The Prem Relegation Dogfight

[Daddyorc]

I like the playoffs for the reasons stated above. Makes the promotion season better for more teams and their supporters, and also means unless you're way ahead there's something still to play for.

That being said, I really hope we're not entering into a period where next year the same teams as were promoted go back down again. It can become very frustrating.

I'd almost like it if there were a reverse playoff, where the teams that finish 15-18 have to play, and whichever team loses both their games is relegated. That way these games would matter more for Leicester and Ipswich. Also would drag Tottenham and West Ham into the mix.

 

[Painter]

Despite the fact that Palace have benefitting by achieving promotion through the playoffs, more than once, I do feel that things have changed since then, the difference in playing standards between Championship & PL has increased significantly, as evidenced over recent years by how many of the promoted clubs go straight back down, in light of that I do feel that the play off scenario, at least in the Championship / PL category, has outlived its usefulness & should be changed back to automatic promotion for the top 3 clubs at the end of the season.

When you look at the Championship this year - Leeds & Burnley have been the stand out sides both finishing with 100 points & Sheff Utd finishing with 90 points should be the next logical promotion contender - however they now need to undergo the play off format to include both Coventry 69 points & Bristol City 68 points -how can a club that have achieved 32 points less than the 2 clubs that have achieved automatic promotion & 22 points less than the 3rd place team (over a 46 game season) realistically hope to be anything more than relegation candidates if they manage to somehow emerge victorious from the play offs -

Promoting Sheff Utd (announcing it at the same time as the season ended) would at least give them a chance to organise how they approach the PL season instead of making them wait for another month, competing in the play off games & I would imagine hope to emerge victorious - only then can they go forward with any plans -

Surely promotion to the PL is hard enough without giving any team the additional shackles of play offs -

The play offs wont be going away for the following reasons:

It generates extra money for the clubs.
It keeps the league alive with interest until the final game.
Fans and players like the second chance.

They were the idea of Ron Noades. He obviously had foresight as Palace have done well in them

 

[Ex Dubai Eagle]

The play offs wont be going away for the following reasons:

It generates extra money for the clubs.
It keeps the league alive with interest until the final game.
Fans and players like the second chance.

They were the idea of Ron Noades. He obviously had foresight as Palace have done well in them

For sure I can see the reasons for keeping them, I just think that maybe if, for example we go another 5 years & each season the 3 promoted clubs from the Championship become the same 3 relegated clubs from the PL then maybe its time to revisit the format, as another poster suggested, maybe include one of the PL relegated clubs in the Championship play off scenario or something similar-

I guess in years to come the acid test will be how many clubs getting promoted are able to buck that promotion / relegation cycle which has proven to be so difficult on the last couple seasons.

 

[Painter]

For sure I can see the reasons for keeping them, I just think that maybe if, for example we go another 5 years & each season the 3 promoted clubs from the Championship become the same 3 relegated clubs from the PL then maybe its time to revisit the format, as another poster suggested, maybe include one of the PL relegated clubs in the Championship play off scenario or something similar-

I guess in years to come the acid test will be how many clubs getting promoted are able to buck that promotion / relegation cycle which has proven to be so difficult on the last couple seasons.

They did that for the first 2 years of the play offs, but you won't get Premier clubs agreeing to that now.

 

[Ex Dubai Eagle]

They did that for the first 2 years of the play offs, but you won't get Premier clubs agreeing to that now.

Maybe the formation of the super league, or an extended version of the Champions league to make it into a season long competition, will come along sooner rather than later & with the PL top 6 / 7 /8 defecting to that competition, opportunities' for promoted teams to be more competitive amongst those remaining teams in the PL will be considerably more attainable.