OPINION: The Peterborough United chairman is wrong about the expansion of the EFL play-offs
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony surely spoke as a club purse-strings holder rather than a football fan when he endorsed a plan to expand EFL play-off competitions from four to six teams.
That change has now been confirmed at Championship level in time for next season. MacAnthony wants to talk about also introducing it to League One, which let’s face it will happen.
The format will add an eliminator round to the Championship play-offs next season in a set-up similar to that used by the National League. The fifth-placed team will play eighth and sixth will play seventh, at the higher-ranked club’s ground, in a one-off tie to determine progression to the two-leg playoff semi-finals, against the clubs that finished third and fourth.
The EFL’s chief executive, Trevor Birch said after the vote the change would make the Championship more competitive, and there are also hopes it will add to the division’s commercial appeal.
I would argue the sole purpose is extra cash. MacAnthony’s arguments on a recent episode of his popular ’Hard Truth’ podcast about ‘supporting the underdogs, plus extra excitement and jeopardy’ are terribly weak.
The boss has probably spent too much time in the United States where teams with losing records can make American Football play-offs, and the post-season fun in basketball and ice hockey goes on, seemingly forever, with best of seven matches between the same two teams the norm.
The idea that a team can finish eighth in a 46-game season and get promoted is absurd. That one observation should kill the idea stone dead. There is no sporting justification.
Posh were eighth in League One when MacAnthony made his play-off comments, 11 points behind the team in third.
I happen to think the play-offs are one of the greatest innovations in EFL history. They keep seasons alive for many clubs, but even in the current set-up sporting fairness should be more obvious.
The teams finishing third and fourth should host the teams finishing fifth and sixth at home in one-off semi-finals before a Wembley Final.
But that would cut the amount of money clubs will earn from TV so it will never happen.
It’s also the reason why it’s reasonable to assume the new proposals will be adopted in all divisions.
Cash will always be king and many clubs rely on TV money to exist.
Any other explanation can safely be ignored.