The Pompey Chimes Forum

Even Catlin must accept, now League Two have declared their hand, that it's pointless pursuing a fixture-completion agenda.

It's going to cost clubs at least £150,000 to do tests on all the players plus they have to sterilise stadiums and pay for alll the day-staff and officials.
Yes, the eight who 'are determined to complete the season' may have the resources but they have failed to get the other 16 on board for the simple reason that it ain't gonna happen.
Trophy Final likely to happen before the start of 2020-21.

I think this is mainly being driven by Darragh MacAnthony the Peterborough chairman. He's looked at the possible permutations for end of season tables and doesn't like what he sees . Considering he's spent a fair old wedge in trying to get promoted this season . And also considering that 7 of Peterborough's last 9 games are against teams in the bottom 10 of the table , he fancies they can get a lot more points actually playing the games than any calculations will give them. He's also mindful of the fact that if they don't go up the likes of Ivan Toney will be on his bike next season.

Personally I don't think Pompey are ready to go up. If they abandon the season and we are in the play-offs then fine I'd take that , but I think our away form has been shocking this season and we don't deserve to go up. Our wonderful run in January/early February has come just that bit too late.

If, as expected it's an 'unweighted' points-per-game decision, we would get Oxford in the play-offs with Fleetwood playing Wycombe in the other tie.

Surely the EFL are saying they will fund the cost of the tests.

Dinksy wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 7:31 pm If, as expected it's an 'unweighted' points-per-game decision, we would get Oxford in the play-offs with Fleetwood playing Wycombe in the other tie.

Maybe the Pompey 'concern' is that the points will get weighted and we might suffer. Sunderland and Posh will not take lightly to missing the play-offs.

TBH I'm a bit confused about the difference between 'weighted' and 'unweighted' . I know it's something to do with taking into account the clubs who have played more home than away games and making sure they don't get an advantage but as to how they work it out.....

Unweighted is a simple points/games calculation; it just allows for those teams that have a game in hand.

Weighted is the same, but treats home and away separately. So, calculate points per home game to date and multiply up to points for 22 home games (remember it is only 22 because there is no Bury). Then do the same for away games. Add the home and away totals together for weighted predicted points.

It would also be possible to look at the points per H or A game for each opposing team and weight W/D/L chamces appropriately; e.g. a home game against Coventry is not the same as a home game against Bolton. AFAIK, no-one has gone down that particular rabbit hole.

The whole exercise is troublesome because the top of L1 is so tight. Teams will win one way, lose by another, all by fractions of points, and so they will all push for the system that is to their benefit. Going into any vote, all 23 teams will know which teams will do best under which system, and could vote accordingly; it is not a disinterested process.

https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/f ... TxjYGRmVcE

On the above link someone has worked out the final tables of the 7 top divisions of English football using the unweighted method.

Let's examine these tables. In the Premier League the team that is top stays top and the three teams currently in the relegation zone stay there. In the Championship the top two , the four teams in the play offs and the three teams relegated all stay where they are. In League Two the top three , the four teams in the play offs and the bottom two sides all remain the same. Only in League One is there one change. The top two stay where they are , the bottom three stay where they are but the play offs see one change where Wycombe (because of their games in hand) leapfrog Peterborough United. And the campaign to not use this method and to try and end the season normally is being orchestrated by Darragh MacAnthony. I wonder why ????

Logically, in any unweighted system everyone stays where they are except for games in hand. I'd like to finish the season because we might have a chance of nicking it through the play offs but to be honest any team that gets stuffed at Accrington , Milton Keynes and Wimbledon doesn't deserve Promotion.

Cheers for that PP.
Yes, each club are opting for whichever system favours their bespoke position.
Mark Catlin was making the same point on Radio Solent yesterday.
He is still hoping that another round of talks next week (I think tomorrow) will keep the door to playing matches open. But he also said that nothing is worth the price of either a fresh outbreak occuring as a result of playing or a club going under because of the costs involved.
From Pompey's POV, he said voiding the season will cost them "circa £1m".

Interesting news here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52683643

The League One play-offs could be extended to include more teams after the EFL said "innovative solutions" might be needed to decide the season.

Discussions aimed at finding a solution ended without clubs in England's third tier coming to an agreement.

One point separates third-placed Oxford United and eighth-placed Wycombe.

Must admit I don't see too much wrong with that as it is very tight up the top. Opinions?

I'd rather see the normal 4 way play off as we would stand a greater chance with no Sunderland nor Peterborough. However they could opt for something like this involving 3rd to 8th.
Top 2 promoted then ...

a 5th vs 8th
b 6th vs 7th
c 3rd vs winner of a
d 4th vs winner of b
Final c vs d

All games over a single leg with the highest ranked team playing at home.

Just a thought.

Might be an advantage for the lower placed teams who would have a competitive game under their belts. I think changing it panders to the money clubs who are missing out, but KJ said in the interview yesterday, you are where you are when the season finished for a legit reason...keep it the way it was with only 4 in the play-offs

Absolutely right that all the clubs are voting for whichever option suits them best.

AIUI, there are now only 2 options on the table - completion of the season including play-offs when they can or unweighted points per game to decide final positions, then play-offs when they can.

As others have noted, if the latter, then both Sunderland and Peterborough miss out on the play-offs. Bless. But then, of course, Darragh MacAnthony has threatened massive legal action if his club is denied.

Using ' league form and histroric records' statisticians at Reading University have predicted that Pompey would finish third if they played their remaining fixtures. The only change in the top six places from the unweighted system would be that Peterboro would replace Wycombe.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52689630