Dumb Questions About Playoffs...

[Jeekay56]

Yep. We'll always have Yeovil. Booked your hotel for Wembley yet anyone?

See thread: Roll Call For Coventry.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

We effectively blew automatic promotion twice in 1988 in the space of a few days and then had the play-offs a couple of weeks later. Garry Birtles in defence for god's sake. That was the most exciting Notts team I can remember though and I'm still not over losing out at the very end after we'd looked certain to go up at the end of March.

For 1990 and 1991 we were very much in form going into those play-offs and we had finished in the highest position of the teams involved, I felt a lot more confident in those years than I do this.

It wouldn't have looked good losing out to Exeter or Lincoln in the semis, but Coventry wouldn't feel so bad (they are much bigger than us) and then you have to say Exeter deserve it more having finshed 3 points better off. Of all our previous stints in the play offs, this year feels most similar to 96, but Nolan is a lot more popular than Murphy and - if we do make the final - it's hard to image we'd be as inept as we were at Wembley against Bradford.

I had no idea we had reached the playoffs as well in 1987/88 as I did not start supporting the club until 1992 so it must have been overshadowed in my mind by the Warnock years. So three seasons in a row of playoffs? Wow.

So Andy I stand corrected in my summary and this will be our fifth playoff season since they started.

[andy6025]

This thread has been an enjoyable read for me - glad I asked. Thanks to all who replied, and especially to MAD_MAGPIE for the detailed response - particularly on the logic behind having playoffs. When I was thinking about them before I was somewhat cynical, but that explanation helped me see how it very much is a means of giving a lot of teams something to play for for longer throughout the season. And if Nott's history is anything to go by then Elite might do well to lump on.

A follow up, if I may: upthemagpies mentioned that Warnock didn't hide his disdain for playoffs. Did he ever explain why?