League's shoot-out plans savaged

The League's plans have been shot down

Football managers and chairmen have laughed off proposals to decide drawn Football League games with a penalty shoot-out.

League chairman Lord Mawhinney wants to introduce shoot-outs to allocate a bonus point at the end of a drawn game.

Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown has described the plans as "a crackpot idea" and his Cardiff counterpart Peter Risdale thinks it is a "nonsense idea".

Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock said he "detests penalty shoot-outs".

It won't make the game more exciting Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale

The Blades boss added: "They have probably got little else to discuss on the agenda if that is the main directive.

"I don't see anything wrong with the Championship.

"If they want to titivate and mess about they should try to get to Fifa and get the divers and the people who are injured treated while the game is in progress to get the game moving quicker.

"They should try to do constructive things."

Bluebirds chairman Ridsdale is adamant that introducing a penalty shoot-out would not improve football as a spectacle.

"It won't make the game more exciting," he added.

"People will come to Cardiff, stick 11 men behind the ball hoping for a draw and the try to beat us on penalties."

Lansdown told BBC Radio Four: "I think it came from one of Lord Mawhinney's 'eureka!' moments.

"Chairmen I've spoken to think on the same lines as me, and managers make it clear it's not something they'd want."

A good score draw is as exciting as a win sometimes Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown

The Football League will discuss the proposal at its regular monthly meeting on Thursday and if it gains enough support it will go forward as a motion to change the rules at the League's annual general meeting in June.

Under the proposal, both sides will still get a point from a draw, but at the end of the game a penalty shoot-out will provide a bonus point.

Lansdown added: "We should never try to dissuade people from coming up with ideas on how to improve the game and we shouldn't be scared to implement new ideas.

"The idea is to make games more exciting and get a result, but you can meddle too much.

606: DEBATE Your views on Lord Mawhinney's proposal

"I think the way the League is structured at the moment with three points for a win and a point for a draw there's plenty of opportunity to get excitement into the game.

"A good score draw is as exciting as a win sometimes.

"Thinking back to a couple of our games this season against Cheltenham and Bournemouth where we came back from 2-0 down to get a draw.

"Both sets of fans left those two games happy, the opposition supporters because they had got a point from a team at the top of the table, and ours because we came back from two goals down and it felt like a win."