The Football.....

[shouldbeinbed]

Brighton will feel hard done to after their play off loss to Sheff Wednesday. They finished 15 points above them and only lost out on automatic promotion by a 3 goal deficit. Similarly Accrington missed out on automatic promotion by 5 goals and have to defeat a team who finished way below them. Let's hope we don't end up like Brighton!

The precise reason why I think that play-offs are utter rollocks.

The whole premise of a league is to go head to head with every other team and may the best team win, come second, come third etc. Not to stage some farcical end of the season lottery.

And despite all teams 'knowing the rules before the season starts' it is still clap-trap in my book.

Same thing with Blyth this year we ended up in 2nd place, 99points, 9 points clear of 3rd placed Salford. : 4 wins and 20 goals better than 6th placed Warrington to whom we lost 4-3 (90+ minute 4th goal) in a one off game. At least the league play offs give teams a 2nd chance to pull it back.

I've every reason not to like them this time round but meh, play offs are as play offs do. Clubs, players and fans alike kicking off the season in August all DO know the rules that will hurt or help us after game 38 ono in April and still choose to play the games - go figure.

I wonder why there never been a relegation play off set up. e.g this end in the premiership - Villa and Norwich go down automatically Newcastle Sunderland, Palace and Bournemouth play for the right to stay up - winners of the 1st round are safe, 2 losers play off again for the loser of that game to go down. No different really and keeps the season alive for a lot more teams and all the same arguments for promotion via them, just in a different way. (My league team of interest is Sunderland so I'm proposing prolonging my own uncertainty here )

In many ways I'd prefer a ladder system like the Aussie Rules uses and akin to how the Scottish promotion to the premiership works, lower ranked teams play off incrementally for the right to play the next highest team, so the topmost play off eligible team defaults to the final and takes their chances there but has al least received some advantage for their better league performance, the lower ranked one has't had to get lucky once to progress but sustain a run of several games.

*edit - cross posting with Andy above* Not sure in the Scottish example though that Killie deserve a chance to play again not be relegated, Falkirk have proved both by league position and play off success that they deserve the leg up IMO, the original English play offs were on the same basis and that dropped out of favour quite quickly.

 

[AndyRM]

*edit - cross posting with Andy above* Not sure in the Scottish example though that Killie deserve a chance to play again not be relegated, Falkirk have proved both by league position and play off success that they deserve the leg up IMO, the original English play offs were on the same basis and that dropped out of favour quite quickly.

We bloody well do deserve the chance*!

Whether we'll take it or not is another matter entirely...

*To be honest, we don't. We've played some atrocious football since Kenny Shiels was sacked. Under Johnstone we looked terrified of everything, there was a brief respite with Locke before it all went tits up and Clark is too little, too late.

 

[AndyRM]

The prolific yet talentless Figs Crew have left a message for Rafa...

 

[MarkF]

The play offs are great, it's 2016 and most people have the attention span of a goldfish and so many other attractions. Look at the state of footie forums, "want, want want, now, now, now". Without the play offs most clubs would have nothing to play for after February. Nobody would bother going nowadays.

 

[Accy cyclist]

The play offs are great, it's 2016 and most people have the attention span of a goldfish and so many other attractions. Look at the state of footie forums, "want, want want, now, now, now". Without the play offs most clubs would have nothing to play for after February. Nobody would bother going nowadays.

I've always thought the play offs were better than just the top 2 or top 3 going up. Clubs like Accrington have something to aim for in the season. If it wasn't for the play offs we'd have lost out on promotion by 5 goals going from 2nd to 4th on the final day. If we lose tomorrow night at least the play offs gave us another chance of promotion.

 

[Accy cyclist]

It looks like Dull might be on the way back to the top flight. Only the pigs can stop them!

 

[MarkF]

Tickets for Millwall bought and the transport sorted, we must score first to throw the tie up in the air. Tbh I can see a lengthy father and son bonding session as we argue all the l.o.n.g way home about who's stupid fault it was to go.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Who needs CL football when you get a kit deal worth £60m per year (second only to MUFC's £75m per year):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...gn-60m-a-year-kit-sponsorship-deal-with-nike/

 

[mark st1]

Who needs CL football when you get a kit deal worth £60m per year (second only to MUFC's £75m per year):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...gn-60m-a-year-kit-sponsorship-deal-with-nike/

I'd say Nike got the better deal more chance of your outfit turning things around especially if that tool stays at OT till the end of his contract.

 

[AndyRM]

British clubs in Europe quiz: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36276933

 

[AndyRM]

So, predictions for the UEFA Cup?

I'm going with Sevilla, purely because the Klopp love-in annoys me (Ooohh, he jumps around on the sidelines and says cool stuff when interviewed, Mourinho used to do that and he became equally tiresome); plus the tournament is treated with disdain in Britain but loved on the Continent so I feel the trophy should go where it will be properly appreciated.

Should be a few goals I reckon, and a game I can enjoy as a neutral before the nervous, anxious misery of watching the first leg of Killie's relegation playoff tomorrow.

 

[outlash]

Should be a few goals I reckon, and a game I can enjoy as a neutral

This. not really bothered either way but hopefully be a good game to watch before the inevitable overly drawnout buildup for the Euros.

 

[MarkF]

One of the Spanish sports papers said the whole of Spain was behind Seville, I reckon most of Britain is too.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Apparently there is some fisticuffs between rival fans who are not very well segregated.

 

[Dayvo]

Apparently there is some fisticuffs between rival fans who are not very well segregated.

Not Liverpool fans, surely!