Eredivise (Dutch League) - (NHC)

[sked21]

I watch Eurogoals each week. And was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on the end of season play-offs. I know they have play-offs for the Champions League, Uefa Cup, Inter-toto and relegation.

 

ie How does it work? Ajax, Heerenveen, NAC and Twente are in the Champions League play-offs so obviously the inner goes into the Champions League but what about the three others? Do they just miss out on Europe altogether?

[rossi_1983]

The "three losers" get Uefa cup spots. The "3 losers" of the Uefa Cup playoff get nothing

 

http://www.eurostc.com/football/netherlands-eredivisie/2006-2007/sport_sto1175556.shtml

[sked21]

Nice one. Understand it better now.

 

To be honest it makes the season a lot more exciting. With only 4 out of the 18 teams not involved. One of which is already CHampions and another already relegated.

 

So what about the winners of the cup?

[Del1812]

Think it's a bit of a farce myself.

 

A league table doesn't lie, the team that finishes higher is the better team. In one off game anything can happen. I suppose it goes some way to off setting the increasing gap in teams in most domestic leagues caused by the amount of income the Champions League brings.

[spacerjoe]

Think it's a bit of a farce myself.

 

A league table doesn't lie, the team that finishes higher is the better team. In one off game anything can happen. I suppose it goes some way to off setting the increasing gap in teams in most domestic leagues caused by the amount of income the Champions League brings.

 

You hit both sides of the coin perfectly there - unfair, but probably better for the game.

[sked21]

Think it's a bit of a farce myself.

 

A league table doesn't lie, the team that finishes higher is the better team. In one off game anything can happen. I suppose it goes some way to off setting the increasing gap in teams in most domestic leagues caused by the amount of income the Champions League brings.

 

It is really unusual. And you are right teams should be rewarded on their position but I just think it makes it a much more interesting league and gives the advantage to smaller teams to bridge the gap in the long run.

 

For example if Heerenveen get in the Champions League then they have the chance of a lot of money and can use it to boost their squad to get even closer to the likes of Ajax and PSV.

[dutch_jambo]

not one club in holland likes it because it's well confusing and hardly anyone goes to the games

 

Its kind of like this (from wikipedia)

 

European competition

 

As of 2005-06, the champion of the Eredivisie automatically advances to the group phase of the UEFA Champions League. The KNVB introduced a playoff system in 2005-06 for the second to ninth placed clubs. One place in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, as well as three UEFA Cup spots are available for the best performing clubs in the playoffs. The remaining UEFA Cup place is awarded to the winner of the KNVB Cup. If this club is in the top 5 of teams a different schedule will be played, where numbers 2 to 5 are all guaranteed no worse than a UEFA Cup spot. This was the case in the first two seasons the playoffs were held, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007.

 

Also the teams finishing 10 to 13 enter the playoffs, with the 10th ranked team facing the 13th ranked team, while the 11th ranked team faces the 12th ranked team. Both winners meet each other in the next round and finally challenge the loser of match G for a special situation spot. If the KNVB Cup winner finishes in the top 5, the team winning this match will qualify for the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

 

If the KNVB Cup winner finishes outside the top 5, they will not compete in the playoffs. Four teams will then compete in the playoffs for the UEFA Intertoto Cup ticket.[1] The teams ranked 11th, 12th and 13th will not compete in the playoffs in that case.[2]

 

The playoffs consist of knockout (home and away) matches, according to a complex schedule:

 

 

In these matches, the lowest ranked team gets the first home match. The return will be held at the opponent's venue.

 

The playoff system has been criticized by clubs, players and fans as the number of matches will increase. The system also makes it possible that the second-place team is forced the enter the UEFA Cup while a lower placed team enters the qualifying round of the Champions League. This happened in 2005-06; AZ, 2nd in competition, had to play for the UEFA Cup, while Ajax, 4th in competition, went into the Champions League qualifying round.

 

I do like the play off's for a the bottom teams :

 

Relegation

 

The club at the bottom of the league (18th) is automatically relegated to the Eerste Divisie. The next-lowest two teams (16th and 17th) play in a promotion/relegation knock-out playoff known as the Nacompetitie, in which they will face eight teams from the Eerste Divisie (before the 2005-06 season, six Eerste Divisie teams were involved). Usually, the Eerste Divisie teams that play in the Nacompetitie are the 2nd- through 9th-place teams in that league. (The actual qualification rules are more complex; more detail is provided in the Eerste Divisie page.) Teams finishing above 16th automatically stay in the Eredivisie.

 

It still is not sure what the teams will be for the UEFA cup play offs as it depends on whether Feyenoord or roda win the cup.The loser of the match (hopefully roda) will be put into the play offs

[Statto]

So if we did this in Scotland;

 

1st = CL

 

A: 2nd v 5th

B: 3rd v 4th

 

A v B

winner gets into the CL

runner up into the UEFA Cup.

 

Even if you're 5 you can get into the Champions League. Imagine if Celtic or Rangers finished second and they were beat by Dundee United or Motherwell (very possible) they wouldn't be in Europe.

 

I wonder if the SFA will introduce this in Scotland....

 

...I think not