Premier League sources have confirmed that the play-off proposal was presented at the most recent meeting of all clubs, on 4 February, and the league's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, was authorised to return with further details in April.
It is understood that the idea was enthusiastically supported by all clubs – except the so-called big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Scudamore, and the league's secretary, Mike Foster, will examine the practicalities of how a play-off system could work: whether it should take the form of a home-and-away knockout system, similar to that in the Football League, or incorporate seeding. They will also look into when matches could be fitted into a crowded fixture calendar before making recommendations.
As Eurosnobs continue to scoff at MLS having a Playoff system it looks like there is a strong chance that the EPL adds a Playoff round to the TOP of its table. I keep hearing about how "real" footballing nations don't have playoffs. And yet they exist in England, Mexico, have existed in Brasil.
No surprise that the Big Four object, but considering they would have to convince three other teams to stop the change, it seems nearly certain now.
And, that old 39th game idea could be incorporated. Imagine teams 4-7 (currently Liverpool, Man City, 'Spurs and Villa) coming to the US, or Dubai, or Shanhai for a little round robin best of group playoff with the Champions League on the line?
More TV revenue, more gate revenue and an expansion of the EPL's global reach? This one is a certainty.
6 months ago
Dave Clark
27 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
Finally!
I’m glad this is being considered for the league. I think MLS has it down with the supporter’s shield for the best performer in the end, and then the playoffs after. Premier League could do that as well. The big 4 would end up with a supporter’s shield type award (and probably some monetary incentive) but then have to really bring it against the top 8 (or however many) teams. I can’t imagine why any other team would object, this would be their chance to take the overall title for a change. And let’s be real here – there’s a lot of money to be made if something like this happens. Maybe not as big as the Champion’s League, or even FA/UEFA cup, but having a superbowl of sorts for English soccer? It’s incredible they haven’t done this sooner aside from the culture of a nonplayoff system they’ve had for years.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
This sucks so much and I will swear off the Premier League if it goes through.
Said the fan of one of the Big Four
I’m just saying
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Three?
Carling, FA and what?
And I’m with you, there is too much overlap between the Carling and FA
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Oops, I just realised it's for the 4th spot
I still think it’s ludicrous, but there will be no swearing-off.
But I hate playoffs.
Graham
so you rather see the same team win the trophy year after year after year. Do you realize how less interest there will be if that was the case in the US.
More specifically, there are major trophies where a bad day means the end of you
I’m fine with that.
But there has to be somewhere where being consistently good counts, and if they take that away it’s really sad for soccer tradition in Europe. I would rather the league sort out the balance without pulling this sort of stuff – it’s a bandaid, not a real fix.
Roster Limits are the answer
Not a Salary Cap, but a limit on players on the Senior Squad
There is no reason why some EPL sides have 50+ players on the Senior squad except to keep their competition from signing them.
Players need to PLAY.
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
UCLA
Back in the day, UCLA used to give scholarships to dozens, specifically because they didn’t want those players showing up anywhere against them.
23 players that are 23 & older only. It should be a world standard.
Playoffs have a certain utility
that mainly manifests itself in unbalanced schedule situations.
It would be very appropriate for the SPL to have a playoff. And makes sense in split season leagues as well.
But in a Home/Away League? Not so much, but I understand the gimmick in this case for the 4th seed. It would spur the Europa League contenders and #4 to push a bit harder.
I am not a Supporter
I am not a Fan
I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
I would laugh if this happens.
Just because of the reactions of people like Graham.
I’m fine with MLS Playoffs, since there is equal reward for top of table and winner of tournament.
This proposal seems to mimic the Championship playoff. I don’t really care either way.
by Cornchops on Feb 14, 2010 9:49 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Is the Supporter's Shield really an equivalent to the MLS cup in the eyes of fans?
I mean, it should be (I hate this conference system), but is it?
Not a good idea
Think of it from the CL point of view. I don’t want the 7th best team in CL, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th best in Europa.
Now, if you were suggesting that a tie-breaker be put in place for 4th if the points are equal, that would be grand. No need to decide things on goal diff; play a game for it. A one-game playoff would be interesting.
I'm with Graham
I already don’t pay much attention to the EPL since I’m an Inter fan, but if a playoff system was instituted I would know that I could completely ignore English soccer, because the vast majority of games will be meaningless, just like in American sports leagues. That big game between Man U and Arsenal in the middle of the season? Who cares? They’ll both be in the playoffs anyway, so what does it matter who wins? Chelsea faces off against Liverpool at Anfield? Wake me up when the regular season is over. A relegation-threatened struggler faces off against a Big Four club? Meh. Maybe the Davids manage to slay the Goliaths in this occasion and help to save themselves, but the Goliaths are going to make the playoffs anyway, and it’s not like they need to get every single point out there or anything, and it doesn’t matter if we’re first or eighth. Clinched a playoff spot with a few games left? Bring on the reserves, we need to let a few guys heal before the playoffs.
I tolerate playoffs in the USL because I love the Sounders and that’s where the Sounders played. I tolerate them now in MLS because that’s where the Sounders play. But playoffs are a gimmick, and in this particular case a nakedly money grabbing gimmick at that. Why not just flip coins after the 38th game to see who finishes where? It’s not much different than a playoff.
Do you watch soccer for the soccer?
Or for the result in the standings?
You’d rather not watch the regular season, instead just watching eight games at the end of the season?
I like to watch soccer. A mini-tournament at the end of the season, for me, is just more chances to watch my team.
In that case, why keep score?
I like to watch soccer too, but it’s a competition at the same time, and in my opinion, it’s best when all games have equal weight. Playoffs make the regular season a sports version of Whose Line Is It Anyway, where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one.
Playoffs are the ultimate participation trophy. They’re an orange slice and a pat on the head, saying that it’s okay that you only really achieved mid-table status, here’s a do-over, maybe you’ll beat those other kids this time. And of course, some times you do, a la RSL.
A single table format without playoffs means that every single game means something, every single game is an opportunity to pick up points, and every single game is a risk that you’ll stumble. A game against a major rival is a huge deal no matter when it happens in the season because it can make a huge difference because those games have the potential for a six-point swing in the points, which can be the difference between a champion and an also ran. Add in playoffs and a lot of that goes away. Inter beat Milan in both their derbies this year, which is a massive swing of a dozen points, and much more than the difference between the two teams at the moment. The games were in the second and twenty-first weeks of the season and they were both huge occasions. With playoffs, it’s hard to really care about a the second game in a season, because if your team is good enough, you’ll probably get into the playoffs anyway.
As a fan of a team that this move is tailor-made to benefit
I still hate it.
The best one can say about it is that it would provide ammunition when cocky UK fans laugh at the US obsession with playoffs and our haste to ignore the results of the merely ‘regular’ season.
There’s nothing wrong with the current system of allocating European spots. As much as it might help the game to get teams other than the big 4 in the CL, teams like Villa and Spurs need to earn the reward by placing 4th. It makes no logical sense to have the CL spots determined by a team’s finish in the regular season, except for one, which is determined by a completely separate, auxiliary tournament.
I can see that it’s essentially the same process as the promotional play-offs, which do something similar to allocate a much bigger prize. But that helps maintain enthusiasm in the season for several clubs – a feeling that even if the top 2 have run away with things, your club can still fight for promotion with a late-season push. In this case, it’s merely about shuffling one european spot from one tournament to another.
Marc you nailed it
I see it more as a way for the fa or teams or whoever to squeeze the cash cow for even more money than what they’re getting. This playoff doesn’t make sense in footballing matters but it does financially.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
