Play off for the title.

[RFC55 109,360]

I sort of like the idea of the playoff system just because I know that it would attract a hell of alot of interest from outside Scotland and also the old firm at the end of the season for the title would be magnificent butI don't think this could be done for the title, especially when the eventual winners are going to be possibly representing Scotland in the Champions League, I mean lets say this season Inverness Caley finish fourth 30+ points behind us does anyone seriously expect them to even get a point if drawn in the same group as we got this season? The scottish co-efficient would go downhill so quickly if teams like Hibs/Dundee Utd managed to win the league and it would definately make the scottish game worse... IMO even a playoff for the 2nd place european spot would by a bad idea for the exact same reason as we NEED the best scottish teams playing in europe right now otherwise its going to get worse.

Ill give you this then. We "win" the leauge yet lose the title to the tims 8 year on the trot. How would you enjoy it then?

[thebooler 4,509]

A League is a League - simples.

If the diddy teams spent the same time and effort as the Rangers do trying to become, and remain sucessful, then they'd maybe get somewhere.

If all they can do is come up with these stupit fuckin ideas in order to have a chance of the CL, then they can fuck right off.

I would never pay the money I do to follow ANY team around the country week in week out, giving them my support, only to be turned over 1-0 in a fuckin play off for the League at the end of the season.

I'd bet right now if this was to happen (which it won't) crowds would drop so fuckin fast it would be changed back after 1 season.

[BRICKY1872 118]

If it's feckin warm there, then please do

Well you'd guess that we would beat Hibs over the two legs, and Celtic would beat United, so ultimately, I see it as a chance to exploit as much money as possible from Rangers vs. Celtic.

We're the dominant side right now, but back in the days when we were 20 odd points behind them, it would have been great to know that we were still in with a shot, come the end of the season.

In my opinion, the SPL will struggle to make up much ground in Europe if it sticks to the traditional structures. A massive winner-takes-all game at the end of the season would get massive, massive interest, and hopefully bring a lot more interest to the Scottish game.

What the fuck good would generating interest in a handful of games at the end of the season be? When the world and its wife knew that everything leading up to that point would be pretty well pointless and of little interest to anybody? I can't believe you can seriously see any merit whatsoever in this hair brianed scheme.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

What the fuck good would generating interest in a handful of games at the end of the season be? When the world and its wife knew that everything leading up to that point would be pretty well pointless and of little interest to anybody? I can't believe you can seriously see any merit whatsoever in this hair brianed scheme.

2 weeks of excitement, 9 months of unimportant dross. Imagine beating Celtic to go 10 points clear only to realise that it means fuck all in the end.

[BRICKY1872 118]

2 weeks of excitement, 9 months of unimportant dross. Imagine beating Celtic to go 10 points clear only to realise that it means fuck all in the end.

I'm actually struggling to get my head round the fact that some cunts who are at the forefront of Scottish football actually believe this is a viable idea.

[BRICKY1872 118]

2 weeks of excitement, 9 months of unimportant dross. Imagine beating Celtic to go 10 points clear only to realise that it means fuck all in the end.

I'm actually struggling to get my head round the fact that some cunts who are at the forefront of Scottish football actually believe this is a viable idea.

[thebooler 4,509]

What the fuck good would generating interest in a handful of games at the end of the season be? When the world and its wife knew that everything leading up to that point would be pretty well pointless and of little interest to anybody? I can't believe you can seriously see any merit whatsoever in this hair brianed scheme.

I for one certainly wouldn't pay out my hard-earned to follow the Rangers if I knew they were happy to finish Top 4 and hope to take the title on a play off.

Every game would be literally meaningless, so long as we finished in the Top 4.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

I for one certainly wouldn't pay out my hard-earned to follow the Rangers if I knew they were happy to finish Top 4 and hope to take the title on a play off.

Every game would be literally meaningless, so long as we finished in the Top 4.

We could actually rest our entire first team from January until May as we'd have enough points by then to have sewn up a top 4 finish

[thebooler 4,509]

I'm actually struggling to get my head round the fact that some cunts who are at the forefront of Scottish football actually believe this is a viable idea.

Chairmen like Michael Johnston and that twat at Dundee Ushited would obviously like to see it happen.

Their crowds would increase due to the fact they would be playing for a Top 4 finish, thereby giving them a realistic chance of winning the play off, which in turn sends them into Europe, which then increases their gate money even further. Its the only chance any of them have of ever winning the league, barring the emergence of anothe Fergie, who can take half-decent players and turn them into a decent team.

Think about it - every team in the league bar the Rangers and Them is only playing for 3rd and 4th place anyway.

Even though I personally think it's a ridiculous idea, I can see the merit in it for the other 10 (or would that be 8?) clubs.

[thebooler 4,509]

We could actually rest our entire first team from January until May as we'd have enough points by then to have sewn up a top 4 finish

Very true.

[minstral 5,375]

I would always love our club, but that would be me finished with Scottish Football.

[Irwin Sparkes 97]

Chairmen like Michael Johnston and that twat at Dundee Ushited would obviously like to see it happen.

Their crowds would increase due to the fact they would be playing for a Top 4 finish, thereby giving them a realistic chance of winning the play off, which in turn sends them into Europe, which then increases their gate money even further. Its the only chance any of them have of ever winning the league, barring the emergence of anothe Fergie, who can take half-decent players and turn them into a decent team.

Think about it - every team in the league bar the Rangers and Them is only playing for 3rd and 4th place anyway.

Even though I personally think it's a ridiculous idea, I can see the merit in it for the other 10 (or would that be 8?) clubs.

This is why any playoff should simply be for European qualification. 3rd plays 6th at home, 4th plays 5th at home, and the 2 winners qualify for the Europa League. Added excitement but doesn't turn the league into a total farce.

[thebooler 4,509]

I would always love our club, but that would be me finished with Scottish Football.

Along with me and thousands upon thousands more mate.

IMO it would be the end of football in Scotland as we know it.

[Ozblue 4,331]

A League is a League - simples.

If the diddy teams spent the same time and effort as the Rangers do trying to become, and remain sucessful, then they'd maybe get somewhere.

If all they can do is come up with these stupit fuckin ideas in order to have a chance of the CL, then they can fuck right off.

I would never pay the money I do to follow ANY team around the country week in week out, giving them my support, only to be turned over 1-0 in a fuckin play off for the League at the end of the season.

I'd bet right now if this was to happen (which it won't) crowds would drop so fuckin fast it would be changed back after 1 season.

It won't be tolerated by anybody connected to the the two biggest clubs in Scotland because it's a totally foreign concept to what EVERY living person is used to.

The complete opposite is here in Australia where that system is par for the course and to change it to a system of 'First past the post' would not be welcomed by the fans nor the clubs (Unless you were a club who continuously finished top of the league but got beaten in the "Grand Final")

As a rough guide to what can happen,I've looked at the last 13 Rugby League seasons to find out how many times the league winners= Minor Premiers, have actually won the play-off (Grand Final winners=Champions) and found out that only 5 times out of the 13 seasons has the team who finished top of the normal league season went on to win the game that crowned them Champions...and even then, one of them was stripped of the title for cheating under the salary cap rule.

Let's not make any bones about this...The only reason this system is used over here is because it is a way of garnering money for clubs through massive television money... and through fans who want their day in the sun so to speak, when their club manages to get a crack at actually winning a trophy, plus it's the only system that people have been brought up with.

It certainly does the job because it keeps half of the league teams interested for another 6-8 weeks..it gets the supporters wound up to fever pitch and it gives the media massive stories that improve their circulation...It's like having a Cup final+a World Cup+ a Euro Final all rolled into one.

I've lived through an Aussie Rules Grand Final in Melbourne and I can honestly say that the hype is like nothing I've ever witnessed in my life...But then again, if we would have had all this media back in the days when I was at Rangers games that had 100,000 + at them, that might be a different story.

Is a play-off system a way of giving more clubs a chance (even a remote one) of winning a trophy?...Definitely YES!

Is a play-off system a fair way of deciding your best team in the land?...Definitely NO!

[King_gazza 1,065]

No.

Its an 11 out of 12 vote.

If it did go ahead crowds would drop until the play-off because the league would be fucking pointless.

Ewan & roughy were saying on real radio it was 10 out of 12 teams they needed to pass it

[Ruddiger 7]

I agree OzBlue. But the reason it works so well in Australian sports (AFL/NRL) is the salary cap and player draft systems. The tv rights packages for both sports are generated around having a showpiece finals event. Scotland and England have the FA Cup as their showpiece, but no-one really gives a rats about those trophies anymore unfortunately.

In Australia the grand final winner gets some money for winning the championship however there is no "champions league" style financial windfall associated with being champions, in Scotland this money, imo, makes the SPL too important to be decided in a one or two leg playoff.

Also, the play-off to decide the champion has been the format in Australia for 100 years, whereas its the complete opposite in the UK.

[thebooler 4,509]

I agree OzBlue. But the reason it works so well in Australian sports (AFL/NRL) is the salary cap and player draft systems. The tv rights packages for both sports are generated around having a showpiece finals event. Scotland and England have the FA Cup as their showpiece, but no-one really gives a rats about those trophies anymore unfortunately.

In Australia the grand final winner gets some money for winning the championship however there is no "champions league" style financial windfall associated with being champions, in Scotland this money, imo, makes the SPL too important to be decided in a one or two leg playoff.

Also, the play-off to decide the champion has been the format in Australia for 100 years, whereas its the complete opposite in the UK.

Good post and some very good points in there mate.

I hope auld Ozblue has the sense tae agree wae ye!!!!!

[AljayBoy 2,315]

Read through the thread and many many good points raised so I won't repeat them, but instead would like to add another.

If recent times are anything to go by, can you imagine the pressure the refs and linesmen would be under officiating these play offs?

What happens if the timmys are playing Dundee Utd in a 2nd v 3rd play off and Utd score a last minute penalty to get to the final? If you look at whats happened previously with their pitch invasions and death threats etc for league games (which they can conceivably make up for in subsequent games) can you imagine the chaos after this scenario? This would clearly be ten times worse if it was us scoring a penalty in the last minute of the final after we (easy now . . .) came second in the 'league part' - it'd be like the scenes in that film Doomsday were Scotland is cut off from the rest of the world!

It is a stupid stupid stupid arse-fuck of an idea and any possible pros can be outweighed by the numerous cons.