Dunning1874 Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Absolutely batshit. It's not innovative or exciting, it's just stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 very bamboozling, yes exactly, even confused me!! Absolutely batshit. It's not innovative or exciting, it's just stupid. I'm amazed they stand for it. Having a top tier of 16, only 8 clubs in the tier below, and then back to 16 for the tier below that, is pretty strange but it is the systems within the leagues which are crazy... You can finish third bottom, have a good half-a-dozen-odd games, and qualify for Europe in the league. Middling clubs wanting to qualify for EL are better winning the Middle 8 than qualifying for the Top 6 (as they'd need to reach 3rd/4th). In the lower levels they're also going to have this Apertura / Clausura system from 2016 (and only 28 league games). You're also at the complete mercy of the fixturelist in terms of getting playoff places, as you don't face the same opponents in the 3 analysed periods. Infact in the current 18-team divisions the analysed periods aren't even the same length... Period 1 is 10 matches long and the others are 12 matches long!! I presume the 'linguistic quotas' thing in the lower levels relates to ongoing tensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sloop John B Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 I can't wait for the next BBC Scotland article advocating a move to this Rene Higuita mixed with Edmundo level of crazy league system. The bar for utterly mental league formats is still the Brazilian leagues 44 team tournament in the 80s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Campeonato_Brasileiro_S%C3%A9rie_A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 They do a lot of strange things in the Americas. Systems of groups / knockout, 6-month seasons, title playoffs and so on are common there. Argentina and possibly other countries starting basing relegation on 3yr averages to stop big clubs going down; then when River Plate (IIRC) still went down they moved to a 30-team top division. Btw one interesting observation struck me regarding this idea that 'we play too much football' in Britain. Belgium seem to be get on fine with their 40-game program followed by EL playoffs, and although they have no League Cup their FA Cup QFs & SFs are over 2 legs. Romania plays 40 games in their Bottom 8 (Top 6 plays 36 games) and both their FA Cup & League Cup SFs are over 2 legs. Both take winter breaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Not sure what it'd be like to be a fan involved in one of these leagues, but I'm all for "different" league structures. Maybe it's the playing of Football Manager, but straight "play-each-other-twice" leagues can get pretty boring. Belgium is a particular standard-bearer for this insanity though - MLS too, but they have plenty of other touches that make it different with the drafts and general 'murica-ness. Belgium have just decided to pour all their efforts into making sure the league is as incomprehensible as possible. Brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 I similarly find something of a fascination in different leagues with their different splits, playoffs, structures and so on; but the Belgians are totally off the page compared to pretty much anyone else (certainly in Europe) and there is a line between innovation or wackiness and realm of downright absurdity and unfairness, which they seem to have crossed by some distance. At least they have reinstated automatic relegation for whoever finishes bottom... but the idea of someone finishing as low as 14th qualifying for Europe at the expense of whoever finishes 3rd is nuts, and as I've noted clubs should actually want to finish 7th or 8th as it's easier to succeed that way rather than squeeze into Top 6 then reach 3rd or 4th. EDIT: And someone on another forum has pointed-out that the new Autumn/Spring system in tier 2 means the club with the most points mightn't even get a shot at promotion. For example a club could total the most points over the year, but finish 2nd or similar in both series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theminsk Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 That is crazy league but think a will take an interest in the Belgian league this year see how it turns out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eurofootballstadium.com Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 For all its perceived insanity (it reads like a late night pub discussion if you read the format fully), the Belgian playoffs prolong interest and competitive football. As an Anderlecht supporter I can tell you it kind of works. You can have 3-4 games left in the season and there are still 3 or 4 teams who can win the league. It really punishes teams who choke at the last too. If your team is finishing the year strongly but in 8th or 9th, you have a shot at Europe. It looks crazy, but it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted August 24, 2015 Author Share Posted August 24, 2015 I think the general idea of a league with a split and a EL playoff is perfectly sensible... It's all the bells 'n whistles which make it mad as a box of frogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 I'd fully support it in Scotland, if only to listen to the elder statesmen in the pundit World trying desperately to get their heads around it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Considering the average Scottish pundit can't understand that our top flight isn't called the SPFL, I think there would be a collective explosion of heads if we adopted something like the Belgian league system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I do enjoy the crazy Belgian setup but it might need a tiny rethink. Standard Liege have qualified for the nine game Europa League Qualifying Playoff Group. If they finish top of their group they'll get a playoff for a Europa League spot. Only problem is they won the cup this weekend so they've already qualified. Thus rendering the rest of their season completely pointless. Surely they could've thought to leave the cup final till the end of the season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 Changing the regulations to guarantee whoever leads at the split a EL slot also presents potential difficulties. They only have 3 EL slots: - one of these is now guaranteed to Standard Liege, who as you have noted failed to reached the Top 6 - another is guaranteed to Club Brugge if they fall out of the top 2 (gap = 4pts) - the last is set aside for whoever wins the 'Test Match' Clubs like Charleroi or Kortrijk are better to have finished in the Middle 8 - looking to win their 4-team pool, then the Test Match - than scraping into the Top 6... There they would potentially have needed to finish in the top 2 or 3: or in the top 3 or 4 just to secure a slot in the self-same Test Match!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trgf Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 They play Cricket to decide the European places? That is bizarre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunning1874 Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 They play Cricket to decide the European places? That is bizarre Would make more sense tbf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted March 21, 2016 Author Share Posted March 21, 2016 They play Cricket to decide the European places? That is bizarre Ha, very good !! For anyone confused - in Belgium they call the splits "the playoffs", so the subsequent playoff is "the test match". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 I think the English League called relegation/promotion playoffs "test matches" back in about the 1890s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurph Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 The Belgian FA are weird. Two teams at the top tied on points and play each other on the last day. Team in 3rd gets awarded two points six months after making a complaint and now takes the lead and play the team bottom of the league. The team doesn't even have a licence to play in the top flight! Reddit link Worth scrolling down and reading Zakariyya's post too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross. Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 The Belgian FA are weird. Two teams at the top tied on points and play each other on the last day. Team in 3rd gets awarded two points six months after making a complaint and now takes the lead and play the team bottom of the league. The team doesn't even have a licence to play in the top flight! Reddit link Worth scrolling down and reading Zakariyya's post too That sounds absolutely fucking ludicrous. Also, what exactly is happening with their second division next season? I noticed one post saying there would only be 8 teams? I get the impression that Belgium should give up organised football and stick to the things it is good at, like making chocolate and fostering terrorists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I think the English League called relegation/promotion playoffs "test matches" back in about the 1890s. I think you're right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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