Should they expand the promotion and relegation slots

[That Night In Barcelona]

What's the harm of having say 5 or 6 teams relegated each year up and down the leagues? It could reduce the gap between Premier League and Championship for example and I think we would all enjoy the more fun.

[MyPieBurntMyMouth]

All top flight sides in every country who don't qualify for Europe should be relegated. Had your chance, lads. Step aside.

[ChrisJ]

All top flight sides in every country who don't qualify for Europe should be relegated. Had your chance, lads. Step aside.

I am interested in your programme and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

(It'll never happen, obviously, but I want them to announce it will just to entertain me with the subsequent outburst of frothing rage.)

[Patrick Thistle]

Top 12 go up, bottom 12 go down. Reduces stagnation and means you're very unlikely to see the same faces year after year.

[kokamoa]

Top 12 go up, bottom 12 go down. Reduces stagnation and means you're very unlikely to see the same faces year after year.

Thank Christ, Ipswich finished 11th, 9th and 11th in their first 3 League One seasons…

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Everyone does seem to love the playoffs. Extend the concept, so as well as places 3-6 playing off to go up, places 15-18 have to play off to stay up. Whoever loses both the "playout" semi-final and then final gets relegated.

[ad hoc]

Everyone does seem to love the playoffs.

Where have you got your data from for this claim?

[That Night In Barcelona]

I know the bottom half Premier League teams would be dead opposed to expanding the relegation spots but I'm surprised the television companies haven't suggested it for the end of season drama.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Where have you got your data from for this claim?

Sky Sports.

[My Name Is Ian]

They should have a cut-off point of 38 points. If you don't get one point per game you don't deserve to be there. They can promote however many teams it takes to replace them. Obviously, this would mean considerable match-fixing and every season end with the bottom six all getting 39 points, so you'd have a minimum of three every season regardless, and on those rare occasions when less than three clubs get 38 points, then the bottom-placed above that total go anyway, however many it is. (Before you all come at me with the iissues with this, I am not claiming to have thought it through in any way whatsoever.)

[Jimski]

I think that referees should keep a record of all time wasted by teams, and the side that has wasted the most time across the season (of those outside the actual relegation slots) is automatically relegated too. Even if they finished in a promotion position. That would mix it up a bit.

[Southport Zeb]

I know the bottom half Premier League teams would be dead opposed to expanding the relegation spots but I'm surprised the television companies haven't suggested it for the end of season drama.

Having too many relegation spots would lessen the drama, as teams at the bottom would be cut adrift earlier.

The obvious answer to maximise drama is to complete the league as normal. Once all matches have been played, numbers 1 to 10 are put in a hat and one drawn out - this number is how many teams are to be relegated. Using this system means that clubs are incentivised to keep fighting to finish as high up the table as possible. It also means an extra TV broadcast which will get huge ratings. Absolutely no down sides to this.

[That Night In Barcelona]

Having too many relegation spots would lessen the drama, as teams at the bottom would be cut adrift earlier.

The obvious answer to maximise drama is to complete the league as normal. Once all matches have been played, numbers 1 to 10 are put in a hat and one drawn out - this number is how many teams are to be relegated. Using this system means that clubs are incentivised to keep fighting to finish as high up the table as possible. It also means an extra TV broadcast which will get huge ratings. Absolutely no down sides to this.

I think this would be excellent, they could present it like the lottery with Eamonn Holmes and his big money balls.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Nothing involving Eamonn Holmes should ever be allowed within 500m of a football.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Everyone does seem to love the playoffs. Extend the concept, so as well as places 3-6 playing off to go up, places 15-18 have to play off to stay up. Whoever loses both the "playout" semi-final and then final gets relegated.

That's basically the Apertura and Clausura system in Mexico, except nobody goes up, and its bobbins. Tigres won the Clausura last night, btw, coming back from 2-0 down to beat Chivas 2-3 in extra time. The screams of distress in my neighbourhood were quite fun to hear.

[Snake Plissken]

I think that referees should keep a record of all time wasted by teams, and the side that has wasted the most time across the season (of those outside the actual relegation slots) is automatically relegated too. Even if they finished in a promotion position. That would mix it up a bit.

Ah, you see, your team time wastes, whereas as my team manages the game. Now expand that line of thinking to the BRCs.

[beak]

They should bring in mulri-promotions/relegations, 20th in the Premier relegated to the 4th, 19th to the 3rd, champion of Division 4 up to the 1st and suchlike.

[beak]

Any team across the top four divisions who, over the course of a season, draws more games than they win/lose, should spend the following season in a liminal division, to be played under weirdo It's A Knockout-style rules.

[ale]

I do get why the play offs are popular and irreversible. Even if have no bearing on sporting merit. So why not just promote the top two and relegate the bottom three. Then put the rest of the clubs in a draw and have a knockout tournament to see who gets the last promotion place.

[George C.]

Should be 4 up down, in every division, below the top league, especially between 'old' Division 4 and the Conference National.
Playoffs could be used to decide the 3rd and 4th promotion places?

[ChrisJ]

There are more good ideas to improve football on this thread... including the ones which would probably be mutually contradictory if I read them properly.

[3 Colours Red]

Nothing involving Eamonn Holmes should never be allowed within 500m of a football anything.

Fixed that for you.

[That Night In Barcelona]

Ok I have decided that the bottom 8 is the relegation zone but the 8 have to play-off against each other to keep it interesting and only 4 go down.

[hobbes]

Play offs are bollocks. If you can't decide places over 38/42 games etc...

[Uncle Ethan]

Why only promotion and relegation? Go the sensible way as in Australia. Have half the teams in your league qualify for the play offs, which decide the actual title. In the EPL that would be 10. Then they all play off with absolutely no advantage for finishing first. This system could see, for example, Fulham win the league. After all, they were only 37 points behind Man City. Makes perfect sense.