The Run-in

[callum-ayr]

39 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

What the f**k are you talking about?

I wouldn’t have an issue with this tbh. I’d even make it a one-off game at a neutral venue for added intrigue.

Play-offs are inherently unfair but the idea is they bring enough excitement to outweigh that. They work down south because it’s actually a decent effort to finish in the top 6 of a 24-team division, across 46 matches.

Meanwhile, some absolutely ganting teams have made the play-offs in this league, which never had the slightest chance of promotion - just look at us last year, or Morton, Ayr, Queens.

Mark Kerr's side that reached the play offs I will give you, but the McCall team in the first season back with Shankland etc were brilliant to watch.  Injuries and a small squad hindered us that season, if we had the size of squad that United or County had, I think we would have went on to win the league that year.

[craigkillie]

51 minutes ago, Hawkeye the Gnu said:

No it wouldn’t.

As it stands, the team in 2nd has to play two extra high tempo, important  play off games immediately prior to playing the 11th placed team, while the 11th placed team can just sit back and watch and wait.

 

But they can't "sit back and watch and wait" because they still have league games to play. Last season the second leg of Dundee v Raith was on the Saturday night and we didn't finish our league season until the Sunday.

[D'Jaffo]

Mark Kerr's side that reached the play offs I will give you, but the McCall team in the first season back with Shankland etc were brilliant to watch.  Injuries and a small squad hindered us that season, if we had the size of squad that United or County had, I think we would have went on to win the league that year.

We’ve basically done a Partick but I’d say we were better than they are just now.

On fire until December-ish. Had a shite January where we missed out on players that would’ve boosted our chances and then went into full on collapse in February/March. Lot of hypotheticals but had we kept Shankland fit and succeeded in signing one of Erskine, Smith or Wright then I think we would’ve ran Ross County a lot closer.

[Cardle is Magic]

1 hour ago, callum-ayr said:

Mark Kerr's side that reached the play offs I will give you, but the McCall team in the first season back with Shankland etc were brilliant to watch.  Injuries and a small squad hindered us that season, if we had the size of squad that United or County had, I think we would have went on to win the league that year.

Didn’t realise Ayr had finished in the top four of the Championship twice?

Finished 17 points behind County in 18/19 so it wasn’t even remotely close.

[HoBNob]

Lots more twists and turns to come, a couple of games ago Ayr fans were buzzing have just horsed Raith 4-1 and having won 3 out of the last four. 

Three games ago QoTS had just won a double header against Ayr and Morton... 

And it all means that over the last five games we've all had the same amount of points, a couple of good performances from Dunfermline on TV doesn't mean we're staying up. 

[parsforlife]

Find the idea that play-offs haven't made the division significantly better a bit mental tbh.  Do folk not remember twiddling their thumbs from February onwards in the sfl days?  

I'd maybe add within x points cavaat where you went straight down if too far from 8th or didn't get a chance to go up by just scrapeing 4th but being nowhere near 2nd but that's all.

[itzdrk]

The 3rd v 4th playoff is unnecessary.  Could easily keep the same format with a 2nd v 3rd playoff followed by an 11th v winner match and it would allow for some rest.  

[Stellaboz]

I like the play off system as it is. Brings more excitement and competition to the league, more meaning to placings. 

if 4th goes up, 4th goes up. We cried for years about meaningless games, well there are fewer now. We should be celebrating that fact.

[the west curve]

Last year the play offs favoured the championship team. Including the play off games against Raith, Dundee only played 29 league games before playing Killie, who had to play 38 games. One team was fresh whilst the other was running on fumes.

[TheScarf]

That was a one off though.

[oneteaminglasgow]

Does the side in second not end up playing the same amount of games as the side in 11th anyway? The sides in third or fourth play more (if they make it) obviously but that’s fair enough to give an incentive for finishing higher.

Keep the playoffs. With 6 games left, basically every side in the division is still playing for something (albeit I don’t expect that to continue to be the case for too long). If it was just straight two up, two down then season would be over for us, Caley and Raith.

I also think the team in fourth going up ahead of objectively far superior sides would be a good laugh. 

[eez-eh]

Straight 2 up 2 down is obviously “fairer” but the play-offs make for a far more interesting league.

If the fourth place team is that shite but they still manage to overcome 2nd place and 11th in the Premiership over 2-legged ties then good luck to them. Everyone knows the rules at the start of the season.

[Stellaboz]

There should be a special, honorary spot for the team who finishes 8th. 5 team play off!

[SandyCromarty]

Well dearie me, it seems I stirred a hornets nest re play off's, numerous notifications all from fans with clubs in the bottom play off area but not one from clubs at the top end, and that seems to paint a picture of it's own.

Best I say no more.

[vikingTON]

22 minutes ago, SandyCromarty said:

Best I say no more.

Best apply that policy to the entire forum m8. 

[CALDERON]

Don't mind if 4th go up, they rightly have the hardest route to do so.  

Wont happen though, whoever finishes 4th in this league will be pretty fucking shite.

[TxRover]

So, six games to go for all, and without correcting for exact matchups, etc...

-Killie and Arbroath cannot finish lower than fifth.

-ICT and Partick are safe from tenth, and are nearly safe from ninth as well (a win by each of them puts them certainly safe).

-Raith can finish in any spot.

-Morton, the Accies, Ayr and the Pars cannot go higher than third.

-Queens cannot go higher than fifth.

 

Each week now will certainly provide clarity, but from this...

-Killie and Arbroath likely have first and second sewn up between them.

-Two of ICT, Partick and Raith take the other two playoff spots, with Raith being the clear favorite to miss.

-Morton and the Accies seem to have finally stumbled clear of the relegation playoffs, but aren't safe by any means.

-Ayr seem to be weakening while the Pars are showing a little fight, so these two are the likely relegation playoff fight.

-Queens may well have exhausted their luck, and are the clear trapdoor betting choice.

 

Looking at average points, etc, it looks certain to be a sub-par season for points to win the league. With fewer than 70 points (including mathimatically corrected totals for 19-20 and 20-21) only winning three of the last twenty-one seasons. On the bottom, with thirty-nine the average for eighth place, we look on track, although tenth could well be four or five points above the twenty-seven point average.

[Cardle is Magic]

The side that finishes 4th has never even won the first play-off tie, never mind gone on to secure promotion.

That’s mostly because a team finishing 4th out of the 10-team Championship is almost certainly going to be shite.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Cardle is Magic

[Cardle is Magic]

4 hours ago, SandyCromarty said:

Well dearie me, it seems I stirred a hornets nest re play off's, numerous notifications all from fans with clubs in the bottom play off area but not one from clubs at the top end, and that seems to paint a picture of it's own.

Best I say no more.

The only picture being painted here is your “Old Man Slavers Pish” self-portrait.

[Granny Danger]

Every team in the Championship should be helping Arbroath achieve top spot.