So, if the EPL was the NFL ~Imagine for a moment Richard Scudamore had got out of bed one bright sunny morning last August, and thought to himself as he ate his scrambled eggs and gazed at the peacocks strutting across his lawn "I know what all these new American owners would like - let's split the Premier League into 4 divisions, and have playoffs at the end of the season".
How would things stand, and what would the playoff position look like? Let's assume 2 ten-team conferences, loosely based on geography, each split into 2 divisions, with the winners of each division plus 2 "wildcards" per conference going into an 8-team playoff system.
It could have been something like:
Northern Conference - Bobby Charlton Division
1. Man United 80
2. Everton 61
3. Middlesbrough 36
4. Wigan 35
5. Bolton 29
Northern Conference - Kenny Dalglish Division
1. Liverpool 66
2. Man City 52
3. Blackburn 51
4. Newcastle 39
5. Sunderland 36
Southern Conference - Jimmy Greaves Division
1. Chelsea 75
2. Portsmouth 57
3. Aston Villa 55
4. Tottenham 41
5. Derby 11
Southern Conference - Bobby Moore Division
1. Arsenal 71
2. West Ham 44
3. Reading 32
4. Birmingham 31
5. Fulham 27
It would be shaping up to a first round of playoffs of :
Man United v Man City
Liverpool v Everton
Chelsea v Aston Villa
Arsenal v Portsmouth
with the winners of the Man U and Chelsea playoffs "seeded" to be at home in the Conference finals. Then a "Premier League Grand Super Final Match" which could be played at a suitable neutral venue, like the Pasadena Rose Bowl, or the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
Now I think before summarily dismissing forward-looking ideas such as this, men in Scudamore's position must consider all the angles. I mean surely the season would build towards a more thrilling climax this way, than Man United securing the title just by getting a point at home to West Ham in a fortnight's time in a game that no-one's watching?
Posted by Rogin the Armchair Fan 15-04-2008 Go to thread |
