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The relegation nightmare

Championship Sheff Wed, Leicester, Southampton, Coventry
by Tom Fordyce (U2883712) 29 April 2008
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I hate football. Well, that’s not true. I love it. What I hate is what football is doing to me.

For fans of the Championship teams fighting to avoid the last relegation spot, these last two months have been a gut-churning nightmare.

My Saturdays – and Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – have become a hellish rollercoaster ride over which I have no control.

You’re up. You’re down. You’re almost safe. You’re doomed. You need someone else to win. They lose.

Precious points are snatched with last-gasp equalisers. Even more precious wins are thrown away with calamitous added-time errors.

Penalties are won. Penalties are missed. Star names get season-ending injuries just when they’re needed most. Loan signings with unspellable names become instant heroes.

There was always a fear that it would go down to the wire, but this is ridiculous. With one round of matches remaining, five teams can still go down. A man could go blind just thinking about the permutations.

Oh, for the comfortable boredom of mid-table obscurity!

The pre-match pattern is always the same. Two days before, the sick feeling starts. Mere rumours of possible injuries are enough to induce stinking black depression.

The day before, the manager comes out with what he thinks are bullish quotes – determination this, no surrender that. You hear only panic.

Hours are wasted dreaming of spectacular winners. Evenings are ruined by thoughts of worst-case scenarios.

Kick-off makes the heart thump like a trapped rabbit.

At the game, solace is sought in songs, but silence soon takes over. At home, with television and radio on, the phrase “…and there’s been a goal at….” brings a bowel-shifting mixture of desperate hope and sick dread.

I could deal with it if we’d looked doomed all season, if we hadn’t beaten teams at the top of the table away from home, if we hadn’t sometimes passed teams off the park and looked as full of play-off potential as any one of the lucky lot at the other end of the table.

I could deal with it if I couldn’t name, off the top of my head, at least 10 shots hitting woodwork which would have seen us safe had they gone an inch the other way.

I could even deal with it if there was any certainty in other results. My boys are at home, against a team with nothing to play for. Others are away at promotion-chasers. But this is division where form makes no sense. No-one can be trusted.

So it’ll be that, at 2pm on Sunday, I’ll be sitting down for 90 minutes that could make or break my year.

And there’s not a thing I can do about it.

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Latest 10 comments

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comment by jsegrove (U9489275)

posted May 4, 2008

Oh Yes, come on Wednesday, please don't go down AGAIN.

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comment by AndiBilalKrasniqi (U11375737)

posted May 4, 2008

i would love stoke city came up hull and bristol city totally three new teams to beat because west brom are tricky and arsenal know that quite well dont they but it looks certain the albions will take automatic promotion so i want bristol city win the playoffs

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comment by jasons-pineapple (U2598061)

posted May 4, 2008

I was at The City Ground yesterday and it would be difficult to describe the level of collective euphoria on escaping this hellish torture.
If you're not scared, you should be.
Best of luck to all.

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comment by Paul Scholes, he...scores goals (U2229771)

posted May 4, 2008

Stoke city should win today and get promotion which would be great for the club. Out of the play-off teams i think Hull deserve their chance in hte Premier League. If Bristol City get promoted i would make a bet that they would get even fewer points than Derby have this season. It would not be good for anyone. As for relegation, i hope Southampton and Leicester stay up - though i cant see the foxes winning away from home sadly. Neither team deserves League 1 football it would be a tragedy in my opinion.

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comment by jforest (U3388426)

posted May 4, 2008

We're back!! At last, after 3 years in League One.
Really wouldn't wish it upon any of the teams fighting for championship survival.
Oh except Leicester!!
winkeye

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comment by Morayfox (U11858861)

posted May 4, 2008

The only three bright spark's about the threat of relegation are :

1) New Manager - Holloway is tactically unsound

2) Summer clear out of the non-performing players

3) We get to crisscross Forest next season as they get relegated and we get promoted

ghost

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comment by djhowlsthat (U11859235)

posted May 4, 2008

Wednesday will stay up and with the new money coming in, we'll be up next season!

Let's hope anyway.

Bring on 'Big Sam' he'll get us up. Sorry Mr Law's

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comment by BritanniaAndTheBridge (U11824234)

posted May 4, 2008

I would LOVE Stoke to go up to the Premiership. We can do it against Leicester, and even if we dont last up in there, we'll have the money to go back to the Championship.
COME ON STOKE !!!! smiley

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comment by Pebbles (U11230483)

posted May 4, 2008

I don't know about you but I was meant to be following the Everton game at the Emirates but got totally caught up in all the fun.

Firstly, warmest congratulations to West Brom and Stoke in getting to the Premiership. Look forward to seeing you and AN Other next season. Commiserations to Leicester but if you keep together, you should walk League One next season. The standard isn't great - although Swansea and Forest should be OK next season in the Championship - and if Leeds go up then you won't have really that much competition.

To be honest, I wanted Southampton to go down. No disrespect to the Saints but it would have been nice for my local team, Brighton, to have a derby match next season.

But to all in the Championship, thanks for a memorable season and here's to next.

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comment by mifsudsrightfoot (U11860137)

posted May 8, 2008

Im guessing he was talking about Leicester (Walkers Stadium), Coventry (Ricoh Arena) and Southampton (St Mary's), all of which were built within the last 7/8 years, and all of whom have been in the Premiership during that time.


coventry have never played in the premier league while at the ricoh arena

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