Well done to Oldham Athletic. Back in the football League. Although the Non Lge playoffs are wrong, they did it and fair play to them.
Conference National League Play Off Final 24/25
- Thread starter Steve Gilbert
- Start date
What a last 15 minutes of football...loved it!
Why are the non league play offs wrong?
- Year of First Game
- 1980
In what way?
Good to have Oldham back in the EFL. A proper club who have had nothing to shout about since 1994.
Should it be top two go up?
Why not a four way playoff like the rest of the divisions. Why should a team finishing 6th or 7th get a chance of promotion, when clearly they wasn’t good enough during the season.
I've just about forgiven Oldham for their chairman at the time, Ian Stott, being one of the prime movers for the formation of the Premier League! But, nah, pleased for them.
Strangest thing watching that was the fact that Macauley Bonne, still only 29, is playing in the national league. Seemed decent at League One level. (In fact, I just checked, he had an 11 goal season - in 33 games - in the championship with Charlton.)
Strangest thing watching that was the fact that Macauley Bonne, still only 29, is playing in the national league. Seemed decent at League One level. (In fact, I just checked, he had an 11 goal season - in 33 games - in the championship with Charlton.)
Why is 5th place and winning the play offs good enough to go up in that case?
- Year of First Game
- 1980
You could use that argument for all play-offs. How far behind Bolton were we? How far behind Sheffield United were Sunderland?
The one thing they do right is give an advantage to teams finishing higher in the league.
- Year of First Game
- 1980
Just over 42K there that day, 33K or so Oxford.
werthersoriginal
Level: James Constable
(280 Apps, 106 Gls)
Well done Oldham, good to see them back, though I have a soft spot for Southend, I went to see them play Exeter before an AC/DC concert at the Southend Kursaal in the 70s.
OX14
Level: Les Phillips
(224 Apps, 15 Gls)
Bristol rovers v Grimsby was higher than ours at 47k too so our final is the third highest in history and that's decent considering York only had around 9k fans in attendance.
I was surprised this final and all the play offs from the national league was not on TV and was on a subscription channel that charges £14.99. Crazy if you ask me and I'm glad we are nowhere near that league anymore.
and it was limited to that as well.
I wonder if that was the Ian Stott that played for Oxford United?
edit - given that the Oldham Stott was born in 1934 I don't think so.
Disappointed for Southend. It’s the closest club to me - in fact I can see their floodlights from my house.
Been to see them play a few times this season and even saw the 1-0 v Oldham a couple of months ago - Southend play some decent attacking football just not great at finishing or defending.
Been to see them play a few times this season and even saw the 1-0 v Oldham a couple of months ago - Southend play some decent attacking football just not great at finishing or defending.
Cos Gateshead aren't winning them. A proper club who have had nothing to shout about since bloody 1960.
christenedinjericho
Level: Chris Maguire
(79 Apps, 22 Gls)
To be honest if we had played L'ton in 2010 instead of York, the attendance of that hyperthetical game would still today be the highest. In fact, probably never hypothetically beaten in the balance of my lifetime left.
I'm sure together we would have been looking at 70k +.
Hyperthetical I know, but well done to both sets of supporters to pull in 52k due to the somewhat limited tickets available due to restrictions.
COYY'S.
5th place is good enough, because they finish inside what would be a four way playoff off.
But when a team finishes outside the four way playoff area, and gets a shot at promotion that doesn’t sit right with me.
Yes we finished behind Bolton, but we finished inside the four way playoff zone.
The conference playoffs have been adjusted, which is ridiculous! How can you have someone finishing 2nd during a season, and a team not even inside the four places below Barnet get a shot at promotion. In this case Southend finishing 6 places below. Crazy!
Whereas our playoff system has been in place for years.
If you think a team finishing 6 places outside of first should get a chance to be promoted then fine. It does t sit right with me.
- Year of First Game
- 1980
Currently League 2 does that as well, due to 3 going straight up, then 4th to 7th in the playoffs.
I do take your point though, the actual League Table is devalued if you can finish 20 or so points behind a club and still go up instead of them. It seems worse in the Conference because only 2 teams go up, I'd be in favour of 3 up, and also adjusting League 2 so that is 3 up instead of 4.
Personally I would go back to top 3 straight up, but there isn't any appetite to do that. Brings in too much money which is certainly needed down the pyramid.
Apparently the two teams today had a combined 216 seasons in the Football League between them (after last season's playoff final, when they had zero.......)
Compared to either of them, we're Johnny-come-lately whippersnappers in Football League terms!
So good to see Oldham back after some seriously tough years. Hope Southend will do the same next year.......
Compared to either of them, we're Johnny-come-lately whippersnappers in Football League terms!
So good to see Oldham back after some seriously tough years. Hope Southend will do the same next year.......
I completely agree with that system of 3 up and 3 down. But it has to be the same all the way down the pyramid.
The problem is the playoffs were introduced as a money making scheme, and that won’t change.
I think it’s ok with me if it’s a 4 way playoff. But when a team finishes outside of that bracket, I just makes it a farce.
I know that teams finishing higher get home field advantage, but it’s still not right.
The truth is it’s about making money. That why they were introduced.
Foley
Level: Colin Harrington
(260 Apps, 30 Gls)
To be fair, the play offs are a fantastic spectacle.
Agree that 2 up plus one in the play offs for all leagues down to the NL makes far more sense though
werthersoriginal
Level: James Constable
(280 Apps, 106 Gls)
The team that finished second only has to win one home game to get to Wembley, trouble is for the last two seasons they’ve messed up and lost those games heavily. Agree that the conference should fall in line with the EFL.
It’s not my idea of a good system but you only think finishing 6th is but 7th not because it’s what you are used to seeing.
As captain
Scotchegg
Level: James Constable
(280 Apps, 106 Gls)
I'm more positive than most, but even I think that finishing in thd top 3 of the Championship is a long stretch for us in the immediate future.
But when I look at the last game of the season where Coventry, Blackburn and Millwall were fighting out for the final playoff space, I'm not sure that this isn't obtainable with a bit of luck.
If they wanted to extend the playoffs to include the top 8 then I'd be all for that as it would give us even more chance of success.
As long as everyone knows the deal before the season starts then there cant be any complaints.
But when I look at the last game of the season where Coventry, Blackburn and Millwall were fighting out for the final playoff space, I'm not sure that this isn't obtainable with a bit of luck.
If they wanted to extend the playoffs to include the top 8 then I'd be all for that as it would give us even more chance of success.
As long as everyone knows the deal before the season starts then there cant be any complaints.
That is quite an issue for a football team.
