Cherwell believes that the drama of the playoffs is
worth their more obvious pitfalls Logically, Sunderland’s players and fans should be
kicking back for a hugely enjoyable summer, delighting in a
third-place finish which left them five points clear of nearest
rivals West Ham, and their only concern should be which
Premiership club awaits them at the start of the season in
August. The reason why they are, instead, licking their wounds –
the play-off system – has always been controversial. The
point of a season is to establish a pecking order of sides, from
best to worst, but instead the unseemly fact that sixth-placed
Crystal Palace, six points behind Sunderland, beat the Mackems
5-4 on penalties, leaving them just a game away from a year in
the top flight, leaves them heartbroken. This pattern, repeated
in the two other Football League divisions, creates for some a
feeling of injustice. Yet the idea that the play-offs should be scrapped denies the
role of drama in the football season. The play-offs themselves
produce some remarkable matches – who would have predicted a
4-4 draw between Charlton and (the seemingly accursed) Sunderland
in the 1998 Division One final? Furthermore, they test a
characteristic which remains vital for recently promoted sides in
the top division – self-belief. They also make the season as a whole infinitely more
interesting for a number of clubs.With tenthplaced Millwall
finishing just four points below Palace, almost half the first
division had promotion in its sights almost until the very end, a
scenario which gives fans valuable, genuinely competitive matches
(swelling crowds in the process) and helps the development of
young players in the sides by subjecting them to pressure
situations. The play-offs are not fair. After the aggregate draw against
Palace, Sunderland’s superior points total should have sent
them through; Palace could hardly have complained having failed
to better their opponents over 210 minutes. However, though minor
changes could help, the play-offs remain a massively important
part of Nationwide league life.ARCHIVE: 3rd week TT 2004
Side Lines
