Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
The Premier League may be coming to an end, but the divisions beneath it are just gearing up for their most exciting games. The play-offs start tonight and I'm all of a tremble because my beloved Southend are involved, preparing to battle away for a place in the Championship and a chance to further depress Derby County fans. For once, I'll actually get to see them as well.
The play-offs were introduced in 1987, removing the existing 'three-up, three-down' structure and replacing it with this extraordinary end of season knock-out tournament. It was a masterstroke, extending the interest in the season and giving smaller clubs the chance to play at Wembley. The four teams outside the automatic promotion places are drawn against each other, highest against lowest, and they play home and away with the victors going to Wembley for one game to decide the season. The winners are promoted. It doesn't get much tenser than that.
Next week, four teams will fight it out for a place in the Premier League. Watford will face Hull, while Crystal Palace take on Bristol City. The Championship play-offs are the most critical, but not because a chance to visit Manchester United and Liverpool is at stake. The TV revenues in the top flight are so high that just one season up there can transform a football club's fortunes for years. One season however, may be all that they get. The only drawback of the play-offs is that it allows teams who have only finished 6th, sometimes tens of points behind the leaders, to jump up before they're ready. Try pointing that out to any of the fans though. As far as they're concerned, a place in the play-offs is a winning lottery ticket.
The lottery analogy is a good one. There is no logic that can be applied to these games. They are less about technique and more about heart and bravery. There was once a theory that the team who just missed out on automatic promotion would be too devastated to focus and would crash out, but that's not necessarily the case. That said, it is often the team that approaches the play-offs in the best form that makes on final push for promotion. I certainly hope that's the case because Southend have only lost one game since I braved a journey to Millwall back in February.
Southend face Doncaster Rovers tonight at Roots Hall, a stadium that can politely be described as 'old school'. With its corrugated iron roofing and rickety old floodlights, it's a million miles away from the opulence of The Emirates Stadium, but that doesn't stop the fans revering it as if it were a pre-renaissance cathedral. Southend move to a shiny new home soon and this may be the old girl's last big game, so the supporters will be in full voice. The general view from the stands is that the club have performed extremely well just to reach this stage. Relegated from the Championship last season, they were forced to sell their top goalscorer of the last three seasons, Freddy Eastwood. Manchester United fans will certainly remember that name. Manager Steve Tilson rebuilt the side quickly, replacing Eastwood with former Tottenham player Lee Barnard, who has contributed 9 goals since his move in January.
For Southend, the challenge is simple. Beat Doncaster, home and away, and win the chance to play off for promotion against Leeds or Carlisle at Wembley. For me, it's much more difficult. Squeezed into a tiny press box, I'm going to have to stuff both hands in my mouth and remember that for one night, I'm a reporter, not a fan. Let's hope we both pass the test.
The play-offs were introduced in 1987, removing the existing 'three-up, three-down' structure and replacing it with this extraordinary end of season knock-out tournament. It was a masterstroke, extending the interest in the season and giving smaller clubs the chance to play at Wembley. The four teams outside the automatic promotion places are drawn against each other, highest against lowest, and they play home and away with the victors going to Wembley for one game to decide the season. The winners are promoted. It doesn't get much tenser than that.
Next week, four teams will fight it out for a place in the Premier League. Watford will face Hull, while Crystal Palace take on Bristol City. The Championship play-offs are the most critical, but not because a chance to visit Manchester United and Liverpool is at stake. The TV revenues in the top flight are so high that just one season up there can transform a football club's fortunes for years. One season however, may be all that they get. The only drawback of the play-offs is that it allows teams who have only finished 6th, sometimes tens of points behind the leaders, to jump up before they're ready. Try pointing that out to any of the fans though. As far as they're concerned, a place in the play-offs is a winning lottery ticket.
The lottery analogy is a good one. There is no logic that can be applied to these games. They are less about technique and more about heart and bravery. There was once a theory that the team who just missed out on automatic promotion would be too devastated to focus and would crash out, but that's not necessarily the case. That said, it is often the team that approaches the play-offs in the best form that makes on final push for promotion. I certainly hope that's the case because Southend have only lost one game since I braved a journey to Millwall back in February.
Southend face Doncaster Rovers tonight at Roots Hall, a stadium that can politely be described as 'old school'. With its corrugated iron roofing and rickety old floodlights, it's a million miles away from the opulence of The Emirates Stadium, but that doesn't stop the fans revering it as if it were a pre-renaissance cathedral. Southend move to a shiny new home soon and this may be the old girl's last big game, so the supporters will be in full voice. The general view from the stands is that the club have performed extremely well just to reach this stage. Relegated from the Championship last season, they were forced to sell their top goalscorer of the last three seasons, Freddy Eastwood. Manchester United fans will certainly remember that name. Manager Steve Tilson rebuilt the side quickly, replacing Eastwood with former Tottenham player Lee Barnard, who has contributed 9 goals since his move in January.
For Southend, the challenge is simple. Beat Doncaster, home and away, and win the chance to play off for promotion against Leeds or Carlisle at Wembley. For me, it's much more difficult. Squeezed into a tiny press box, I'm going to have to stuff both hands in my mouth and remember that for one night, I'm a reporter, not a fan. Let's hope we both pass the test.
