Sports   (Talk about balls here.)

Agreed, top three promoted on season-long merit is the fairest system.
But there used to be hell of a lot more dead rubbers for mid-table sdes with games to spare pre-play-offs. Even more so when it was just two up two down in the old 1st and 2nd divisionsbefore play-offs were introduced.
If you see the play-offs as giving a third club a chance to go up that they never used to have then the play off system is more acceptable.

There's just a hint of weakness with eddie7457's alternative sysem, and that's when a team comes like train from nowhere at the end of the season to finish 6th and they are the form side.

Whatever, there's no denying the excitement created by the play-offs, rip-off or not.
In fact, they're almost as exciting as playing 3 pops in at the back of Gallaghers when we were kids, eh, Douglas?