Premier League plans play-off for last CL place

[readingbedding]

Would be popular/not popular, for the teams/fans involved.

[Ferris]

Bad idea imo. It's bad enough that the team who finishes 4th goes into the Champions League, let alone a team finishing 7th.

Here's the link to he bbc article btw http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 516372.stm

The Premier League is considering a proposal to introduce a play-off for the fourth Champions League place.

The top four currently enter the tournament but the new idea would mean the teams from fourth to seventh playing in a mini-knockout competition.

BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar said the Premier League has been presented with "a number of ideas for altering the competition's format".

But there will be no changes for three years as the next TV deal is in place.

Farquhar added: "Any changes would need the agreement of 14 of the 20 clubs. But the League says there are many options and nothing has been decided."

The move is widely thought to be seen as a way of increasing competition in the Premier League because Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have filled the top four positions in five out of the past six seasons.

The proposal was raised at a meeting of all 20 clubs on 4 February and will be considered again when they next meet in April.

The top four in the Premier League is the same so far this season, although Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa are putting concerted pressure on Liverpool, who are fourth.

Two years ago the Premier League was widely condemned for a proposal to play a 39th game of the domestic season in Asia.

The Football Association, the sport's world governing body Fifa and European body Uefa all rejected the idea and the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) condemned the proposal as being motivated by money, dubbing it Game 39.

[Silver Fox]

Bad idea imo. It's bad enough that the team who finishes 4th goes into the Champions League, let alone a team finishing 7th.

The fact that 3 teams who win nothing get into the champions league isn't going to change, you might as well add a bit of competition to the fact

[Stranded]

Interesting - but could end up just giving the big 4 a safety net for CL qualification.

Wasn't something like this used in Holland and proved pretty unpopular?

[Silver Fox]

Haven't Holland gone further so the league winners aren't guaranteed a CL spot or something?

[TBM]

Interesting - but could end up just giving the big 4 a safety net for CL qualification.

But on the flip side it also gives the likes of Villa, Spurs, Everton etc the chance to get in as they are more than capable of beating the "big 4" on their day.......

[TheMaraudingDog]

Quite clearly its designed to help ensure that the declining Liverpool team still get a sniff at Europe. Give it 5 years and the playoffs will be extended to the top 10.

[Winchester Royal]

Give it to the FA Cup winners.

[Silver Fox]

Quite clearly its designed to help ensure that the declining Liverpool team still get a sniff at Europe. Give it 5 years and the playoffs will be extended to the top 10.

But surely this would penalise them as currently they're in on merit?

[TheMaraudingDog]

Quite clearly its designed to help ensure that the declining Liverpool team still get a sniff at Europe. Give it 5 years and the playoffs will be extended to the top 10.

But surely this would penalise them as currently they're in on merit?

Currently they're not in The Champions League

[Silver Fox]

Currently they're in 4th, which I'm sure you know I meant

[Terminal Boardom]

Quite clearly its designed to help ensure that the declining Liverpool team still get a sniff at Europe. Give it 5 years and the playoffs will be extended to the top 10.

This was my first reaction when I heard the suggestion.

[premiership_bound]

Give it to the FA Cup winners.

Or at least include them in the play off.

[handbags_harris]

Wasn't something like this used in Holland and proved pretty unpopular?

Haven't Holland gone further so the league winners aren't guaranteed a CL spot or something?

The Eredivisie has had Champions League playoffs in the past, yes, but I can't speak as to their popularity. I've never bothered to question it, merely accepted that playoffs are an accepted part of football across Europe for qualification for many domestic and European competitions.

Anyway, the original format as I understand it until 2007, was:

1: Automatic entry to the CL Group Stage.
2-5: CL playoffs to enter the CL at the 2nd Qualifying Round, the runners up entering the UC proper, and the two losing semi-finalists entering the UC qualifying rounds.
6-9: UC playoffs to enter the 2nd Qualifying Round.

It has altered somewhat now, and they now only have playoffs for the Europa League:

1: Automatic entry to the CL Group Stage.
2: Automatic entry to the CL 2nd Qualifying Round.
3: Automatic entry to the EL 4th Qualifying Round.
4: Automatic entry to the EL 3rd Qualifying Round.
5-8: Playoffs to enter the EL 2nd Qualifying Round.

That is all dependent on who wins the KNVB Cup, but that is the accepted format at the start of the season.

[Terminal Boardom]

I think Man Utd will approve this approach. It can't be long before another crown jewel is sold to satisfy the creditors. After all, it just wouldn't be the CL if the likes of Villa, Man City and Spurs were in there instead of Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal would it.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Another half arsed idiot idea to try and wring yet more money out of Sky and the lame brained punters, just like the FL did 20 odd years ago.

Mind you there is absolutely no point in having the Premiership 'cos the only bit that ever gets vaguely interesting is the mad desperate fight amongst 8 or so teams to avoid relegation.

Roll on Premier 2, which the organisation desperatley needs to try and counter the financial problems of having the bloody stupid league in the first place......

[Victor Meldrew]

I wish it was still a competition for Champions only from the 16 top ranked countries and all rounds to be on a knockout basis with no seeding.
It won't happen but at least it would be more exciting than all of those dreadful qualifying and league stages.

2nd placed teams and champions from the lesser leagues could go in for the Europa Cup which would boost the standard of that competition.
3rd,4th,5th and 6th placed clubs should try harder to get 1st or 2nd.

FA Cup and League Cup winners (or runners-up if the winners are already in Europe) to play each other for the right to play in a European Cup-winners competition which like the other two cups would be strictly on a knockout basis.
This might give a boost to the FA Cup and League cup.

[Dirk Gently]

You're missing the subtelty and guile of Scadamore in taking this at face value.

Yes, it looks great for all except the Big 4, because it potentially shares the money around. But isn't it amazing that these proposal surfac e just as Game39 disappears off the agenda. Where do you think these extra games would end up being played after just a few years?

BTW, this thread is probably as good a place as any to report that I understand Reports the Premier League is getting set to announce that overseas rights for the forthcoming PL broadcasting/media rights (2010-2013) will top one billion quid in total, an increase of about 60% on the current agreements which is worth £625 million. So the ever increasing gravy train for the top sets seems set to continue.

[Terminal Boardom]

You're missing the subtelty and guile of Scadamore in taking this at face value.

Yes, it looks great for all except the Big 4, because it potentially shares the money around. But isn't it amazing that these proposal surfac e just as Game39 disappears off the agenda. Where do you think these extra games would end up being played after just a few years?

BTW, this thread is probably as good a place as any to report that I understand Reports the Premier League is getting set to announce that overseas rights for the forthcoming PL broadcasting/media rights (2010-2013) will top one billion quid in total, an increase of about 60% on the current agreements which is worth £625 million. So the ever increasing gravy train for the top sets seems set to continue.

Which will force up the price of over-paid underachieving players, put more strain on supporters' wallets and have Richard Keys creaming himself all over Mike Wedderburn. Nice

I wonder how many PL clubs will spend within their means and how many more con-men and tricksters will find their way into the Boardrooms?

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

Another half arsed idiot idea to try and wring yet more money out of Sky and the lame brained punters, just like the FL did 20 odd years ago.

The play-offs weren't introduced to get more money out of SKY. SKY didn't even exist then, and the overall tv money was peanuts in the mid 1980s.