Ups & Downs

[Various Artist]

Ah, fixed it now and here again.

Great stuff Ray, thanks. That's a cracking article, and as a Norwich fan I'd agree entirely since it doesn't only apply to relegation from the Premier League. Notwithstanding its traumatic opening-day home hammering by Colchester, and how it brought the axe down on a popular club legend in the form of Bryan Gunn, our third-tier season in 2009-10 after relegation from the Championship was hugely refreshing after 15 years mostly piddling around in the middle of the second flight without getting anywhere. Lots of opponents I'd never known us play, a run of winning results, 30 goals for Grant Holt (previous season's best: 7 for Leroy Lita), the list goes on. And such was the momentum gained from that, we parleyed it into two straight promotions back to the Premier League, having previously only been there once in 14 seasons. I'd take that sequence any day against just grinding away at the same level for the entire time.

[Capybara]

Am I right in recalling that the aggro in and around Stamford Bridge after the 1988 D1 Relegation/promotion play-off between Chelsea and Boro finished off that format?

I'm only going on memory here, but after the play-offs in 1988 they had achieved what they were supposedly set up to achieve which was to reduce the number of clubs in the first division. But they were seen as popular and, of course, made money so were continued in the present format, though with the final over two legs for a few seasons. I don't know if what happened at Stamford Bridge was a factor in removing a team from the higher division from having to go through them. At least with that format the play-offs had a degree of credibility in that a team finishing in a distant fifth place had to get past a team from the higher division to justify its promotion whereas, now, finishing in sixth (or seventh) gives you more or less as good a chance of going up as finishing third. I've been against the play-off system ever since for that reason.

[Ray de Galles]

Ah, fixed it now and here again.

[Various Artist]

Ray, your link is to that Battle of Stamford Bridge article and I can't see anything related to the entirely sober and rational comment you quote. Did it come from a different page, or is it from some comments section there that I can't find amid all the vastly oversized images linked to other articles in the Gazette?

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

This seems apt - Stop fretting about relegation. Instead, embrace it…

the real horror is staying in the same division you were in the previous season imo

[Duncan Gardner]

From that article, football inflation watch:

He said at the time: “I’ve never known fear like it. Not for myself but for people with wives and child who have paid seven pounds for a seat to keep away from trouble”

I was at the game- think it was £4 or £4 50 in the Shed that season. Chelsea was the most expensive ground in the country to stand, then and for long afterward

[Ray de Galles]

This seems apt - Stop fretting about relegation. Instead, embrace it…

No-one has a deathless, existential “what’s the point of doing this?” crisis in lower leagues, the way sides that constantly end up 17th to 7th in the Premier League do when merely surviving is the first and only soul-destroying objective.

The only real thing to worry about is if those running the club are financially irresponsible and threaten the club’s very existence. Some do. And why? Because they swallow the ‘best league in the world’ propaganda whole, they splurge too much cash trying to stay in the Premier League (like Sunderland paying Jack Rodwell £70k a week), hypnotised by its supposed glamour and the big money (which price inflation merely evaporates, anyway).

In other words, the threat of relegation is only a threat because of those who over-believe in the value of Premier League status in the first place. These are the same imprudent incontinent cash cretins who sack low paid, minimum wage staff when relegated, but keep on players who earn thousands without doing anything of note. This isn’t an argument in favour of being afraid of relegation, it is an argument for owners and directors to be sensible and stop sucking down all this Premier League propaganda.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Am I right in recalling that the aggro in and around Stamford Bridge after the 1988 D1 Relegation/promotion play-off between Chelsea and Boro finished off that format?

From that article, football inflation watch:

He said at the time: “I’ve never known fear like it. Not for myself but for people with wives and child who have paid seven pounds for a seat to keep away from trouble.”

[Ray de Galles]

See, I find this revelation slightly surreal as I just missed out on it at the time – I started following football in the 1988-89 season, which I think might've been the first season with the 'normal' playoffs as we known them – and it's basically never been mentioned since. I surely must have heard about it a time or two before now, but if so I've always completely forgotten again. For what it's worth, Coventry were solidified as an upper-midtable sort of outfit in Division 1 by the time I came in, 7th-10th placed finishes, so I don't think they'd have been in danger of being caught up in those 'higher v lower' playoffs.

Am I right in recalling that the aggro in and around Stamford Bridge after the 1988 D1 Relegation/promotion play-off between Chelsea and Boro finished off that format?

[Gangster Octopus]

I heard that Hendon have never been promoted - is that true?

Sadly this is still true...

[Gangster Octopus]

I've said it before on here: five clubs were relegated during the two seasons with relegation involved in the play-offs; all five were promoted immediately, three as champions.

[Various Artist]

Though the play-offs did included one side from the higher league and three from the lower for the first two seasons of existence (or more accurately revival as the Football League had used them nearly a century before). Given Coventry's penchant for escaping relegation from the top flight by the finest possible margin at the time, it's slightly surprising that they didn't finish one spot above automatic relegation and then battle through the play-offs to stay up.

See, I find this revelation slightly surreal as I just missed out on it at the time – I started following football in the 1988-89 season, which I think might've been the first season with the 'normal' playoffs as we known them – and it's basically never been mentioned since. I surely must have heard about it a time or two before now, but if so I've always completely forgotten again. For what it's worth, Coventry were solidified as an upper-midtable sort of outfit in Division 1 by the time I came in, 7th-10th placed finishes, so I don't think they'd have been in danger of being caught up in those 'higher v lower' playoffs.

[Uros Predic]

In the Southern Counties East League, Punjab United and K Sports go up from Division One to the Premier, replacing Rochester United and Rusthall.

Gravesend-based Punjab only came up to Division One last season, so it's a second successive promotion for them; whilst K Sports (formerly Aylesford Paper Mills) have only had three seasons at this level, before continuing upwards.

Both promotions also back up my belief that the SCEFL is the most laissez faire of the Step 5-6 Leagues when it comes to ground-grading.

[Ray de Galles]

My prediction record is about 0%, but still, I think that's a fair bet. When the fixtures came out, Huddersfield's survival prospects always looked likely to depend on who had what to play for come the end. Chelsea now have plenty, and as for Arsenal - sentiment or beach, take your pick.

It’s immaterial if Swansea fail to beat Stoke, which seems to be the likely outcome.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

The Premier League has lost Arsene Wenger and “gained” Neil Warnock, how very Brexit.

That amused and depressed me in equal measure.

[tee rex]

I think Swansea’s chief hope is Huddersfield losing both remaining games.

My prediction record is about 0%, but still, I think that's a fair bet. When the fixtures came out, Huddersfield's survival prospects always looked likely to depend on who had what to play for come the end. Chelsea now have plenty, and as for Arsenal - sentiment or beach, take your pick.

[Ray de Galles]

Yeah, it’s pretty obvious that Southampton’s game is all but irrelevant to Swansea. Unfortunately, I think the sequence of results they need is unlikely, Huddersfield look better set up get a point in one of their remaining games than Swansea do to beat Stoke.

[HORN]

I think Swansea’s chief hope is Huddersfield losing both remaining games.

[Patrick Thistle]

West Brom relegated without playing. I really thought they might stay up as the Swansea-Southampton game dragged on at 0-0.

Swansea have to win and hope Southampton lose on the final day, and overturn an 8 goal difference otherwise they're down. Carvalhal's momentum ran out too soon.

[longeared]

North West Counties League this afternoon - Widnes promoted from the Premier Division. Maine Road and AFC Liverpool both relegated. Silsden are first division champions. I watched them get relegated two years ago to the day so feel quite pleased by that.

[Janik]

This will be Coventry's first ever place in a playoffs – which sounds amazing until you consider they were in the top flight for the first 15 years or so that the playoffs existed, and have basically been unremittingly useless since.

Though the play-offs did included one side from the higher league and three from the lower for the first two seasons of existence (or more accurately revival as the Football League had used them nearly a century before). Given Coventry's penchant for escaping relegation from the top flight by the finest possible margin at the time, it's slightly surprising that they didn't finish one spot above automatic relegation and then battle through the play-offs to stay up.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

You'll all be delighted to hear that Sleeping Giant Cahir Park hammered Lattin Cullen 5-0 to return to the top division of the Tipperary South District league.

[Satchmo Distel]

The Premier League has lost Arsene Wenger and “gained” Neil Warnock, how very Brexit.

We're all going to be chewing on Colin's Shit Sandwich https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin%27s_Sandwich

[Various Artist]

First top six finish since 1970.

2016 was Coventry's first single digit finish since 2006, which was itself the first since 1989.

Amazing. Thanks for straightening out my guesswork there SZ.

[Ray de Galles]

The Premier League has lost Arsene Wenger and “gained” Neil Warnock, how very Brexit.