HAL finals series to expand to 6 teams

[Jesus]

an article about the finals expansion was also published today in the townsville bulletin... headline "North Queensland FC eye off finals"
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2009/02/16/39155_sport.html
i found the article at:
http://footballgeek.com.au/ALeague/North_Queensland_FC_eye_off_finals

I guess its good for the new teams in terms of having better odds of making the finals and it being a good marketing opportunity for them... but i think its all a bit ridiculous and it actually has the potential to weaken the value of teams being in the finals series.

It is only for one season til it is back to half. Will have no long term effect

 

[ryan]

While I accept that we will always have a finals series I cannot see the point of having more than half the competition make it. That's the current situation in the NRL and it's a complete joke. Sure it might just be for one season but even with 12 teams it is still ludicrous. If we must have finals what is wrong with the current system. It actually rewards the elite teams. Having 6 teams make the finals does not do this and makes a mockery of the competition.

 

[scottmac]

While I accept that we will always have a finals series I cannot see the point of having more than half the competition make it. That's the current situation in the NRL and it's a complete joke. Sure it might just be for one season but even with 12 teams it is still ludicrous. If we must have finals what is wrong with the current system. It actually rewards the elite teams. Having 6 teams make the finals does not do this and makes a mockery of the competition.

More big games, more crowd, more dosh, more exposure non footballing types, more media coverage, etc etc.

As you can see i am sure the FFA dont give a flying F**K if more than half the teams make it. If the crowds were there for regular season games, then they may not need to do it, but untill then............

 

[Omni]

It could be worse, you could have the MLS conference system where you have New York being crowned "champions" of the Western Conference. (OK I'm a Houston fan, maybe I'm just bitter about it).

We'd love just first past the post system, it'll never happen, move on and focus on a battle you have a chance of winning, like the FFA cup.

 

[serious14]

It could be worse, you could have the MLS conference system where you have New York being crowned "champions" of the Western Conference. (OK I'm a Houston fan, maybe I'm just bitter about it).

How the hell does that work??  They're on the East Coast??

 

[FFC Mariner]

Eastern Conference has:

Chicago
Columbus (Ohio?)
DC (Washington?)
Kansas City
New York
New England
Toronto (WTF?)
Philadelphia (in 2010)

Western has:

Deportivo Chivas (California)
Colorado
Dallas
Houston
LA
Salt Lake
San Jose
Seattle

http://web.mlsnet.com/teams/

 

[dibo]

It could be worse, you could have the MLS conference system where you have New York being crowned "champions" of the Western Conference. (OK I'm a Houston fan, maybe I'm just bitter about it).

How the hell does that work??  They're on the East Coast??

i call BS, and i cite wikipedia:

wiki says:

This is a list of MLS Regular Season Western Conference Champions. The title is given to the top finishing team in the conference.

Winning the Western Conference Championship does not necessarily mean that the team will represent the Western Conference in the MLS Cup. That is determined by a playoff tournament.

    * 2008 - Houston Dynamo
    * 2007 - CD Chivas USA
    * 2006 - FC Dallas
    * 2005 - San Jose Earthquakes
    * 2004 - Kansas City Wizards
    * 2003 - San Jose Earthquakes
    * 2002 - Los Angeles Galaxy
    * 2001 - Los Angeles Galaxy
    * 2000 - Kansas City Wizards
    * 1999 - Los Angeles Galaxy
    * 1998 - Los Angeles Galaxy
    * 1997 - Kansas City Wizards
    * 1996 - Los Angeles Galaxy

they were *Eastern* Conference champs in 2000, when they were still the NY/NJ Metrostars.

 

[dibo]

further to this:

from 2008 MLS Season

The New York Red Bulls earned the eighth and final playoff berth, despite finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They represent the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoff bracket, as only three teams in the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs.

 

[serious14]

Yeah, finals series.............. great idea, makes total sense.

*epic sigh*

 

[Kareem]

no one is looking on the brightside
looking at the way mariners r recruting we wouldnt make the top 4 next season- however I would be confident of a top 6...

 

[serious14]

El Kareemo ftw once again.

Another finals appearance to bomb out of.  ;D

 

[LFCMariners]

Screw this right off. Can you imagine it being like this season where the top 3 teams are so far ahead of the rest that all other results are a given? But instead of just the Mariners proving they are a cut below in the finals, we could've had Sydney and Wellington as well!

If the FFA are so concerned about more media exposure let's make it so that every team plays eachothet twice, home and away, bugger the finals off and have an FFA Cup style comp to replace it. I'd love to play some of the state league sides, as well as laugh at the Scum getting beat by Olympic or South Melbourne.

 

[jarrad]

IMO no finals. Same format as EPL.
With a side cup involving state league, FA cup format.

 

[Jesus]

I dont see what people problem is with the finals series. So far the teams who have earnt a ACL spot with it are
Sydney, Adelaide, Scumcastle.
All the teams who finished 2nd in the league.
This year will only be different if QLD beat adelaide. Even if they do if we did not throw the last game against adelaide, qld would have been 2nd.
No team from outside the top 2 have so far one the final.

If this comp was one sided, a top 6 would be stupid, but when the top 6 have always been so close in the past, i dont see it as some major injustice to the top 4 teams.

 

[Kareem]

my problem is mariners could have won it if we got our act together...
the only season where if 4th ended up winning it would have been ok was V3
It can happen...for the course of justice it was a good thing that mariners didnt go all the way...but I have won one junior grand final where we were 10 points of 3rd and we went all the way thanks to 3 lucky games against teams we hadnt beat all season

 

[soundsdifferent]

i enjoy finals and think they are great.
the team that wins h/w wins premiship and a shot in ACL so i dont see what the problem is wif finals if you dont like them can i suggest you forget about it after the h/w season pretend they dont happen others who enjoy them can enjoy them

 

[Arabmariner]

This would be a huge step backwards IMHO. We should be looking to drop the finals series in the future not expand it. Let the other so called sports have their stupidly worked finals but I will be very dissapointed if this happens to football.

f**k world football, f**k euro football, this is australia

Better withdraw from the world cup and asia etc then I suppose......................

 

[Auburn Mariner]

Some notes:

1. GREAT to see 27 games introduced next year. I pray for 33 games in a 12 team comp
2. From Wiki, the second version of the McIntyre Final Six was:

Round Match Name               Team 1 Team
I.         A         1st Elimination Final Rank 4 v Rank 5
        B         2nd Elimination Final Rank 3 v Rank 6
        C         Qualifying Final         Rank 1 v Rank 2

II.         D         1st Semi Final     Loser C v 2nd highest ranked winner from A, B
        E       2nd Semi Final     Winner C  1st highest ranked winner from A, B

III.         F Preliminary Final Loser E v Winner D

IV.         G Grand Final Winner E v Winner F

If the FFA goes with this version, there is NO room for two-legged finals at all (unless they get RADICAL and play a mid-week final). Teams 5 & 6 would play EVERY final on the road.

3. I reckon a Final 5 for both a ten-team and twelve-team comp would have been better.

 

[David Votoupal]

This would be a huge step backwards IMHO. We should be looking to drop the finals series in the future not expand it. Let the other so called sports have their stupidly worked finals but I will be very dissapointed if this happens to football.

Given the biggest crowds every season are for finals, our own dodgy crowd excepted, this is absurd, in a competitive market when those competitors kicking our asses are doing it and winning big from it.

f**k world football, f**k euro football, this is australia

Why should we reject what the rest of the world does? Football is football, we can't compare ourselves to other codes.

There's nothing like holding up a major trophy as a reward for a season's hard work.

 

[serious14]

Exactly.

"200 other countries do it, BUT LET'S BE DIFFERENT 'COS WE'RE STRAYAN!!!!"

Yeah, no thanks.