West Brom comment: Is there an upside to going down?
Earlier this season, former chairman John Williams described relegation to this reporter as ‘the pits’.
For those at the club it undoubtedly is. Not only does it amount to professional failure, but players will see their wages slashed in half, and other members of staff on significantly less money could lose their jobs completely.
But for the die-hard supporters who go week-in, week-out, it will not be the end of the world.
Albion have been a constant top-flight presence for eight seasons now, and they have enjoyed some grand days out during that time.
Winning at Old Trafford (twice in a row), staying up on the last day of the season, finishing eighth in the league – it’s been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.
But over the past couple of years the Premier League has split into two divisions – a top six, and a bottom 14.
Of course, staying up and competing with the big boys would be preferable, but it’s grown increasingly difficult to compete with those big boys.
There are big guns and little guns in the Championship too, but it is more of a level playing field, and far more unpredictable. Any team can win any game.
Under Tony Pulis, fans were growing tired of the methods this club was employing to stay in the league.
It’s not the only way of doing it of course, and had the appointment of his successor gone better, Albion wouldn’t find themselves in this mess.
But in this mess they are, and it’s now looking increasingly likely that come the end of the season they will be one of the three teams with a big R next to their name.
That will immediately put Albion in a dangerous position.
The financial disparity between the two leagues means the club could face a serious down-sizing if they do not get back up in the next few years while they have parachute payments to lean on.
There is an even worse scenario next season that involves a club in crisis struggling to shake off that losing habit.
No doubt there were Sunderland fans looking forward to a similar breath of fresh air but as they and Hull City have found, the Championship is a tough league.
Success is by no means guaranteed for relegated teams, and should not be expected.
Aston Villa and Newcastle fans regard their time in the Championship fondly, but for every Newcastle there is a Bolton Wanderers, for every Villa, a Blackburn Rovers.
Despite that, there is a feeling that for the fans, the chance to play different teams, go to different stadiums, and the possibility of winning a few more games does sound potentially enjoyable.
The greed league can be gloriously entertaining at times, but suffocatingly top-heavy at others.
In January, Albion and Swansea were only given two days to prepare for their matches with West Ham and Spurs, who received a whole week’s rest.
It was inherently unfair to a pair of unfashionable clubs at the foot of the table but the Premier League shrugged it off.
There’s no way they would have done that for one of the elite clubs from Manchester or London.
Albion’s squad is also littered with players on 60, 70, or 80 grand a week and the wage bill is a dangerously high percentage of the turnover.
After eight seasons in the top tier, the money has got bigger, and Albion have competed with other clubs with a much higher turnover.
As long as the deadwood is cleared out and the squad is rebooted successfully, the Championship could offer a refreshing – if relentless – change of pace for a club who has fallen out of love with the Premier League.
Returning chief executive Mark Jenkins has helped the club bounce back from three relegations before, and hopefully he can help bring about a fourth with a new chairman.
It won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it will be different, and who knows, it could be fun.
