So are we for or against the play-offs ? Thought it'd be good to guage opinion before we make promotion or not ?

I think it's been quite exciting - looking forward to 4 games which will decide our season but will obviously be gutted if we don't make it.

I'm for it.

I'm against it.

I could just about see the point of 9th playing off against 2nd perhaps over a 3-game series but if I'm honest I don't think we should go up ahead of a team which finished above us in a 36-game league.

People make the point that it means less 'meaningless games' toward the end of the season but I don't see any EF game as meaningless anyway.

Btw, I don't agree with this 3 pts for a win nonsense either (nb under the 2 pts system we'd have finished 3rd) but that's another argument.

In Holland, they have a strange play-off system. They have 18 teams in the Premier league and 20 in the 1st division. Last in the Premier is relegated, numbers 16 and 17 go into the play-off with 6 teams from the 1st. Champions of the 1st division are automatically promoted. To get into the play offs, the chiefs have divided the 1st division competition into groups of 9 games. The winner of each group of 9 games go into the play-offs, which means that once you have won the group, and say you win another group later, the runner up in the 2nd group of games, qualifies for the play offs.

In theory, this could mean that a team finishes in the bottom half of the overall league table, but thanks to a run in one of the group games,qualifies for the play offs. Also in theory, this team could finish middle or near the bottom of the 1st division, but thanks to winning the play-offs , gets promotion.
In practice this has happened only a few times.Even remaining 2nd in the table all season does not guarantee promotion.

So what's fair ? It does mostly lead to exciting pay-offs and extends the season for some teams.

update after last night ?

I'm even more against it - way too stressful.

I like the idea as it makes more teams have meaningful games and hopefully save some of these clubs from going bust.

It's morally and fundamentally wrong.Especially as the fans have to shell out yet more cash and if you were second by miles it would really piss you off having to play 4 more games to win promotion.

Totally against it. If the top team in the league is promoted on the strength of having gained most points in a season why shouldn't the same criteria be applied to second?
Like Kots I can see 9th V 2nd but other than that NO NO NO
Play offs in a 10 team league is a joke, especially a two leg final - where is the occasion??
Where is the press coverage? 6 pages in not exactly headline news.
Having said that the adrenalin was flowing on wednesday, in a league game 4-1 would be a teriffic result, 4-2 Ok But losing a second on wed would have taken the shine of a good result.

Yeah, but those are the criteria set out at the start. Win the league and you go up. Finish 2nd and it's maybe not good enough.

We all play by the same rules before a ball is kicked. I agree with GoF.

If you moan about finishing second then you know at the start of the season that 2nd is not the goal.

I think it has certainly made this season more entertaining in the third division, two games to go and five of the ten teams still had something to play for. However I would like it to be more like the English system, with bigger leagues and two automatic promotion places and the play off position as a bonus for the teams vying for promotion, as opposed to the system we have where it is a safety net for the teams getting relegated!

Agree.

We need 2 (or even one) SFL league/leagues.

I heard the SFL2 would mean a 16 team league, anyone know about that ?

Would EFFC stayed up if the play-offs were in force when they were relegated a few years ago?

The SPL 2 is supposed to be 16 team top league, with perhaps a 16 team SPL2, and the 3rd Division would remain as 10 teams.

It doesn't seem like a bad idea

Like the play-offs now we're in it but think second should go up automatically if there is a big enough gap (which would have to be agreed at the start of the season).
When Gretna & Peterhead went up about 3 years ago the gap between 2nd and 3rd was massive and would have been very unfair on Peterhead.
So maybe a 12 point gap, otherwise play-offs - watcha think?