| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers 13:30 - Jan 8 with 2613 views | InTimeAddedOn |
Here are the ball numbers for the FA Cup 4th Round draw this evening. Who do you fancy as 4th Round opponents? Can you imagine getting Eastleigh away! Obviously there is the small matter of a replay with Newport first. If that came out would they switch to SMS? Seem to vaguely remember something about the FA wanting to discourage small Clubs from doing that but not sure if anything came of it. I would think trips to Maidstone or Wrexham wouldn’t be ideal either.
Saints are No.10
Brighton are No.4
Boscombe are No.26
Eastleigh / Newport are No.31
Can’t seem to find a number for the Skates 
All the numbers for anyone interested
1 Luton Town or Bolton Wanderers
2 Wrexham
3 Liverpool
4 Brighton & Hove Albion
5 Norwich City or Bristol Rovers
6 West Ham United or Bristol City
7 Tottenham Hotspur
8 Fulham
9 West Bromwich Albion
10 Southampton
11 Ipswich Town
12 Leeds United
13 Leicester City
14 Watford
15 Newcastle United
16 Sheffield Wednesday
17 Crystal Palace or Everton
18 Aston Villa
19 Nottingham Forest or Blackpool
20 Wigan Athletic or Manchester United
21 Manchester City
22 Blackburn Rovers
23 Sheffield United
24 Swansea City
25 Chelsea
26 AFC Bournemouth
27 Coventry City
28 Brentford or Wolverhampton Wanderers
29 Plymouth Argyle
30 Maidstone United
31 Newport County or Eastleigh
32 Hull City or Birmingham City
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 15:09 - Jan 8 with 2520 views | saint901 |
I'd rather have a PL side at SMS to see if we might live in that company.
(Dreaming of course because I remain convinced that a place in the playoffs is our fate and that is a lottery). |  | | |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 16:50 - Jan 8 with 2444 views | TimSaint |
I would usually want to be drawn away to a team that I haven't been to before - so I can do a new ground - but as that only leaves Wrexham and Maidstone, I can but hope, or want for a home tie with a lesser team. Newport / Eastleigh it is then !! |  |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:14 - Jan 8 with 2398 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 15:09 - Jan 8 by saint901 |
I'd rather have a PL side at SMS to see if we might live in that company.
(Dreaming of course because I remain convinced that a place in the playoffs is our fate and that is a lottery). |
Tend to agree on both counts. Perhaps the winners of Palace / Everton or Brentford / Wolves at SNS would be a good yardstick to evaluate us by, of course, assuming RM played the best XI and not a team with 9 changes. I am no fan of playing non-league or Lgue 2 teams as always a potential banana skin and Christ don’t the media bang on about it for ever and a day if it does happen. I see Jeff Stelling was banging on about revamping the FA Cup 3rd round draw by rigging it so all the 20 smaller Clubs left in at the 3rd round stage get guaranteed a PL or Championship opponent so they get a big payday. He was having a right whinge about Maidstone getting Stevenage and Eastleigh getting Newport. Surely that gives the two of them a better chance of going another round so extra prize money and then perhaps a bigger / better draw in the next round? Also, possibly a chance to make Club history as they may not have ever made it that far before if the 3rd Round game is winnable.
As for the play-offs, no only a lottery but I hate them. What right has a team finishing 6th got to go up? None whatsoever as far as I am concerned. Just imagine in the Olympics if after the 100m final they gave a gold medal to the winner, a silver to the runner up then made the bronze medalist run the race again against the runner finishing 6th and then if he won that run it a third time against the winner of rematch between the runners finishing 4th & 5th! If they did that there would be uproar. As far as I am concerned top 3 should go up end of story. As for keeping the season interesting just ask any fan of any team finishing 3rd after 46 games who get done in the play offs either by the 6th placed team or at Wembley how interesting their season now is. Entry to the richest League in world football possibly decided on penalties??? FFS, utterly pathetic!! | | | |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:17 - Jan 8 with 2394 views | 1885_SFC |
I've looked into my crystal ball, tea leaves, and how all the planets align... and it's Chelsea for us. Sorry lads. |  |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:34 - Jan 8 with 2377 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 16:50 - Jan 8 by TimSaint |
I would usually want to be drawn away to a team that I haven't been to before - so I can do a new ground - but as that only leaves Wrexham and Maidstone, I can but hope, or want for a home tie with a lesser team. Newport / Eastleigh it is then !! |
Fair point on the new grounds to tick off the list but I wouldn’t fancy either of yours so perhaps just be happy with Rotherham in the League as that’s a new one for most of us.
Have to say Eastleigh at SMS would be a unique one-off event. A true local derby and I would imagine an atmosphere and some on the day. I’m sure it would attract the TV vultures hoping for roadkill to salivate over. If the unthinkable did happen the only hidden bonus would be it would probably be the biggest cull of Skates ever seen as about 10,000 of them would die laughing! [Post edited 8 Jan 17:39]
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:44 - Jan 8 with 2352 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:17 - Jan 8 by 1885_SFC |
I've looked into my crystal ball, tea leaves, and how all the planets align... and it's Chelsea for us. Sorry lads. |
Damn those tea leaves! If Dibling scores the late winner Uncle Todd Boehly will offer £50m for him and take him back on the team bus to Stamford Bridge. | | | |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 18:45 - Jan 8 with 2309 views | solent_toffee |
Do they do switches these days? Must be years since they have? I’d love Eastleigh to play at SMS, they’d get some great coverage and hopefully a decent pay day. I go to quite a few Eastleigh games and there’s a big Saints contingency there, so it would be a great local football day.
Man U away for the tourist dollar would be great, half and half scarves all over the show. | | | |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 20:50 - Jan 8 with 2101 views | dirk_doone |
Watford away. Could be worse. We're undefeated in our last 9 visits there. |  |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 21:14 - Jan 8 with 2057 views | Southamptonfan |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 20:50 - Jan 8 by dirk_doone |
Watford away. Could be worse. We're undefeated in our last 9 visits there. |
It's a very boring game. More interest in Eastleigh I would say. I do hope they have Eastleigh and Saints playing on different days, otherwise many Saints fans would prefer to be at Eastleigh v Man U I would predict. [Post edited 8 Jan 21:15]
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 23:06 - Jan 8 with 1965 views | LondonSaint76 |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 21:14 - Jan 8 by Southamptonfan |
It's a very boring game. More interest in Eastleigh I would say. I do hope they have Eastleigh and Saints playing on different days, otherwise many Saints fans would prefer to be at Eastleigh v Man U I would predict. [Post edited 8 Jan 21:15]
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Can't see much chance of Watford v Saints being televised and equally Eastleigh v Man U, if they win their replay, not being televised. Add to that they now stretch the FAC out over 4 and even 5 days. I think we should be able to get to see both games without us having to choose between them. Famous last words... |  |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 00:08 - Jan 9 with 1920 views | SFC_Referee |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:14 - Jan 8 by InTimeAddedOn |
Tend to agree on both counts. Perhaps the winners of Palace / Everton or Brentford / Wolves at SNS would be a good yardstick to evaluate us by, of course, assuming RM played the best XI and not a team with 9 changes. I am no fan of playing non-league or Lgue 2 teams as always a potential banana skin and Christ don’t the media bang on about it for ever and a day if it does happen. I see Jeff Stelling was banging on about revamping the FA Cup 3rd round draw by rigging it so all the 20 smaller Clubs left in at the 3rd round stage get guaranteed a PL or Championship opponent so they get a big payday. He was having a right whinge about Maidstone getting Stevenage and Eastleigh getting Newport. Surely that gives the two of them a better chance of going another round so extra prize money and then perhaps a bigger / better draw in the next round? Also, possibly a chance to make Club history as they may not have ever made it that far before if the 3rd Round game is winnable.
As for the play-offs, no only a lottery but I hate them. What right has a team finishing 6th got to go up? None whatsoever as far as I am concerned. Just imagine in the Olympics if after the 100m final they gave a gold medal to the winner, a silver to the runner up then made the bronze medalist run the race again against the runner finishing 6th and then if he won that run it a third time against the winner of rematch between the runners finishing 4th & 5th! If they did that there would be uproar. As far as I am concerned top 3 should go up end of story. As for keeping the season interesting just ask any fan of any team finishing 3rd after 46 games who get done in the play offs either by the 6th placed team or at Wembley how interesting their season now is. Entry to the richest League in world football possibly decided on penalties??? FFS, utterly pathetic!! |
Well you say all of that, but no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs as it’s always been one of the other 3 teams, as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that, and finishing higher still gets you your benefits over the other teams. As it’s all just the same as how teams that finish 2nd in a champions league group, can still win that and how teams that finish 3rd can end up with the Europa league, as they’re no different by your logic.
But without the playoffs, all the leagues outside the prem would become pretty boring for any teams. As it’s only the playoffs that keep the league entertaining to watch for the typical positions of 5th down to like 12th, as without them you’d only really have any interest in the bottom and top 4/5. Leaving a majority of the league with very little to play for, as at least in the prem the relegation zone usually has more than just 4 teams battling to stay up, and rather than the playoffs there’s European spots to battle for outside of the top few.
As that’s what helps to keep that league entertaining and stuff to play for, otherwise all these leagues would just end up being the same the same as the American sports ones from the mid points onwards, as they’re only entertaining for fans for the first half of the year and only continues if their teams done well, whilst if they’ve not it makes it just straight up boring and pointless. So no it’s not pathetic at all, but makes the sport and the EFL a whole lot more interesting and entertaining to play in and watch. |  |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 13:05 - Jan 9 with 1832 views | TimSaint |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 00:08 - Jan 9 by SFC_Referee |
Well you say all of that, but no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs as it’s always been one of the other 3 teams, as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that, and finishing higher still gets you your benefits over the other teams. As it’s all just the same as how teams that finish 2nd in a champions league group, can still win that and how teams that finish 3rd can end up with the Europa league, as they’re no different by your logic.
But without the playoffs, all the leagues outside the prem would become pretty boring for any teams. As it’s only the playoffs that keep the league entertaining to watch for the typical positions of 5th down to like 12th, as without them you’d only really have any interest in the bottom and top 4/5. Leaving a majority of the league with very little to play for, as at least in the prem the relegation zone usually has more than just 4 teams battling to stay up, and rather than the playoffs there’s European spots to battle for outside of the top few.
As that’s what helps to keep that league entertaining and stuff to play for, otherwise all these leagues would just end up being the same the same as the American sports ones from the mid points onwards, as they’re only entertaining for fans for the first half of the year and only continues if their teams done well, whilst if they’ve not it makes it just straight up boring and pointless. So no it’s not pathetic at all, but makes the sport and the EFL a whole lot more interesting and entertaining to play in and watch. |
I'm fairly sure that Crystal Palace finished 6th in the Iain Dowie Boucebackability season (early 2000's ?) and gained promotion via the Championship play-offs. | |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 23:23 - Jan 12 with 1718 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 00:08 - Jan 9 by SFC_Referee |
Well you say all of that, but no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs as it’s always been one of the other 3 teams, as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that, and finishing higher still gets you your benefits over the other teams. As it’s all just the same as how teams that finish 2nd in a champions league group, can still win that and how teams that finish 3rd can end up with the Europa league, as they’re no different by your logic.
But without the playoffs, all the leagues outside the prem would become pretty boring for any teams. As it’s only the playoffs that keep the league entertaining to watch for the typical positions of 5th down to like 12th, as without them you’d only really have any interest in the bottom and top 4/5. Leaving a majority of the league with very little to play for, as at least in the prem the relegation zone usually has more than just 4 teams battling to stay up, and rather than the playoffs there’s European spots to battle for outside of the top few.
As that’s what helps to keep that league entertaining and stuff to play for, otherwise all these leagues would just end up being the same the same as the American sports ones from the mid points onwards, as they’re only entertaining for fans for the first half of the year and only continues if their teams done well, whilst if they’ve not it makes it just straight up boring and pointless. So no it’s not pathetic at all, but makes the sport and the EFL a whole lot more interesting and entertaining to play in and watch. |
What a load of tosh.
According to you: no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs
Really?
2009/10 Blackpool finished 6th PROMOTED
2004/05 West Ham finished 6th PROMOTED
2003/04 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1996/97 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1991/92 Blackburn finished 6th PROMOTED
Prior to the 88/89 season the format was different in that the play offs were between teams near the bottom of the top Division and the 3rd placed 2nd tier team, notwithstanding, they still had to sing for their supper after rightfully gaining promotion.
Further according to you regarding the 3rd placed team playing the 6th placed in the P/O S/F you state: As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that
Ha, more tosh piled on top of the original tosh disproved above! For a start, ‘should’ is not a word that ought to be in be in the conversation, there are lots of things in life you should be able to do but cannot always be guaranteed to be able to do, such as finish 3rd in the Championship and be guaranteed promotion. In the 35 years the current format has operated the 6th placed team has beaten the 3rd placed team on 11 occasions and furthermore over that 35 year period the 3rd placed team after 46 games has only been promoted on 13 occasions meaning on 22 separate occasions the team finishing 3rd have been cheated out of their rightful promotion place by a system that is nothing more than a lottery. In the name of ‘keeping the season interesting’ this is simply unacceptable.
You even manage to shoot yourself in the foot with your own argument, when talking about the 3rd placed team you state: as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that.
Eerrm, the point is they have ALREADY DONE THAT, they have done it over 46 games and proved beyond any doubt that they are the 3rd best team in the League so not only should they be able to do it, they have already done it, therefore just promote them.
Why you are bringing what happens in two European Cup competitions into the equation only you know as it is totally irrelevant. TBH I could not give a flying asterisk about European cup competitions that have zero relevance to the point in hand. The bottom line is a League is a League, the 46 game Championship schedule is one of the, if not THE most exhaustive schedule there is and at the end of those 46 games the table does not lie. Taking one of the most extreme examples, in the 2015/16 season Brighton finished 3rd on 89 pts whilst Sheff Wed finished 6th on 74 pts, Brighton then got done by Wednesday in the P/O S/F's which as far as I am concerned is just an absolute joke as a team finishing 15 points off the pace over a 46 game League season have no right to even be considered for promotion under any circumstances.
As for my comment specifically regarding deciding the Championship Final on penalties, which is what I was saying is pathetic, it is indeed pathetic. As it is, the play offs are a lottery, but to even consider deciding the winner of the biggest domestic prize in world football on a penalty kick is ridiculous, so yes, on that specific point alone, it is pathetic.
I get all the guff about keeping the season interesting but over the years denying so many teams their rightful place in the PL, earned fairly and squarely over a marathon 46 game slog of a season, does not make up for it IMO and nothing you can say will ever convince me otherwise. [Post edited 12 Jan 23:41]
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 12:58 - Jan 15 with 1538 views | LondonSaint76 |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 23:23 - Jan 12 by InTimeAddedOn |
What a load of tosh.
According to you: no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs
Really?
2009/10 Blackpool finished 6th PROMOTED
2004/05 West Ham finished 6th PROMOTED
2003/04 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1996/97 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1991/92 Blackburn finished 6th PROMOTED
Prior to the 88/89 season the format was different in that the play offs were between teams near the bottom of the top Division and the 3rd placed 2nd tier team, notwithstanding, they still had to sing for their supper after rightfully gaining promotion.
Further according to you regarding the 3rd placed team playing the 6th placed in the P/O S/F you state: As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that
Ha, more tosh piled on top of the original tosh disproved above! For a start, ‘should’ is not a word that ought to be in be in the conversation, there are lots of things in life you should be able to do but cannot always be guaranteed to be able to do, such as finish 3rd in the Championship and be guaranteed promotion. In the 35 years the current format has operated the 6th placed team has beaten the 3rd placed team on 11 occasions and furthermore over that 35 year period the 3rd placed team after 46 games has only been promoted on 13 occasions meaning on 22 separate occasions the team finishing 3rd have been cheated out of their rightful promotion place by a system that is nothing more than a lottery. In the name of ‘keeping the season interesting’ this is simply unacceptable.
You even manage to shoot yourself in the foot with your own argument, when talking about the 3rd placed team you state: as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that.
Eerrm, the point is they have ALREADY DONE THAT, they have done it over 46 games and proved beyond any doubt that they are the 3rd best team in the League so not only should they be able to do it, they have already done it, therefore just promote them.
Why you are bringing what happens in two European Cup competitions into the equation only you know as it is totally irrelevant. TBH I could not give a flying asterisk about European cup competitions that have zero relevance to the point in hand. The bottom line is a League is a League, the 46 game Championship schedule is one of the, if not THE most exhaustive schedule there is and at the end of those 46 games the table does not lie. Taking one of the most extreme examples, in the 2015/16 season Brighton finished 3rd on 89 pts whilst Sheff Wed finished 6th on 74 pts, Brighton then got done by Wednesday in the P/O S/F's which as far as I am concerned is just an absolute joke as a team finishing 15 points off the pace over a 46 game League season have no right to even be considered for promotion under any circumstances.
As for my comment specifically regarding deciding the Championship Final on penalties, which is what I was saying is pathetic, it is indeed pathetic. As it is, the play offs are a lottery, but to even consider deciding the winner of the biggest domestic prize in world football on a penalty kick is ridiculous, so yes, on that specific point alone, it is pathetic.
I get all the guff about keeping the season interesting but over the years denying so many teams their rightful place in the PL, earned fairly and squarely over a marathon 46 game slog of a season, does not make up for it IMO and nothing you can say will ever convince me otherwise. [Post edited 12 Jan 23:41]
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Well said sir - I agree 100%, the play offs are an unjustifiable lottery especially with what is at stake between the Championship and the Prem these days.
I was shocked at the stats (yours not the numpty SFCR’s - lately I have got him on ignore user so didn’t see his post until I popped him off ignore and then back on again), not so much about the 6th placed teams getting promoted as I knew that had happened a few times and just goes to prove what a farce the play offs really are, but what really surprised me was that 22/35 3rd placed teams have been robbed of their rightful place in the PL - as you say, unacceptable.
Another issue is it delays the certainty of promotion for the 3rd placed team by a month so your planning for the following season is severely hampered whist the auto promoted sides can get on recruiting the better players they will need to try and survive. Obviously the 3rd placed team cannot even consider bringing in any new players until after the Final at the end of May (that’s if they even make it) so they are a month behind all the other 19 teams in terms of recruitment - not all deals get done on deadline day! It’s just very unfair.
i think it would be fair to say the value of promotion to the PL has rocketed beyond all belief compared to 35 years ago - as you say, the richest prize in world football at domestic level - therefore even if you agree with the play offs in principle (which neither of us do) the current system is clearly not fit for purpose - I can hear all the play off supporters now, they voted for it, blah, blah, blah…. yes, they did, but at the time what was on offer is unrecognisable compared to what the prize will be for the Wembley winner in May. If they really must have a play off then it should just be a one-off match up between the third placed Championsip team and the 18th placed PL team, either two legs or a single game at Wembley, if it is a draw, replay it, definitely NO penalties!! | |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:57 - Jan 15 with 1446 views | SFC_Referee |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 23:23 - Jan 12 by InTimeAddedOn |
What a load of tosh.
According to you: no team that’s finished 6th in the championship has gone up through the playoffs
Really?
2009/10 Blackpool finished 6th PROMOTED
2004/05 West Ham finished 6th PROMOTED
2003/04 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1996/97 Crystal Palace finished 6th PROMOTED
1991/92 Blackburn finished 6th PROMOTED
Prior to the 88/89 season the format was different in that the play offs were between teams near the bottom of the top Division and the 3rd placed 2nd tier team, notwithstanding, they still had to sing for their supper after rightfully gaining promotion.
Further according to you regarding the 3rd placed team playing the 6th placed in the P/O S/F you state: As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that
Ha, more tosh piled on top of the original tosh disproved above! For a start, ‘should’ is not a word that ought to be in be in the conversation, there are lots of things in life you should be able to do but cannot always be guaranteed to be able to do, such as finish 3rd in the Championship and be guaranteed promotion. In the 35 years the current format has operated the 6th placed team has beaten the 3rd placed team on 11 occasions and furthermore over that 35 year period the 3rd placed team after 46 games has only been promoted on 13 occasions meaning on 22 separate occasions the team finishing 3rd have been cheated out of their rightful promotion place by a system that is nothing more than a lottery. In the name of ‘keeping the season interesting’ this is simply unacceptable.
You even manage to shoot yourself in the foot with your own argument, when talking about the 3rd placed team you state: as like the league shows, they’ve been better than those in 6th. As if you’re good enough to go up, and want to survive in the prem, then you should be able to win that.
Eerrm, the point is they have ALREADY DONE THAT, they have done it over 46 games and proved beyond any doubt that they are the 3rd best team in the League so not only should they be able to do it, they have already done it, therefore just promote them.
Why you are bringing what happens in two European Cup competitions into the equation only you know as it is totally irrelevant. TBH I could not give a flying asterisk about European cup competitions that have zero relevance to the point in hand. The bottom line is a League is a League, the 46 game Championship schedule is one of the, if not THE most exhaustive schedule there is and at the end of those 46 games the table does not lie. Taking one of the most extreme examples, in the 2015/16 season Brighton finished 3rd on 89 pts whilst Sheff Wed finished 6th on 74 pts, Brighton then got done by Wednesday in the P/O S/F's which as far as I am concerned is just an absolute joke as a team finishing 15 points off the pace over a 46 game League season have no right to even be considered for promotion under any circumstances.
As for my comment specifically regarding deciding the Championship Final on penalties, which is what I was saying is pathetic, it is indeed pathetic. As it is, the play offs are a lottery, but to even consider deciding the winner of the biggest domestic prize in world football on a penalty kick is ridiculous, so yes, on that specific point alone, it is pathetic.
I get all the guff about keeping the season interesting but over the years denying so many teams their rightful place in the PL, earned fairly and squarely over a marathon 46 game slog of a season, does not make up for it IMO and nothing you can say will ever convince me otherwise. [Post edited 12 Jan 23:41]
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Well fair enough about the 6th place going up, but I could’ve sworn I’d heard that no team had, but as you’ve shown I certainly got that one wrong, so yeah my apologies on that one.
But3rd should be able to beat 6th, as it ain’t tosh at all, because it’s true, as if your good enough to be in the prem then beating 6th ain’t gonna be an issue, as if your that good then the prems just around the corner. As no I’ve not shot myself in the foot whatsoever as you can finish other places outside of 1st in many competitions and their qualification ways, yet could be beaten by teams below you in them, but the best teams usually finish 1st which is why they’re usually the ones that can win it. As again using your logic it must just be 1st than can make champions league, or 1st that make World Cup qualifications, get out of group stages and what not etc… but no they all allow multiple teams through because it keeps it much more competitive and entertaining, yet there’s still a strong trend between those finishing 1st winning these events because as I stated before they’re usually best so usually are the ones that go on to win it.
And European competitions are in this conversation because issuing your logic none of that’s fair either, which basically no one says when a World Cup/champions league is won by a team that finished 2nd in the group stage! As what you’re saying there is just pure waffle.
As the playoffs aren’t a lottery at all, as there’s a reason why the most teams that got through finished 3rd and fewest that got through finished 6th etc… as it just goes back to the point that I made before of how the better teams usually win and those better teams usually finish higher.
As without the playoffs, the EFL would be quite boring for most teams and people watching it, yet the playoffs are what separates it from ending up like one of the boring American sports that are basically only watched outside of there and Canada, so maybe you start watching all of them then if this is all such a big deal, as it’s the things like the playoffs that make football and the EFL what it is, and that’s exactly why it won’t be changing any time soon! [Post edited 15 Jan 18:00]
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 16:35 - Jan 16 with 1353 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 12:58 - Jan 15 by LondonSaint76 |
Well said sir - I agree 100%, the play offs are an unjustifiable lottery especially with what is at stake between the Championship and the Prem these days.
I was shocked at the stats (yours not the numpty SFCR’s - lately I have got him on ignore user so didn’t see his post until I popped him off ignore and then back on again), not so much about the 6th placed teams getting promoted as I knew that had happened a few times and just goes to prove what a farce the play offs really are, but what really surprised me was that 22/35 3rd placed teams have been robbed of their rightful place in the PL - as you say, unacceptable.
Another issue is it delays the certainty of promotion for the 3rd placed team by a month so your planning for the following season is severely hampered whist the auto promoted sides can get on recruiting the better players they will need to try and survive. Obviously the 3rd placed team cannot even consider bringing in any new players until after the Final at the end of May (that’s if they even make it) so they are a month behind all the other 19 teams in terms of recruitment - not all deals get done on deadline day! It’s just very unfair.
i think it would be fair to say the value of promotion to the PL has rocketed beyond all belief compared to 35 years ago - as you say, the richest prize in world football at domestic level - therefore even if you agree with the play offs in principle (which neither of us do) the current system is clearly not fit for purpose - I can hear all the play off supporters now, they voted for it, blah, blah, blah…. yes, they did, but at the time what was on offer is unrecognisable compared to what the prize will be for the Wembley winner in May. If they really must have a play off then it should just be a one-off match up between the third placed Championsip team and the 18th placed PL team, either two legs or a single game at Wembley, if it is a draw, replay it, definitely NO penalties!! |
A couple of very well made points London Saint. I hadn’t thought about the delay the play offs cause for forward planning for the 3rd placed team, as you say, that’s if they even make it! Quite right, you can’t strengthen until you know you are over the line and by the time you are you are 4 weeks behind everyone else.
Also very good point regarding the current system not being fit for purpose. It is now 35 years old and you are so right in what you say about how different the prize at stake and the rewards are today compared to 35 years ago. In fact, if you look at the FFP regs that are not much over a decade old, they are being updated for the 24/25 season to make them more fit for purpose. So, if the FFP rules are no longer fit for purpose after a third of the time since the play off procedures were updated then 100% agreed they are pants.
I see SFC Ref has still not got it (I can hear the Muppet Show music playing in the background) still saying a majority of the teams finishing third go up blah, blah, blah, seems incapable of grasping the basic stat that 22/35 of the 3rd placed teams have FAILED to get promoted and thus robbed of their rightful place in the PL, no joke now that it is worth well in excess of £100m if not closer to £150m.
I see you mention that you can ignore SFC R, how do you do that please? I really like the sound of it, I am not that well versed on the site’s tech so a pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated, thanks in advance. [Post edited 16 Jan 16:41]
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 21:48 - Jan 16 with 1282 views | LondonSaint76 |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 16:35 - Jan 16 by InTimeAddedOn |
A couple of very well made points London Saint. I hadn’t thought about the delay the play offs cause for forward planning for the 3rd placed team, as you say, that’s if they even make it! Quite right, you can’t strengthen until you know you are over the line and by the time you are you are 4 weeks behind everyone else.
Also very good point regarding the current system not being fit for purpose. It is now 35 years old and you are so right in what you say about how different the prize at stake and the rewards are today compared to 35 years ago. In fact, if you look at the FFP regs that are not much over a decade old, they are being updated for the 24/25 season to make them more fit for purpose. So, if the FFP rules are no longer fit for purpose after a third of the time since the play off procedures were updated then 100% agreed they are pants.
I see SFC Ref has still not got it (I can hear the Muppet Show music playing in the background) still saying a majority of the teams finishing third go up blah, blah, blah, seems incapable of grasping the basic stat that 22/35 of the 3rd placed teams have FAILED to get promoted and thus robbed of their rightful place in the PL, no joke now that it is worth well in excess of £100m if not closer to £150m.
I see you mention that you can ignore SFC R, how do you do that please? I really like the sound of it, I am not that well versed on the site’s tech so a pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated, thanks in advance. [Post edited 16 Jan 16:41]
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OK, it's quite easy - if you also want to ignore future posts from SFC R then go onto the Forum and select any thread where you know he's left a post, such as this one. You will see all individual posts are framed by a thinly lined boundary box, look down in the bottom right hand corner of any of SFC R's posts and you will see a red X, on a desktop left click on the red X, on an i-phone, tap the red X. That's it, all future posts from SFC R will show up in a small boundary box as 'Post from SFC_Referee ignored' - should you wish to change your mind go to 'Settings' (top RHS of UI home page) click on/tap settings then click on/tap the black box 'Ignored Members / Posts' and click on/tap that same red X next to the name and it clears the block. So, quite simple really, any problems, let me know... | |
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| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 17:32 - Jan 17 with 1218 views | InTimeAddedOn |
| FA Cup 4th Round Ball Numbers on 21:48 - Jan 16 by LondonSaint76 |
OK, it's quite easy - if you also want to ignore future posts from SFC R then go onto the Forum and select any thread where you know he's left a post, such as this one. You will see all individual posts are framed by a thinly lined boundary box, look down in the bottom right hand corner of any of SFC R's posts and you will see a red X, on a desktop left click on the red X, on an i-phone, tap the red X. That's it, all future posts from SFC R will show up in a small boundary box as 'Post from SFC_Referee ignored' - should you wish to change your mind go to 'Settings' (top RHS of UI home page) click on/tap settings then click on/tap the black box 'Ignored Members / Posts' and click on/tap that same red X next to the name and it clears the block. So, quite simple really, any problems, let me know... |
Cheers London Saint that worked a treat! As you say, quite simple.
So that’s SFC Ref given the red card!!  | | | |
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