What a stupid rule!!!!!!!!!!!

Playing in Italy as Carrarese in Serie C2B, I joined the team in December having started unemployed when they were bottom and struggling. Managed to get a couple of players in on a free that would shore up the team to get me through to January when i could really get to work with them and get some loan talent and possibly a couple of purchases in if i could make the sales.

All this done the form picked up and i started winning got toward the end of the season and i was now pushing for the play-offs, I scraped in on the last day of the season to my joy.

Then got the draw obviously all the other teams had been around at the top all year and were playing well so it didn't matter who i drew it was going to be tough.

Playoff First Leg

Carrarese 1-0 Nocerina

Praise the players for a good performance and look forward to the second leg!

Playoff Second Leg

Nocerina 2-1 Carrarese

Not the worst result away from home against a team that had only lost once at home all season. Looking forward to extra time and possibly pens and the game goes back to my news screen.

I look through the news and find that i have been knocked out on a stupid rule that as we drew and they finished higher in the league they are through to the final!!!!

Who would ever have thought up an absolutely pointless and unfair rule like that. What is the point of a play-off only to let the league results dictate the winners of a game anyway. Now my boys who played so well for the season are stuck in the lower league for another year.

Not a very helpfull response when he is understandibly annoyed. OP, this is probably the rule IRL, so SI will have put it in the game for realism. However, I agree that it is a stupid, annoying and pointless rule.

This rule took me by surprise as well, although it was a lot harsher for me as it was in a relegation playoff match.

With it being the lowest league I lost my job because of it

Yeah, this is the rule IRL. And it also applies to the relegation play-offs; if you follow the link, you'll see that in 2007/08 a team was relegated to Serie D on the basis of this rule. Harsh, but true.

iirc, it is also the rule for certain Brazilian state championships play-offs, or at least used to be.

I understand your frustration, man.

unlucky guys but its a rule and blame the italian FA its one of the harshest rules ive heard so far though

No more stupid a rule than a team finishing 6th in a 46 match season getting promoted over a team that finished 3rd. I actually quite like this rule and think it a better system than the stupid away goals rule.

Well the main criticism of playoffs is that there's no reward for a team that barely misses out on 2nd and ends up 3rd way ahead of some of the other playoff teams, over a team that luckily scraped it and may end up getting promoted instead. Admitedly I've been in this situation as a fan. With that in mind I don't think having league position as a decider if things are level is a bad idea. Adds extra incentive to still try and be as high as possible and not switch off after playoffs are guaranteed. I'm sure you'll love that rule if it ends up giving you victory over someone else.

No more stupid a rule than a team finishing 6th in a 46 match season getting promoted over a team that finished 3rd. I actually quite like this rule and think it a better system than the stupid away goals rule.

I agree with this. In my recreational league this saved our bacon one year. We drew the playoff final but because we finished higher we the league. Which was good because I'm worthless at penalties.

No more stupid a rule than a team finishing 6th in a 46 match season getting promoted over a team that finished 3rd. I actually quite like this rule and think it a better system than the stupid away goals rule.

Not really. It's to encourage the 5, 6 teams to fight for the chance. Or it might be a case in which the season ends early and the spectators get bored.

I'm at Carrarese too.

Unlucky in the play-offs. Time for you to take a deep breath and build again for the new season I'm afraid.

C.

Not really. It's to encourage the 5, 6 teams to fight for the chance. Or it might be a case in which the season ends early and the spectators get bored.

Yeah fair enough, but there should really be some some reward for finishing 3rd over 6th though? Whether that be automatically qualifying for the final, or winning in the case of a draw.

My main point though was not the argument of play offs, but away goals which I have never been a fan of.

Actually the more I think about it, the more I like this advantage to the team finishing highest, and think it should be implimtented into the English game.

In some leagues, the 3rd placed team plays off against the 6th for some sort of advantage. Away goals also encourage teams to score away from home.

In the name of money-making, the FA will never allow you to see the light of your suggestion. At least they didn't try the KNVB system of European qualifiers via playoffs a couple of seasons back (dunno if they still do). Now that IS stupid.

Agree with that mate, played a save in Holland in 06 (or maybe 07), and didn't have a clue what was going on!!

Personally i think that rule is a fairer way of doing it than here in the UK.

i agree with Legends (Teeside) 7. Going off league position MUST be fairer than penalties. Although its always going to be harsh when you get stung by it!

Personally i think that rule is a fairer way of doing it than here in the UK.

Would agree I think we should change it in this country too.

But the fairest in my opinion is 1 leg at highest placed club the winner gets to final draw home team wins. It should always be Hard for the last 2 to get through.

or

1st play off club automatically gets to final

3rd 4th match fight to play 2nd club then they play to get in final

I have even thought they should look at mini league setup probably keep the points gap and take the league games in consideration between playoff contenders too.

Then each side plays each other once at the highest place ground so again it harder for last two to make it.

But not impossible if all clubs was close.

There is a number ways they could make it fairer and eliminate penalties as a way to decide promotion.

But they dont listen the football league.

The fairest of course would be doing away with play-offs altogether.

Yes but they make a lot of people in suits money. That's what football is about really.

Rugby Super league play off is a bit messed up, the top team get to choose their opponent in the play offs or something equally as dumb as that.

The fairest of course would be doing away with play-offs altogether.

true but you have to admit a wembley final gives clubs revenue. Even losers of the final get incredible return compared to there season gate receipts at the lower end of the league. Clubs would now never vote it out for this reason. My club had 2 finals IRL one cardiff, one Wembley which generated 300-500k revenue when you look at TV, gates, merchandise and sponsorship deals. To be honest even the semis can rake it in as there often full house gates.

The concept sells. Its probably one of the best moves Football authorities made. It stirs interest brings out fans out of the woodwork to support local sides partisipating even the clubs with small suport double/triple averages in semis. In the final you get tenfold you average gates. Clubs looking for investor it can also show the clubs potential.

However in its current make up it does in a sense actually favour clubs who just crept up than clubs who just lost form missed out by there skin of the teeth automatic promotion.

I think they need to alter it but not ditch it.