Town have proposed the consideration of “alternative play-off formats” should League One clubs vote to end their season early at next Tuesday's EGM, as is widely expected.
In the event of clubs voting that the campaign isn’t played to its conclusion, it’s understood the Blues want their fellow EFL clubs to look at extending the play-offs to eight clubs based on the current top 10, which would include Town who are 10th as things stand, or be expanded to a wider 10-team tournament also involving the top two with three sides winning promotion.
Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony initially proposed the expansion of the play-offs to eight clubs last month.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the Blues also put forward the suggestion that the season be settled on where clubs were after 22 matches when they had played one another once, which would have seen Town into third place. This idea is reported to have been rejected.
The Blues are among the teams who have consistently stated their keenness to play the season to its natural end behind closed doors.
Most of the clubs in and around the play-off places also want the campaign completed, while most of those in the bottom half, as well as top two Coventry and Rotherham, are understood to be in favour of it being ended now, in the main due to concerns regarding the cost of funding staging the games and coronavirus testing.
Clubs were given until yesterday at 2pm to submit proposals to the EFL ahead of Tuesday’s EGM which should finally confirm how League One will finish. At the same meeting the Championship’s return on June 20th is set to be rubber-stamped as is League Two’s curtailment.
Tranmere have made a proposal for a points per game system which includes a margin of error, while Lincoln City are also arguing for tweaks to the EFL’s preferred unweighted points per game solution.
Championship Barnsley are lobbying for relegation to be scrapped if the season isn’t played to its end but this appears unlikely to receive much support. Stevenage, bottom of League Two, have suggested an amendment which would see no relegation to the National League.
It’s widely expected that the number of League One clubs who will vote for the season to be cut short is more than the required 51 per cent.
And despite the amendments proposed by the Blues and other clubs, it’s anticipated that sides will then vote for the EFL’s unweighted points per game proposal regarding placings, promotion and relegation.