Live Match Discussion 2017/18

[Paddingtonwolf]

Swansea are down then. Can't say I am shedding too many tears.

 

[James]

Swansea are down then. Can't say I am shedding too many tears.

Yepp and because they lost to Stoke Baggies finish bottom.

Also Southampton fans are on the pitch

 

[James]

Rafa hammers Chelsea. Do Chelsea's players actually care in the second season with a new manager?

 

[YoungWolf]

Play offs are a good idea in theory but every year now the quality seems to be getting worse and worse at this stage. Nearly every game I've watched teams just look knackered.

Do like the look of Da Silva (on loan from Chelsea) and Konsa (Premier League bound) for Charlton though. You can see why Nolan is highly rated for Shrewsbury as well.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Scunny vs Rotherham and Cov vs Notts County were ok yesterday. Boro vs Villa was exactly what I expected, doesn't matter if the players are at peak fitness or dead on their feet, that will be the way those two managers set up. I hadn't seen huge amounts of Lincoln but it appears they always play the same horrendous way as they did yesterday so again, no surprise there.

I don't think you could do away with them, three/four straight up just kills seasons stone dead for far too many teams. Brentford for instance would have been totally out of the race by September/October due to their shocking start and once they were essentially safe at Christmas would have had bugger all to aim for during the final four months of the season. As it was, they still had a shot right up until the very final week or two.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Scunny vs Rotherham and Cov vs Notts County were ok yesterday. Boro vs Villa was exactly what I expected, doesn't matter if the players are at peak fitness or dead on their feet, that will be the way those two managers set up. I hadn't seen huge amounts of Lincoln but it appears they always play the same horrendous way as they did yesterday so again, no surprise there.

I don't think you could do away with them, three/four straight up just kills seasons stone dead for far too many teams. Brentford for instance would have been totally out of the race by September/October due to their shocking start and once they were essentially safe at Christmas would have had bugger all to aim for during the final four months of the season. As it was, they still had a shot right up until the very final week or two.

Given that fear factor kicks in these are rarely going to be free flowing football - only thing I would change is single matches for the semi's played at a neutral ground (prevents the 'away' team sitting in for a draw & hoping/expecting to win the 'home' tie)

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The Conference playoffs seemed to work pretty well this season.

2nd - 7th qualify

2nd & 3rd go through to the semi-finals automatically

4th vs 7th, 5th vs 6th in the quarter-finals

All ties one leg, decided on the night, highest placed team always gets home advantage (except the final obviously)

The lower placed teams end up having a shorter turnaround in games, of course, but then don't finish there in the table would be the answer. Would be 3rd-8th in the Championship/League One if we followed that of course.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Not sure that I would want to go down that far down - finishing in 8th place, but still getting promoted?

 

[YoungWolf]

I would quite like that to be fair. Would refresh it without messing it up and pissing people off.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Not sure that I would want to go down that far down - finishing in 8th place, but still getting promoted?

Millwall finished 8th this year and were only three points behind Derby, it's not like there was a huge gulf.

If someone finishes 8th and they genuinely were truly rubbish then the odds are they'd get knocked out anyway.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Millwall finished 8th this year and were only three points behind Derby, it's not like there was a huge gulf.

If someone finishes 8th and they genuinely were truly rubbish then the odds are they'd get knocked out anyway.

This season it would have been acceptable - not all season's go the same way - & in one off games anything could happen

 

[Boozad]

Just make away goals count.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

2017/18 - 6th: Derby 75, 8th: Millwall 72
2016/17 - 6th: Fulham 80, 8th: Norwich 70
2015/16 - 6th: Sheff Wed 74, 8th: Cardiff 68
2014/15 - 6th: Ipswich 78, 8th: Derby 77
2013/14 - 6th: Brighton 72, 8th: Blackburn 70
2012/13 - 6th: Leicester 68, 8th: Nottm Forest 67
2011/12 - 6th: Cardiff 75, 8th: Hull 68
2010/11 - 6th: Nottm Forest 75, 8th: Burnley 68
2009/10 - 6th: Blackpool 70, 8th: Sheff Utd 65

There doesn't tend to be a huge gap. Last season was an outlier as 80 points is a frankly ludicrous amount of points to finish 6th.

Besides which, as it stands, the 6th placed team doesn't go up very often. As you can see, Blackpool are the only team to manage it this decade to date. You'd imagine the chances for the 7th/8th placed team would be even lower (especially allowing for the extra game they'd have to play, and given they'd have no playoff games at home). If they do manage it, then fair play. Not like everyone doesn't know the rules when they start off.

 

[jlo]

I like it because it also rewards finishing 3rd and 4th more than at current.

 

[Boozad]

I'd prefer three straight up to be honest but that's never going to happen.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I just don't get that mate.

You've seen us have so many seasons where we're a deeply flawed team but because the playoffs exist, there is at least something to aim for until very close to the end. Get rid of them and say it's top three only - you're looking at half or more of the division having tons of nothing fixtures from January/February onwards where neither team has anything at all to play for. What would be the point?

 

[Boozad]

I just don't get that mate.

You've seen us have so many seasons where we're a deeply flawed team but because the playoffs exist, there is at least something to aim for until very close to the end. Get rid of them and say it's top three only - you're looking at half or more of the division having tons of nothing fixtures from January/February onwards where neither team has anything at all to play for. What would be the point?

Play-offs were bought in for financial gain only, obviously I don't need to explain that. I've just never got my head round how a team that could finish potentially 20 points behind 3rd place could go up after being so blatantly second rate (compared to 3rd place) all season. It's shit. We finished 6th, 17 points behind 3rd but we go up while they stay down.

Of course I've seen seasons where the playoffs offered hope but Bolton and Palace put paid to any love I had for them and to be fair it made me hate them even more. If you're the third best team in the league you go up, if you're the sixth best team you don't. Seems pretty simple to me. It's not rewarding failure but it's potentially rewarding mediocrity.

 

[James]

Levante 4 Barcelona 1 52 minutes played

 

[Boozad]

You've seen us have so many seasons where we're a deeply flawed team but because the playoffs exist, there is at least something to aim for until very close to the end.

Get rid of them and say it's top three only - you're looking at half or more of the division having tons of nothing fixtures from January/February onwards where neither team has anything at all to play for. What would be the point?

Having thought about it (if you've been on Twitter you'll understand why I'm slow) we've had many more of the latter than the former so that's another reason why I don't really care for them.

 

[darlowolf64]

Levante 4 Barcelona 1 52 minutes played

Make that 5... Fantastic break