all divisions, would have helped us many times - eight times we would have got the increased advantage of being in the top two of the playoffs whilst other toiled in the eliminator match, and one other time (88/89) we'd have got in the play offs under this format - and that's before you consider the times it would have kept our ambitions alive until later in the season - we finished 9th-11th seven different times between 2010-2012 (L1) and 2016-19 (Champ) some of those could have been a last day shot at the top 8. I'm not saying we deserved the play offs another seven times but a couple more could have happened.
It would only have harmed us the two occasions we finished in the bottom half of the play offs - 1991 and 2015.
Helping Brentford doesn't make it automatically fairer overall, but it is something for the fairness debate.
EPL Play Off Structure
The system proposed makes sense its just an adjunct of the existing system. Teams third and fourth await play off winners of games 5th v 8th and 4th v 6th. Wevs .... I think its ok. so if you are a team thats been mid table and a bit average most of the season then you start to pick up there more of an interest for fans that you might squeak into the Play offs. Obviously promotion would kill you though.
AB
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EPL Play Off Structure
This is why I’m sort of unbothered either way on the change.
When until this season it looked like the promoted teams would pretty much all always get relegated, bringing the possibility of an even weaker team going up would have seemed pointless.
But we know that there’s potentially a difference between being set up to walk into top 2 and not doing so but still being capable. It might even be good to incentivise Championship clubs to play with an eye to how they might do in the PL rather than simply optimise for the Championship (which involves consistency more than anything else).
ABEEE
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EPL Play Off Structure
Bristol snuck into 6th and lost 6-0 to Sheffield United on aggregate.
For me it just harms the 3rd placed team. The play offs are great and the current format has been perfect IMO. Dosent need to be changed.
Super_horns
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EPL Play Off Structure
Would feel odd seeing 8th potentially going up but they would have to win 2 games away from home and a final at Wembley to get promoted
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Yes they did, that's my point. You don't stop "bad teams" from having a chance by limiting the numbers involved to four, because anyone can gatecrash the top six as it is, even being 20 odd points behind other teams in the play offs. And their heavy beating shows that the system works doesn't it? A much better team got to the final instead. That would be even more likely under the new format as the weaker team has already had to play a tough match just to get to the semis.
EPL Play Off Structure
The financial disparity between the leagues would make that pretty unfair. Teams should have a chance to strengthen before they have to take on PL teams imo.
EPL Play Off Structure
About time they sort out, two automatically promoted from the Nation League
RT
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EPL Play Off Structure
Said it in the previous thread, but absolutely no way you should be rewarded for finishing 8th
horshambees
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EPL Play Off Structure
Why stop at 8th? Why not 9,10 and 11th? Then those years we would have made the play offs
It gives teams below 11th, a last day shot at making the top 11.
EPL Play Off Structure
Why not just have done with it and involve ALL Championship clubs, apart from those in the relegation spots, in the play-offfs? That way, the season can be extended by weeks.
Ridiculous IMHO.
Ridiculous IMHO.
EPL Play Off Structure
Preferably Leeds if they're not in the "automatic" relegation spots!
Untouchable
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In 2021, assuming we’d have played the team that finished 18th in the PL, that would have been BFC against a seriously dogshit Fulham.
What sweet revenge it would have been for 2020.
Houghton Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
If anything it's potentially easier for the team in 3rd place to reach the final. They still join at the semi final stage, but could come up against the 7th or 8th placed teams. Plus they get extra rest before the semi finals start compared to their opponents who enter the quarters.
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Yes I understand what you are saying, in virtually repeating post 14, all very amusing of course.Why stop at 8th? Why not 9,10 and 11th? Then those years we would have made the play offs
It gives teams below 11th, a last day shot at making the top 11.
My view is, involving six teams is not a disgraceful increase on involving four teams, especially when the format is designed to favour the teams that finished higher anyway. All play off formats are arbitrary and not 100% fair on anyone, even if the previous one appeared perfect to you.
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Exactly. Would have helped us several times in the semis
1995 - lost on penalties to Huddersfield, an extra fixture for Huddersfield might have given us the edge
2006 - Swansea we conceded late in the first leg, and 2013 - Swindon they scored a last minute equaliser to force extra time. An extra fixture for the opponents may have given us the edge in winning those ties, or winning them more comfortably.
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Easy to say that from this vantage point, but what if we'd lost again
the satisfaction of Bees up Fulham down was quite enough already wasn't it...
EPL Play Off Structure
Last season:
7th and 8th finished, 34 points off 2nd.
7th and 8th finished, 17 points above relegation.
7th and 8th finished, 34 points off 2nd.
7th and 8th finished, 17 points above relegation.
horshambees
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EPL Play Off Structure
The EFL copying the National league by the looks of it who operate a similar system to get 4 (2 automatic and 2 as champions) promoted from the South and North Divisions and it works very well.
Lets see how it pans out before belittling the format.
Lets see how it pans out before belittling the format.
EPL Play Off Structure
Sure, but we've had the playoffs for x amount of years in it's current format. Why the need for 2 extra teams?
The only change I can sort of understand would be going to the format they use in the National League.
6th plays 5th, winner plays 4th and the winner plays 3rd in the final.
AB
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EPL Play Off Structure
I think it's a great idea. Generally there is so little between 3rd-10th in that league (and L1 & L2) most seasons that it often comes down to luck who qualifies for the playoffs or not. It Increases the opportunities for teams that have never made it to the Prem to go up, adds a couple more exciting games, and extends the interest in the season for many teams/fans. Can't see what's not to like about it (apart from QPR could fluke their way into it).
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Why the need to keep it exactly the same? Something slightly different might be just as good or a bit better.
You have misunderstood the National league format which is the same as this one but without two legged semis.
hanworthbee
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EPL Play Off Structure
Do they ? Isnt it just going to be the eliminator 5v 8 and 6v 7 and then your usual two legged semi final
Jay Bee
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EPL Play Off Structure
You are correct that this is the proposal.
EFL Statement: Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Format
The Official home of the English Football League
www.efl.com
Nevertheless 7th/8th have to win an away game and then a two legged tie against a rested team and then a Wembley final to be promoted, so it's still tough and it will be rare that this happens.
The inconsistency of the three rounds is a small bugbear with this format - one game, then two games, then one game - Presumably they want as many games as possible and as few changes as possible (particularly whilst the other divisions are unchanged), without losing the roughly three week turnaround between the end of the season and the Wembley finals.
EPL Play Off Structure
This new plan might be a good idea for the EFL (I've no dog in the fight, myself), but it has to be a bad idea for the PL. For with the best two automatically promoted clubs usually struggling badly, then allowing promotion to a 7th or 8th-placed club who had an unexpected late run and somehow fluked the play-offs, would only dilute the quality of the PL that little bit more.
SpiderBee
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hobbsy
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EPL Play Off Structure
Dilution is good for the sneaky six though, as there is no risk to their dominance.
EPL Play Off Structure
Because it's not broke.
It would be 'better' if the top half had a shout and the bottom half, playoff to go down.
Make it really interesting and let every team have a say til the last ball is kicked on the final day.