1981-82 season: 4 points for an away win?

[Sheridan]

Just glancing at some league stats on the FAI site ( http://www.fai.ie/FAI/Domestic/Background.htm - surprisingly informative), I came across this note:

"POINTS SYSTEMS

4 points - away win, 3 points - home win, 2 points - away draw, 1 point - home draw in 1981-82."

Since I was only a few months old when this bold experiment took place, I wonder if anyone who experienced it first hand could tell me whether it was deemed a success? Well, obviously not, since the system was changed to three points for a win the following season and back to two points until 93-94 (according the FAI site.) How did it go down at the time, I wonder?

[patsh]

I vaguely remember this, and I think the reason they scrapped it was that nearly all away teams tried to play for a draw.

[gspain]

I remember it well and it was a disaster. In the end it didn't affect the outcome as far as I can remember but it was confusing.

[A face]

It sounds like its intension is good but in practice it is hair brained. How many series of games were there that year, 3 or 4 ??

[The Donie Forde]

The four points for the away win was intended to encourage visiting teams to be less defensive-minded. Of course it had the absolute opposite effect: an away team going 1-0 up defended like crazy with the possibility of squeezing out the extra point...it worked out like Italy in the sixties...and brought Joey 'Deccie never hoofed like me' Malone into his prime

Donie

[derm]

Interesting idea - tho' would probably have been better if not 2 points for away draw. At least away teams would have to attack to get 1-0 up and then defend rather than play for draw the whole game. Plus incentive to attack after equalizer rather than hang on.

Better idea may have been away goals rule - though this would add a lot more complexities.

Yeah, probably best the way it is now ...

[max power]

4 points just wouldn't be fair on the rovers fans, they get it hard to get as far as 3, plus most of there games are in the same grounnd either home or away so it would all be the same to them.

[EireBadBoy]

They must have had a quare aul' lash the night they thought that up!!

Mebbe that's why they are still so unsure about the 'Away Goals' rule, they never sobered up!! And can you imagine the poor sod on Aertel trying to add up the League Table with all that...