Promotion via play offs: good or bad?

[RubiconCSL]

If we scrape into the play-offs, would we better off getting promotion and then probably struggle next year in level 3, or lose the play offs and build on it next season and hopefully get promoted by true merit i.e. automatic promotion?

I know we are a so called "big club" at this level, so how ever we get promoted, we should (in theory) have the money to then buy a good L1 team. But, how many existing players would shine in a division above? If not that many, we'd have to re-build completely in the closed season.

My thinking is that if we got to the play offs, but failed, we could still build a stronger team in the closed season and then earn automatic promotion the next season. Questions then would include: how would the loyalty of the fans be affected; would crowds drop next season, if still in L2? Would support for AA dwindle?

I just always have an uneasy feeling with promotion via play offs. A) we clearly don't have a very strong team if we get there via the play offs and therefore need to buy a lot more than other teams b) we are entering that market later than others, meaning a lot of the better players may already have been snapped up. Going up and struggling, regardless of ensuing relegation or clinging on, has a bad effect on moral, both of the players and the fans.

Or is it a case of promotion any way you can get it and worry about a nice problem like struggling a bit, but still being in a higher division?

[Here comes AFC]

The difference in standard between L1 and L2 is minimal

[RubiconCSL]

In which case, it's just the shorter window to build in. Sod it then, let's hang back until the last few weeks and then suddenly leap into the play offs and then win due to our current form at the time. AA is a genius

[Here comes AFC]

In which case, it's just the shorter window to build in. Sod it then, let's hang back until the last few weeks and then suddenly leap into the play offs and then win due to our current form at the time. AA is a genius

What building is required?

A good L2 team should survive comfortably in L1

At that level most players will be still be loans and frees

[This Time Next Year]

Whether we'd struggle or not aside... Take promotion and worry about it later all day long.

Remember most of us still think the ensuing troubles were a price worth paying for an FA cup win...

(On topic - If good enough to make and win the play offs, then chances are the squad would be a decent base to survive / build on anyway)

[Here comes AFC]

Whether we'd struggle or not aside... Take promotion and worry about it later all day long.

Remember most of us still think the ensuing troubles were a price worth paying for an FA cup win...

(On topic - If good enough to make and win the play offs, then chances are the squad would be a decent base to survive / build on anyway)

That would depend on how we manage it. We need a scorer, if we buy one great but if they come in on loan we'll struggle (like most other teams who get promoted on the back of a loan).

[This Time Next Year]

I'd still take the promotion.

Anyone who would prefer to not be promoted needs their head checked for holes or insect infestations!

We have the ground, support and arguably the infrastructure to maintain a championship level team comfortably, so this debate shouldn't even exist until we're talking about a return to the prem. (And even then... I'm pretty sure we'd take the promotion and the money etc...)

Whats the point of playing this game if not?

[Locky_McLockface]

At that level most players will be still be loans and frees

On that subject, I think it will be very revealing what we do in January. For the first time in a good few years, we are able to actually spend money. At the moment, our squad is mainly waifs and strays that no-one else wants, with a few loans from higher clubs who want their players to get some competitive games that they wouldn't get at their parent club, plus a few that we've brought through from our own youth system.

What we do when we are able to buy players that another team hasn't already kicked out will be interesting.

If we do that wisely, then perhaps we wouldn't struggle if we got promoted.

[Selsey Bill]

Call me deluded, but I still think we will make the play-offs at least. From what I have seen of teams in L1, there isn't a huge amount of difference between the two leagues. What we are lacking more than anything else to get us out of this league is a proven goalscorer (eg Matt Tubbs, Danny Hylton) . It could be that Westcarr or Storey will still come good for us, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if we bought in January. We could also do with a creative midfielder. Back to the original question - we should be gunning for promotion, and be disappointed if we don't get there.

[Portchester PFC]

I think we will make the play offs if we spend a little on a few quality players in the January window, this will indeed be a good test of the board. A proven goals scorer has to be top of the list, perhaps a creative mid-fielder to bolster what we have. If we can get them then i believe we will comfortably make the play offs, if we can create a few more and convert half of the chances we have missed due to lacking that killer finish then we will be there or there abouts.

Play offs for me and then small re-building/adjusting for L1. Another season down here, especially after the huge turn around in financial position is putting a lot of pressure on the board, the manager and the team this season to perform.