Going down but not out

And so that’s it for another season. You can stop your stressing and start your celebrating/moaning/crying  - whatever is appropriate for the outcome your team’s season.

For fans of Blackpool and Birmingham, you have my sympathy: I know how it feels to slide out of the big time that is the Premier League, and in to the relative small time of the Championship. Well actually that’s not quite true, as West Ham rather furiously propelled themselves towards relegation in an unstoppable march to the Championship, rather than finally slipping out after losing their grip on the lip of the Premier League trapdoor. 

In any case, what I’m trying to say is that I know how deflating relegation is. It means playing at Ashton Gate and not Anfield; Millwall not Manchester United and worst of all, having to wait until nearly midnight on Saturday nights to watch highlights of your team. It’s the grim reality of being a Championship side, and not a Premier League one. 

But following Sunday’s last game of the season, I now also know that being relegated is actually not as bad as it first seems. Having had a week more than Blackpool and Birmingham fans to get accustomed to the idea of relegation, I’m now fairly relaxed about it. Of course there will be things we’ll miss about the Premier League, but going down needn’t be the end of the world. In fact, it’s just another example of how as fans, we have no influence or control over the fate of our football clubs.

This thought struck me mid-way through West Ham’s final day home defeat to Sunderland. With the Hammers already losing 1-0 and looking unlikely to pull back the deficit in a month let alone the remainder of the match, I felt oddly relaxed when many around me seemed deeply concerned that more, not less of these poor performances could be expected over the coming months. 

It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why I was unconcerned, but it’s clear that the jovial atmosphere at Upton Park played its part. The fans were in fine voice throughout, but not always in support of the team: They cheered as a giant beach ball was palmed around the stands; sang about the inglorious trip to Coventry that awaits us next season; and a conga danced its way along the front row of the Chicken Run. Generally, fans were enjoying themselves despite one of the club’s worst ever seasons in the top flight. And that’s what made me realise that being in the Championship will not be the end of the world.

The truth is, the fans will be back next season. Ok there may be a few less of them than this season, but by and large, they will be back. They will cheer on the team as they do now, and I’m sure they will boo when the team underperforms, as they do now.  Relegation will not change that; not for West Ham, not for Blackpool or Birmingham; and not even for Stockport or Lincoln who sadly dropped out of the Football League this season.

For what neither relegation or promotion can change is that you support your football club unreservedly. When you make a decision to support a football team, there are no caveats that mean you get to opt out should they ever be relegated. You don’t get to switch on or off, or opt in to cheer them on only on the good days. Unfortunately unless you’re lucky enough to support the likes of Manchester United or Liverpool, there’s likely to be more bad days than good. It’s something you have to deal with, not decide you’ve had enough of.

It’s why on Sunday afternoon I laughed to myself as the realisation that I will never have control over what West Ham do finally dawned on me. I know that I’ll still be supporting them whether they get promoted at the first attempt next season, or suffer a Leeds-like fall from grace and drop in to League One (please God no). As depressing as that thought may be, there is nothing I can do to change it. 

So supporters of Blackpool, Birmingham and any other clubs suffering relegation this season, fear not; it will get better. The pain will subside and before you know it, you’ll be filling in your season ticket renewal form and plotting away trips to grounds you never knew existed. Don’t try and fight it, just embrace it. Your football life is completely in the hands of your club’s squad, its manager and the board. 

Actually, given West Ham do not yet have a manager and the recent behaviour of its owners, perhaps I should be a little more worried than I am...