The immediate future: Why not?

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

It is a tough one because if we go down then yes we have the potential to be more competitive and possibly even win something, but then the reward for that is to get promoted back into the big money PL. So the incentive for doing well is to go back to where we say we are happy to leave!

I have been looking at the records of the Championship since it’s first season in 2004. Teams are obviously promoted into it or relegated into it (I know you know but just in case Mr Lai is reading this). Since 2004 55 different teams have played in the Championship and of those 55 only 17 have been promoted out of it at anytime, some more than once of course, including ourselves. In the same period 29 different clubs have been relegated to Division 1 (lesson for Mr Lai there is also relegation from the Championship).

8 clubs, Cardiff, Derby, Ipswich, Leeds, Nottm F, QPR, Reading and Sheff W have been in the Championship for at least 10 of the 13 seasons and Barnsley, Preston and Wolves are in their 10th season since 2004 this year the 14th season. Burnley and Watford also have had 10 years in the Championship in this period although in the PL at the moment.

All this concludes me to think there is a hardcore of Championship teams, just as there is a hardcore of teams in the PL. Relegation and promotion is usually therefore done by the other teams outside of this hardcore. The problem is against the 17 who have gone up, out of the 55, a total of 29 clubs have at some time been relegated to Division 1.

Relegation to the Championship is therefore for me a risky option. Yes we could do well but the recent past shows there are massive dangers in another relegation, immediately or in a few years tim, unless we get it right quickly. I think we do need a massive change of personnel throughout the club from top to bottom. I am far from convinced that we have the people in place behind the scenes to manage that and as we are seeing in the Championship and other leagues once a club gets on a downward slide it can take a lot to stop it going further.

I am usually a very positive person, you have to be to support our club for 60 years. However, I am struggling to be positive about a relegation to the Championship, if it happens at the end of this season, despite all that I despise about the multi millionaire fat cat culture that is the PL.

Outside of the acknowledged biggest 7 in the Prem the 2 teams that have been longest in the division just happen to be the same 2 teams at the bottom of the Prem right now.
Like I said queueing up to be relegated.

[Yarmbaggie]

Outside of the acknowledged biggest 7 in the Prem the 2 teams that have been longest in the division just happen to be the same 2 teams at the bottom of the Prem right now.
Like I said queueing up to be relegated.

That is incredible 9goals and thanks for highlighting that. I have never heard anyone mention that before and I certainly was not aware of that. Done pretty well ain’t we to last this long and maybe we should all review our thoughts on Peace and how he managed to keep us in the league that long.

Did pretty well out of it though didn’t he!