Note that because of the Euro 2004 call-up period, the First Division final will be played on Saturday, as opposed to Monday, as it usually is. The Football League switched the First and Third Division finals to allow international players to be released as quickly as possible for Euro 2004 prep.
Playoff games sure do create some excitment ... how about having "relegation playoffs" to determine who gets sent down from the Premier League? Or is that a dumb idea? #15 v #20 #16 v #19 #17 v #18 Losers are sent down to Div 1. This year it would have been: Blackburn v Wolves Man City v Leeds United Everton v Leicester City
I's a good idea, but 6 teams is too many. If you are going to go that route, do it like they do it in Sweden. 1st and 2nd place in the First Division there automatically go up to the Premier Division. 13th and 14th in the Premier Division are automatically relegated. 3rd place in the First Division then plays off against 12th place in the Premier Division for the final spot. In Sweden, it's a home-and-home series, but if you wanted to make it a one-off match, that's fine. If you want to keep the drama of the playoffs, go ahead. So, this year, it would have meant: -Wolves and Leeds automatically relegated -Norwich and West Brom automatically promoted -Leicester plays off against the West Ham-Crystal Palace winner for the last Premiership spot.