Miss Football yet?

[Canadian]

I always find things to during the summer of course. But it still ain't the same is it.

 

12 -13 weeks to go (2nd or 9th?)

 

COYP

 

 

[lewisncfc]

I was just thinking this Saturday is about 10x less stressful than last weeks, but about 100x less exciting haha, roll on August.

[Northants Pie]

Saturdays with no football has the same anti-climatic effect as going out on the pull as a young lad hoping to wake up next to Michelle Keegan and being awoken by Michelle McManus.

 

The build up is still the same but you don't half wish you'd chosen another path in life..... ha ha

[Feral Fox]

The finish to the season doesn't help. We could carry on now ( minus all the contracts etc) form wise and were all itching to know what is going to happen squad wise and get the season underway.

I think it would have been different if we had have gone down!

[weymouthPIE]

My season was only ending today with a local Dorset Premier League game, but I might yet be able to extend it by a further week as there's another gameI could get to next Saturday.

 

At least we'll have the World Cup to enjoy this summer

[super_ram]

The season's still going for@BradtheMiller and myself ,Thank you!

[Feral Fox]

The season's still going for@BradtheMiller and myself ,Thank you!

Go on you rams (Don't forget the m of the m vote if i'm lucky to be nominated!!!!!!!)

           

 

Joke by the way 

[Pies4u]

This is when the Play Offs seem like a good idea.

The season is extended and your interest is maintained. The counter side is the uncertainty which affects planning, budget and player recruitment. Personally, I'd rather have the excitement of the Play Offs and take the risk of being a bit behind schedule on the planning side.

I don't actually miss football, play bowls all summer - represent the county. Notts beat Worcs (current Mid Counties champions) yesterday, so great start to our season. Plenty of other stuff going on too, so you can recharge the batteries and get ready fir next season. Come on you Piiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeees.

[super_ram]

Tension building up again.Stupid tea time kick off today.

[Northants Pie]

This is when the Play Offs seem like a good idea.

The season is extended and your interest is maintained. The counter side is the uncertainty which affects planning, budget and player recruitment. Personally, I'd rather have the excitement of the Play Offs and take the risk of being a bit behind schedule on the planning side.

I don't actually miss football, play bowls all summer - represent the county. Notts beat Worcs (current Mid Counties champions) yesterday, so great start to our season. Plenty of other stuff going on too, so you can recharge the batteries and get ready fir next season. Come on you Piiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeees.

 

 

 

The biggest issue with the play offs for me is that the team who finishes in third place for example can be 'X' amouint of points ahead of the team that finishes 7th yet over 180 minutes anything can happen and the team who finished 7th can go up which over 46 games is completely wrong, there's an old adage in football which is 'the table doesn't lie' and the current system is totally unfair, take the championship for example, Derby finished 13 points clear of Brighton yet Derby could miss out of the play-off final never mind going up.

 

Having said all of the above I do get the added excitement that the play-offs provide for fans etc & the extra revenue it creates for clubs but the current system is completely wrong, for me the system should be as follows, I have used this seasons Championship as the example

 

Play Off Final               Derby vs Winner of Semi Final

 

Play Off Semi Final      QPR vs Winner of game 1

 

Game 1                       Wigan vs Brighton

 

Finishing in the highest possible position should give you an added benefit, not be meaningless therefore creating the fairest possible outcome of the combination of the whole season and the need for a play-off system.

 

All ties are only 1 game and all takings etc have to be shared between the clubs like the FA Cup, also the home team have to give 35% of there ground to the away team so that it is fair for the away clubs fans yet the home team still have an advantage.

 

The beauty of this for me is that the team who finish 7th (Brighton) have got the ability to gather some momentum if they get into the final which could be the perfect foil for the rest that the team that finished 3rd (Derby) have had.

[weymouthPIE]

To be fair Northants Pie's idea ain't bad. But I suppose the current system is what makes it that bit more interesting. Every game becomes a cup tie and anything can happen. Unless Forest happen to be taking part, in which case anything but a red dog win will happen

 

The way play-offs work down here in the non league world is slightly different. Only the top side goes up autmatically, and 2nd-5th go into the play-offs. But when you get to Southern League level, it's even more different: the team that finishes 2nd, will play at home to the team that finishes 5h, and there is NO second leg. So to some extent finishing 2nd does actually have it's advantage. And that becomes even more the case when the final arrives, because the final is played at the ground of the club who finishes 2nd too! So providing they make the final you'd imagine the hosts have a massive advantage. Although the last two years that has not always been the case.

 

This season, 2nd placed Chesham United lost 3-1 at home to St Albans City who finished 4th. Any other season Chesham would've won the league by a mile, but unfortunatly there happened to be another big spender in Hemel Hempstead Town.

 

And last season, Hemel Hempstead themselves lost at home to Gosport Borough on penalties having finished 17 points above them in the regular season! In fact, Gosport only squeezed into the play-offs on the final day. They had been fighting relegation up until New Year, but just 2 league defeats after New Year saw them squeeze in on the final day.

 

The thing I find odd about the play-offs is the mentality it can create for the sides who lose out in them. Take the championship this season and Brighton. They've had a fantastic season, and to actually make the play-offs with the number of injuries (many long term) they had over the season was great going. Yet going into next season the likes of Charlton, Birmingham and Millwall - who avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth, will go into next season with a lot more optomism and positivity than a side who finished 6th!

[Chris]

I don't miss football as such, I do miss Notts (oh and the internet).

I think once a few weeks progress I will, I have been listening to other games. So, I haven't really been away from it as such but I am hoping for a competitive league next season again.

[Dripsey3]

Summer time is when the GAA championship is played in Ireland. So I have that to look forward to.