If there are 16 teams, so be it. larger pool of players. but atleast stop this relegation business for some time so that the clubs + the new ones actually is able to turn it into a profitable venture...otherwise even a player like Baichyng was finding it difficult to get sponsors for his team..& if expansion is done please include a few more teams forom the NE..Just read in a bengali newspaper today that BCCI is trying to expand infrastructure across all the 7 NE states. AIFF needs to do so for football before BCCI actually does it. IF NE also goes to cricket it will be disaster for Indian football.
Expansion is Ok, but the main aspect is the revenue generation. Clubs are losing money and gaining less. Very much require to make the league profitable. If expansion is required for the same, I am for it, otherwise not yet.
<br><div><br></div><div>Expansion is required so that investors know they can invest in the league and not worry about relegation which would make there investment useless.</div><div><br></div><div>I would just bring the league to 10 teams. Leave it for 2-3 years and then expand by 2 clubs then wait another 2-3 years then another 2. It takes time.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>cutting 4 teams in league cant be a possibily may be 2 teams could still be possible...</div><div><br></div>
Expansion is Ok, but the main aspect is the revenue generation. Clubs are losing money and gaining less. Very much require to make the league profitable. If expansion is required for the same, I am for it, otherwise not yet.
<br><div><br></div><div>Expansion is required so that investors know they can invest in the league and not worry about relegation which would make there investment useless.</div><div><br></div><div>I would just bring the league to 10 teams. Leave it for 2-3 years and then expand by 2 clubs then wait another 2-3 years then another 2. It takes time.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>cutting 4 teams in league cant be a possibily may be 2 teams could still be possible...</div><div><br></div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Fine cut 2 teams. 12 is still good.</div>
Average points tally in I-league for past 4 seasons :
Champions 54 points , Dempo, East Bengal & Churchill are all half way to that points total at the half way stage. The Champions will certainly come from one of these 3 teams.
As for the relegation , the Average points needed to avoid relegation are above 24 POINTS
but with the addition of the Arrows to skew the figures
Teams might need above 26 to survive the drop this season.
HAL would need to average 2 points per game to avoid the drop in the 2nd Leg !!
( that's a win & draw sequence for every two games !! )
Chirag Kerela would need to average almost 1.5 points per game in the 2nd Leg
( they need to win every other game )
Mumbai FC, Sporting Club de Goa, & then Salgaocar , Shillong Lajong need 5 & 4 wins respectively to assure themselves another year in the top division.
Today's game ares crucial to the final relegation battle.
As head to head is the 1st criteria:
Salgaocar vs Shillong Lajong
Mumbai FC vs Chirag United Kerela
HAL vs Sporting Club de Goa
All these games are effectively "6 point" games.
Due to the strange schedule where the 2nd leg begins with match # 21out of 26 games, the relegation places could be confirmed by that point in the season.
<!-- s:bow-plusone: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bow/plusone.gif" alt=":bow-plusone:" title="PlusOne"><!-- s:bow-plusone: --> good analysis ....but have to say the relegation battle is not that interesting as in the last couple of seasons or so.....but the championship battle is so far been interesting to follow....
With Shillong Lajong , Sporting CLub de Goa & Air India crossing the 'magical' 26 point figure , the relegation battle has become a 2 horse race.
With HAL failing to hold on to their 1-0 lead against Churchill Brothers, they are almost certainly relegated. They would have to win at least 5 of the 6 remaining games to stand even a mathematical chance.
Chirag Kerela need to win today vs. Air India and win their game in hand vs. Arrows to draw level with Mumbai FC, this could go down to the wire as they face each other on the last day of the season.
Mumbai FC have 2 tough away matches vs. Prayag & East Bengal and then a potential banana skin with Shillong Lajong at Pune. They do however have a nice run in towards the end of the season , facing Pailan, HAL and needing with Chirag Kerela.
Would be nice for Kerela to stay up as otherwise this would mean the demise of South Indian clubs , especially as those in the 2nd Division are struggling to win games too.
~~~~~~~
As for the title , Dempo should move to 43 points after the Pailan game , and 4 more wins from the last 6 games should ensure the title is theirs.
If Mumbai can play the way they did against Mohun Bagan I can see them staying up. They need to work on there first touch. They can pass well but when a player on Mumbai gets the ball the ball rolls 2 feet forward. The players need to learn to contain the ball.
I see it being Chirag and HAL in the end. Air India should win today.
<br><div><br></div><div>Looks like the predictions were spot on !!</div><div>Hope next season is less predictable </div>
In order to avoid the confusion of what to do if Air India are in the bottom 2 , or the embarressing situation where Mohun Bagan could be relegated despite paying 2.5Cr to avoid it , or the scenario where SLFC & USFC are relegated thus scuppering the plans of a Pan-Indian i-League.... The AIFF will do the obvious ...... And have no relegation this year.
Kushal Das & Sunando hinted at this at the investors meeting , when they said i-League could be 16 clubs next season
Comments
<br><div><br></div><div>cutting 4 teams in league cant be a possibily may be 2 teams could still be possible...</div><div><br></div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Fine cut 2 teams. 12 is still good.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Looks like the predictions were spot on !!</div><div>Hope next season is less predictable
finally the psu air india and ongc will be relegated this season ... for betterment
Expelled , not Religated!
What happens if Air India finishes in bottom two positions. Then do the bottom three get relegated????
In order to avoid the confusion of what to do if Air India are in the bottom 2 , or the embarressing situation where Mohun Bagan could be relegated despite paying 2.5Cr to avoid it , or the scenario where SLFC & USFC are relegated thus scuppering the plans of a Pan-Indian i-League.... The AIFF will do the obvious ...... And have no relegation this year.
Kushal Das & Sunando hinted at this at the investors meeting , when they said i-League could be 16 clubs next season
http://indianfootballnetwork.com/forum/discussion/comment/63699#Comment_63699
But most probably no religation this season because one of USFC or MB will surely finish in the religation zone which AIFF don't want.