kew
Championship
Posts: 344
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Post by kew on Mar 6, 2017 2:12:41 GMT 1
Just out of curiosity, I looked at the National North and South leagues to compare them and it strikes me that the North is a much tougher league than the South. I don't think that'll change next season either. So, how is it right that both promote 2 teams, regardless of their relative strengths? Since the teams that go into the playoffs have the ambition to be playing teams North and South, it would make sense to me to combine the leagues into two playoff competitions that have these first legs:
playoff competion A: 5th South vs 2nd North 4th North vs 3rd South
playoff competition B 5th North vs 2nd South 4th South vs 3rd North
The Structure doesn't need to change beyond that, but it would have to played on 2 Saturdays to make it fair. I think that it balances out the differnces in the leagues and sends the 4 most deserving teams up.
What do you think? should we lobby the FA?
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Post by otleybard on Mar 6, 2017 14:52:09 GMT 1
And presumably, the four ties would each be played over two legs, with the higher-placed teams given home advantage in the semis' second legs and the group finals.
Sounds perfectly logical. The only problems I foresee are the lengthening of the season by a week, the howls of anguish from the Division (if either) reduced from two promotion places to one, and the additional reassignments necessary at Step 2 should four 'northern' sides be relegated from the NP and three 'southern' sides promoted into it. (Or vice-versa, of course.)
Bring on the National League Midland Division!
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Post by mog on Mar 22, 2017 21:16:53 GMT 1
Interesting.
I've tended to judge the strength of the regional conferences on how well the promoted teams perform in the Conf Nat'l. Looking at the last five years:
Conf S 2010–11 Braintree Town Ebbsfleet United 2011–12 Woking Dartford 2012–13 Welling United Salisbury City 2013–14 Eastleigh Dover Athletic 2014–15 Bromley Boreham Wood
Conf N 2010–11 Alfreton Town Telford United 2011–12 Hyde Nuneaton Town 2012–13 Chester Halifax Town 2013–14 Telford United Altrincham 2014–15 Barrow Guiseley
All four 2015 newcomers survived last year (hurrah). But whereas 4/8 of the previous southern promotees are still at Level 5, only Chester have maintained that status from the North.
I'll concede that the strength of the whole division is not necessarily defined by its elite though.
As to your play-off idea: I like it. [An aside: play-offs should be about testing the merit of adopting a new station. Scotland has it right, whereas the English leagues dropped an equivalent system after two years in '88.]
Actually, such a play-off was used in '05, to Eastbourne's detriment ('though they made it in '08).
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kew
Championship
Posts: 344
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Post by kew on Mar 24, 2017 0:43:02 GMT 1
Thanks for that Mog, It's food for thought! The 2005 playoff was not quite the model i had in mind, as there was only one promotee. I'm thinking there's still 2 teams promoted, from 2 distinct playoff competitions (as there is now, but just change the entry into those 2 competitions).
Clearly the balance in strength will vary (and has varied) over time, which surely adds weight to the argument that having 2 national playoffs is fairer than having a north playoff and a south playoff.
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Post by mog on Mar 24, 2017 1:18:12 GMT 1
I'll acknowledge the early play-off was different and prefer your version.
An example of how the successful in one div'n might stand out against the tightness of the other came on Tuesday.
Dartford (3rd) were probably pleased with a 4-0 win. Yet it was only the 4th best result in the div'n on the night!
NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH Dartford 4. Margate 0 Eastbourne Borough 7. Welling 3 Ebbsfleet 8 Bishop's Stortford 0 Maidenhead United 6. Oxford City 1
Compare Fylde on Sat, who had to fight tooth and nail for a draw with Kidderminster.
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