Exclusive: Phillips says potential Wembley play-off scenario ‘would be a bit bizarre’
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips hopes that West Brom can avoid dropping into the play-off places when the Championship returns to avoid the “bizarre” possibility of playing in an empty Wembley.
West Brom are currently sat second in the league and six points clear of third-placed Fulham with nine matches left to play of the season.
The EFL sent a letter to Championship clubs earlier this month saying that they plan to allow players to return to training on May 16, ahead of restarting the season in June.
The Guardian reports that the EFL wants to complete the season – as well as the play-offs – in a period of 56 days. However, the remaining matches are to be played behind closed doors.
If that happens then it seems that Wembley could play host to the Championship play-off final without any fans in attendance.
Phillips has played in a number of play-off finals and he cannot imagine what it would be like to be in such a big, empty stadium.
When asked if it would be strange to play at an empty Wembley, Phillips told West Brom News: “Yeah, it’s not worth thinking about really, is it? I never even thought about that. It’s a bit of a crazy one.
“Will you have time to fit the play-offs in? Could they be scrapped and just the top-two go up? I don’t know. Maybe there’s an option there to cut the season shorter.
“But it would be a bit bizarre [to play at an empty Wembley]. I’ve played in four or five of them and I can’t imagine playing in one with no crowd.
“Anyway, when we do restart, let’s hope West Brom stay in the top-two spots.”
Phillips played at Wembley in the play-off final for West Brom in 2007 when the Baggies lost 1-0 to Derby.
It was a heartbreaking day for the tens-of-thousands of Albion fans who made the trip down to London but football just isn’t the same without fans.
Maybe they will play the play-off final somewhere else? Because it seems pointless to play in an empty Wembley.
In other West Brom news, Albion have been linked with a Croatian centre-back who Bilic handed his international debut.