‘I understand why more teams want golden ticket’ – Championship reaction to play-offs extension

Extending the Championship play-offs from four to six teams will add more intensity and excitement to the season while giving more teams a chance to ‘get the golden ticket.’

Championship bosses have been reacting to the news EFL clubs have voted to take the play-offs down to eighth place from next season.

The new system is similar to the format used in the National League and means teams finishing from third to eighth will compete for promotion to the Premier League.

As it stands it means eighth-placed Derby and seventh-placed Southampton would be involved in the play-offs with Rams boss John Eustace in favour of the development.

“It’ll probably help teams who have had a lot of injuries and smaller squads to keep fighting to the end of the season,” he told BBC Radio Derby.

“Teams get different runs of form throughout the season and if you get injury problems and they all come back in the last 10 or 15 games it can have its ups.”

Leicester City head coach Gary Rowett believes it will be attractive to clubs on many fronts but could have its drawbacks.

“From a commercial, monetary and excitement aspect I can understand why people want to add teams to the play-offs – they have been a success although you can argue if team six finishes 25 points behind team three should they have a chance to go up?” he told BBC East Midlands Today.

“So, as a football purist I’m not a massive fan but I understand why clubs would be so keen for more opportunities to get this golden ticket of £150m or whatever it is.

“Sometimes you can change things all the time and the game becomes less and less recognisable but maybe I’m just being miserable.”

Semi-finals will remain as two legs and the final will still take place at Wembley at the end of May and the EFL says there are no plans at this stage to alter the format of the play-offs in League One and League Two.

Neil Warnock is the play-offs’ most successful manager since they were first introduced in 1987, winning four promotions and thinks it will encourage more teams who may have previously thought their season was over.

“I thought it was a bad thing when it first came in but it turned into a good thing – certainly for me anyway. I finished in every position and got promotion so I don’t think it matters,” he told BBC Sport.

“For mid-table teams after Christmas it gives you more impetus but it makes it more difficult for the teams that finish third or fourth as there’s a bit more opportunity for other people to conquer the top teams.”

Millwall finished eighth in the Championship last season on 66 points with Bristol City claiming the final play-off spot on 68 points.

Third-placed Sheffield United, who lost the play-off final to Sunderland, got 90 points but Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom does not believe it gives sides finishing a long way behind the top teams an unfair opportunity.

“I’ve heard that argument and I can’t believe people are saying it,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“Sunderland were lucky to beat Coventry in the semi-final and then fortunate to beat Sheffield United with a decision that I can’t understand that went against Sheffield United. Sunderland got in the play-offs and are (now) the best of the promoted teams.”

Derby’s John Eustace agrees, arguing teams who finish lower down the Championship would not struggle any more than those who already win promotion.

“Look at the teams that go up, unless they spend hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds it’s difficult to stay up there so it doesn’t make much difference,” he said.

Birmingham City are currently eight points short of the top six but just two behind eighth place and their boss, Chris Davies says it will make the competition even more interesting.

“I think it’s a good idea in principle and gives more chances to teams like us. For example this season it would make for a close situation for us,” he said.