Follow OTBM on Twitter 
It has been reported that the FA are planning on changing the rules on qualifying for the last Champions League place.
The proposal is that the top three will qualify automatically, while the fourth CL slot will be up for grabs in a Premier League play-off played by the teams who finished 4th, 5th,6th and 7th. For some reason, the United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are not impressed with the FA’s proposals, but the rest of the division are understandably delighted with the idea and we must assume that includes the blues.
If the FA’s proposal went ahead, what would it mean to Europa League qualification? Are the FA seriously saying that a team who finished 7th and win the play-off can play in the Champions League, yet a team that finishes 6th get nothing? It would make a mockery of the national game.
And where would the FA propose these games are played? Wembley? So not only would they be asking fans to pay to watch two extra games home and away but also fork out for a trip to London. Has the FA even considered the supporters during their proposals?
There is something about play-off situations that is just wrong. Yes it might add a bit of excitement and drama at the end of the season but why should a whole season’s work be potentially decided on one game?
We’ve seen it over the years with the divisional play-offs. Teams that finish sixth in the league have not had as good a season as those above them so why are they given an extra chance to win promotion?
Last season in League Two, Bury just missed out on automatic promotion by one goal and had to settle for fourth. Shrewsbury meanwhile, sneaked into the play-offs on the final day of the season and beat the Shakers in the semi final.
It was harsh on Bury who had been consistently good all season, yet they had nothing to show for their efforts while Shrewsbury had a chance for promotion when they didn’t perform half as well. And City almost suffered a worse fate in 1999 when, after finishing third in the league went to Wembley and almost lost to a team that finished below them.
Play-off systems are unfair to those that do well and just miss out and if this system is introduced, any team that finishes fourth will be well and truly hacked off that they have to play additional games to qualify for a competition and potentially finish with nothing.
Some supporters will disagree with this but will feel differently should they finish fourth and end the season with nothing to show for it.
Loading ...
4th 5th 6th and 7th placed, fight it out, winner takes Champions League place, rest of them depending on who finished where go into Europa League
Seems a good idea to me though I would take 7th place out of the equation and just have 4th 5th and 6th place fight for the Champions League.
If any lower placed club can not break the TOP SIX then they should not be in Europe FULL STOP.
I don’t think this is practical. If there were a large amount of points between 4th and 7th how could it be considered fair or logical. It may work in a tie situation but how often does that occur.
You may as well say that apart from the champions the teams that finish in the top 7 positions play off for Europe places. This would mean then that the 2nd & 3rd placed teams could potentially lose their spot in the Champions League to a side that finishes 7th. The stupidity of either of these systems is that the effort required to finishing in the top 4 is not rewarded as it should be. Teams could aim for 5th, 6th or 7th knowing they could beat a team to a CL spot that had actually earned 4th place.
I believe this to be just another media invention to attract attention.
Pick of salt anyone?
There is something fishy about this,Why now?Is it because one of their beloved top four is not a certainty to make it anymore?You can bet if everything was as per usual this would’nt see the light of day not in a million years.It STINKS!
I think it’s a good idea, it gives teams who regularly finish mid talble (8th-10th) something to fight for towards the end of the season. the final few games could be all about getting into the CL playoff…
You put that exaple of how teams who haven’t played well sneak into the playoffs and beat the better team in a 1 off match (similar to a Knock-out system like the cup games – without the sneaking) but look at it the other way too, e.g. this season Liverpool have had what’s been called a poor season yet currently sit 4th yet Tottenham have had a fairly sucessfull season and sit 6th – it’s just how things turn out, it’s also down to how each team judges their own sucess. A 5th placed finish for Liverpool would be a failure whereas the same position for Fulham, Birmingham, Everton would be quite a sucess.
I doubt if it does go through that the tickets for these play-off games at Wembley would be similar to that of an F.A. Cup final ticket. (i’m not saying they’ll be cheap afterall it’s still Wembley)
Why not just go further and make an actual Champions League – each year the winner of each countries league goes into a CL with all other national winners and plays in that league instead of their own. This will allow for more variation in the ‘top 4′ and League winners as one of them won’t be there. The teams that finish 2nd,3rd,4th (and maybe even 5th) depending on the current CL system go into what is currently the CL (may have to change the name again) and the few teams below them go into the Europa League.
We should just go back to the old days of the ‘Champions’ League, actually meaning the Champions – and make some other competition for the other teams to participate in…like the F.A. or League Cups (instead of the 2nd, 3rd or even 4th string team).
‘Reserves’ should actually mean reserves not 2nd string team…players trying to get back to match fitness should take a run in the reserves like it used to be, not any longer they train for a week then are on the bench in the 1st team again