Play Off Format

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I don't like it but accept there's an level of inevitability around it.

Owners will vote for whatever gives them the most opportunity of getting Premier League riches. It might not happen now but if the proposal sticks around it'll pass eventually.

What's particularly annoying is that the National League model is the one thats flawed. Their promotion system should reflect the EFL, not the other way around. There are only extra play off spots due to only having one auto spot, which is ludicrous in itself - you could accumulate 135 points in that league and still not go up.

We don't need to have extra spots to make up for that flaw. No good comes out of having the 8th best Championship side playing in the Premier League, regardless.
 



Selly said:
No offence - that's an awful idea - having 2 squads chock full of PL players playing Championship players would just result in fewer PL teams being relegated each year.
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Good point. Might have been more interesting in earlier days of PL but it’s a sh!t idea in hindsight.
 
Blade56 said:
Good point. Might have been more interesting in earlier days of PL but it’s a sh!t idea in hindsight.
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I'd absolutely like to see 17th and 18th play off to stay up in the PL - that would be a game with stakes. Just not against the Championship clubs.
 
Selly said:
I'd absolutely like to see 17th and 18th play off to stay up in the PL - that would be a game with stakes. Just not against the Championship clubs.
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Thats the sort of jeopardy I was thinking of
 
Balham said:
This is bollocks. The play-offs should better reflect the performance of the clubs over the main season. It's effectively a lottery.
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If it was a lottery you'd get 6th winning it roughly 25% of the time, which doesn't happen.

Nowhere near.
 
Selly said:
www.bbc.co.uk

Championship play-offs: EFL clubs vote in favour of six-team play-off

EFL clubs approve plans to expand the Championship play-offs from four to six teams for the 2026-27 season onwards.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Expansion to 6 teams confirmed for next year
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EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said “the play-offs have become a "highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special".



Well if he said it then must be true…….
 
Burnley tend to be good at this level and you'd imagine would be well set in the championship, Wolves look to be improving massively and would expect an immediate return, then you have one of: West Ham, Spurs or Forest coming down, who should all have big money. Then we'll possibly have Southampton and Ipswich with parachute payments, Wrexham and Birmingham who both seem to have massive budgets.

For once we'll be going into next season without a top 6 budget. Can completely understand why we've voted in favour of it
 



Harry's Game said:
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said “the play-offs have become a "highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special".



Well if he said it then must be true…….
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To be fair, he probably consulted with his fellow luminaries on the EFL board first, Rick Parry, Peter Ridsdale.....
 
BobbyDavison'sDebut said:
My view is that any playoff structure should be heavily weighted in favour of the higher placed teams, so based on the current 3rd-6th:
3rd go straight to to the final
5th v 6th over 2 legs
4th v winner of 5th v 6th over 2 legs
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Althought that sounds fair in principle, it doesn't work out well in practice. At the end of the season, the team finishing 3rd would have to wait for both of those two-leg ties (four matches) to complete before they get a game. With police rules, etc., it would probably take at least three or four weeks for that to happen. So, the team in 3rd would go into the final without any recent match practice, whereas one of the other teams would be going in with a lot of momentum.
 
Harry's Game said:
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said “the play-offs have become a "highlight of the domestic football calendar, capturing the drama, suspense and jeopardy that make the EFL so special".



Well if he said it then must be true…….
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It was obvious we would vote in favour. We’ve probably more chance of being involved if we have a bad start.

Can’t they just start it right away? 🤣
 
I can see how expanding this from a TV revenue and sponsorship point of view would make sense and make it more exciting for more teams.

However, at what point are we rewarding mediocrity? And where is the motivation to be the very best?
 
I don’t think there was any need to do this (from a football sense - they’ve obviously seen the potential for more £££)

It is what it is, the game I grew up watching is not the same, and I grew up in the 90s!
 
I don’t really have an issue with this happening.

If you look at this season’s table the teams in 11th to 17th aren’t going to go down and have only a small chance of making the playoffs.

So it makes sense to help keep the season alive for more clubs for longer.
 
Sky wont be providing additional revenue to cover the quarter final one off games. The only driver seems to be more teams of lower standard can qualify for the play offs with a little extra in the play off pot from gate receipts.

The rule change continues to diminish finishing 3rd. The National League format, not adopted by the Championship changes, at least allows teams 3rd and 4th to have home advantage in a one off semi final fixture.

Teams 7th and 8th potentially have 3 additional games to complete in a short period of time at the end of a long season. The National League format would have been a better option.
 
Addison said:
The rule change continues to diminish finishing 3rd. The National League format, not adopted by the Championship changes, at least allows teams 3rd and 4th to have home advantage in a one off semi final fixture.
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This is the change that should have come with this (home teams listed first)

5v8 - one leg
6v7 - one leg

then

3vlowest placed team - one leg
4vthe other side - one leg

2 winners play at Wembley

games that are a draw after extra time see the higher placed team go through - including the final
 
Gimli said:
I don’t think there was any need to do this (from a football sense - they’ve obviously seen the potential for more £££)

It is what it is, the game I grew up watching is not the same, and I grew up in the 90s!
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Totally agreed, I wonder if the quarter finals ticket prices are dictated by the regular home teams ticket prices or are negotiated between the sides similar to like the FA Cup?

As the "semi-final stage" of previous years, for example Bristol City had home ticket prices of their regular season and we charged £33 for them as away supporters. If we finish 5th-8th we will have a ticket price granted but if that is on the basis of regular home match ticket price, if away will also have the travel costs too, but for example if we finished 8th and had Norwich away, easily £100 there for ticket and travel and probably the rest, then say we beat them and get drawn against, Southampton, home leg £35+ each then the away another £100+. Then we fluke that to Wembley another £100 and the rest. Being realistic on that type of draw we could be talking over £500 each for just the playoffs. With it being a World cup year,( I imagine) the Championship starts later on 14-16 August 2026 (with the League cup the week before). They want the playoff final to be at the End of May, presuming the season finishes somewhere towards the start of May. If we are in those positions it potentially could be close on a season ticket expense to get us through 4 games of play offs (Quarter final, Semi-Final (2 legs) & Wembley) if that happens. Plus if there is an away day last game of the season suddenly May's pay cheque has gone.

I really hope that the clubs actually see this not as an opportunity to cash in but mutually agree (even if it's not contractual) for a price cap of say for ideal all but at least the quarter finals of these rounds other than the final something like the below.

Adults -£10
Seniors- £5
Students-£5
Under 16's with a parent- £2

Otherwise and I get modern football is built on capitalism and greed but the modern regular fan isn't a super rich elitist barring some clubs and a lot of fan bases will be alienated, many struggled with justifying the cost of Wembley, not all that paid for the home playoffs obviously could go to to the away playoffs at Bristol due to the allocation but to add another fixture in at full price is getting a bit much.
 



That's a third of the chuffing division involved including the autos, it's stupid. Might help the established PL clubs I suppose if it increases the chances of clubs going up that are coming straight back down with a bump.
 
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