Hello is there intelligent life out there???
Anyone?
Simple question, is this......


Meant to mean this........?

Or whatever number they pick for a play-off.
It's got to really, anything else is as silly as the wording.

It is putting the next highest placed team at the end that gives it ambiguity.
Compare these two.....

I think they worded it that way to emphasise that it was the next highest placed team after all the previous criteria (1st place and finalists) had been met, however it is superfluous wording.

In real terms 1st, 2nd and 3rd are all guaranteed promotion as there is no possible combination that would not see all those meet at least one of the criteria. The 4th promotion spot goes to the other play off finalist (unless that final was 2nd v 3rd in which case the team in 4th goes up)

The above holds the caveat that the 2012 play off system is the same as the 2011 system

I appreciate the playoffs are loaded in favour of the 2nd/3rd clubs but a lower placed club could reach the GF.


The answer is for the Dons come top of the league !

Mmmmmmm , how many years has that system been in operation ? Time for a change , let's face it , 3 years is more than enough stability for the Championships

Yes, but only 1 lower placed team can, therefore guaranteeing 1st, 2nd and 3rd all go up.

Yes thanks Jemmo, my assumptions earlier about 2 clubs from 4 to 7th grtting to to the GF were wrong.

What about the 3 year secure tenure , do we have this in place ?

Thank goodness for that .....
But that's not ideal either is it?
Opening another can of worms (just for the sake of it ).
The losing team between 2 and 3 can be beaten by the winner of the lower play-off teams therefore out of the final, but having lost again (that's twice on the trot) are then still promoted.
That's lovely.

Why not just promote 1, 2 and 3 and have a play-off for fourth?
Or why not just promote 1 to 4 for one season only?
Answer = there would be less games and dosh.
So they concoct a cock-up instead.

So I presume they will alter the play-offs to avoid this.

Would Hemel and Co be restricted in the numbers of oversea players and most of the teams stated would struggle to beat any of the 3 Donny amateur sides.

As i'm sure would the likes of London and Gateshead.