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Post by tenacres on Jun 19, 2016 20:12:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2016 7:12:59 GMT
The first point on having a National play off Finals day at Wembley. They are claiming the Cup Final Double header was a success on numbers attending, but most fans only took in their own teams game, not both matches. This is likely to be repeated if they have three games at Wembley, you'll get numbers but it would be misleading. For a start, what time would the first game be? They are suggesting no extra time being played, 90 minutes, then penalties if required. First game say 12-30pm.....Ok its Sunday...reduced rail services, possibly engineering works as well....who plays first? North or South? One imagines it would be better for the North due to getting back home, for example, AFC Fylde v Bradford PA...but would they get there for kick off? South Final 2-30pm kick-off but if the North Final went to penalties 2-45pm kick-off...Truro City v Dartford...that would finish around 4-15pm or 4-30pm depending on kick off time, and if penalties required it would mean The National play off final starting at 5pm...Gateshead v Barrow...a finish of around 7pm....how are they going to get a train home at that time? Most fans would need to take Monday off work one imagines? So while having all this wonderful idea they once more forget the fans and how they would cope, its not been thought through properly.
As to the second idea of extending the play off to six teams, it's utter madness to offer a team finishing 7th a chance of promotion although to achieve it they would have to play 3 away games. The idea is that 4th would be home to 7th, and 5th home to 6th...one leg only. The winners of those games would then play away to the teams finishing 2nd (playing 5th or 6th) and 3rd, (playing 4th or 7th) again one leg only, and the two victors play each other at Wembley in the final.
I suspect clubs will vote for extending the play-offs but I'd like to see them push for a 2nd automatic promotion spot and the play offs remaining at 4 teams which would involve the club finishing 6th in the format as used now, two legs semi-finals and a final. They are pushing for Wembley finals and used the fact Maidstone were only permitted 750 fans at Ebbsfleet in the Final last season. Personally I would look to have the North and South Finals played at the nearest Football League ground that holds 10,000+ which for Ebbsfleet and Maidstone would have meant a London ground, and the other was AFC Flyde v North Ferriby Utd so maybe somewhere like either Huddersfield Town or Doncaster Rovers?
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Post by westendspitfire on Jun 20, 2016 7:53:57 GMT
I know the pitches are in a different class at Wembley, but still three matches in a row, the final one being the showpiece of the National League season, if the rain comes down early on in the day and hangs around it's a bit of a gamble!
We've got used to the play offs and the possibility of the team finishing 4 places off automatic promotion having a chance to go up, but to go as low as 6 places below the automatic spot seems very generous even though that would have been us this year.
If it ain't broke............
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Post by nobadspitfire on Jun 20, 2016 9:12:27 GMT
I'm not sure about the new proposals, but what is really positive is that a) the National League are coming up with new ideas, maybe with some input from Vanarama, & b) they're floating the ideas to fans to get feedback. So the suggestion there is that they're trying to be more democratic. Some people will never be happy with change, & reading Facebook feedback, most people want 3 up to League 2, but that will only happen with the Football League changing it's rules. Maybe more lobbying from the NL & fans may mean changes in due course?
Wembley for NL & NS play-off finals, why not? It should be up to NLN clubs & fans to say yes or no to that or to have the final at a prestigious venue in the North. If 2 or 3 games at Wembley, do them without Extra-time, straight to Pens.
6 in the play-offs? Don't think there's anything wrong with the process at the moment.
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Post by back4more on Jun 20, 2016 10:37:22 GMT
This idea that the National League have come up with is just plain daft. Play offs are already controversial enough as they are. In my opinion the team that finishes second should go up based on their superior performance over the course of the league season.
If you make a case for extending the play offs to six clubs why stop there? why not the top 10? Actually why bother with the league? Why don't we just promote the FA Trophy winners?
As for the play off finals all being played on the same day at Wembley that has come from Mr Barwick, I would guess, to raise Wembley revenue and make a few more bob for his mates at the FA. Spirit makes some telling points on this idea but my first thought goes back to the 2014/15 season play off final at Wembley. Vanarama's initiative of providing affordable tickets to all Conference National supporters, before the finalists or even potential finalists were known, worked well. The attendance at that Bristol Rovers v Grimsby final was I believe around 57000. That was a bigger turn out for that season than the attendances at both the League One and League Two play off finals. The atmosphere was superb and the match was a brilliant and absorbing spectacle for everyone there including the drama of extra time and penalties.
The idea of downgrading that to 90 minutes with penalties if you need them and shoe horning in a couple of additional matches is "five a side tournament" thinking and can only have come from someone who has no idea of the importance of top level non league football to its supporters. I suspect that having spent a career wielding influence in the FA with its focus on the Premier League and its boondoggle national training centre at the expense of the rest of football, Mr Barwick hasn't grasped that non league football is a major sport in its own right with a greater national following than any other spectator sport outside the Premier and Football Leagues.
Going back to what Spirit has said he makes an excellent point about using Premier or League grounds for the North and South play off finals. My first thoughts were that this might be too costly but then I thought back to seeing a Hampshire cup final we won a few years ago at St Marys. If you can hold a county cup final at a premier league ground there is absolutely no reason why you can't have a play off final there. The actual venues could be determined based on the location and level of support for the clubs contesting the match. Each of these play off finals are likely to be the pinnacle in the football supporting lives of many of the fans who attend them and each should be a major event in its own right.
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Post by realbeast on Jul 7, 2016 21:57:19 GMT
Sod all that your right back4more it's utterly ridiculous idea if they have to change any thing second place should be automatic promotion then 4 teams in the play offs
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