Relegation

[Royal_jimmy]

4 wins straight and we are safe

[Loafer]

Is it just me who wants us to go down or anybody else?

Just sick of this league really and being at the bottom and getting pumped

[Royal_jimmy]

Here's positives and negatives of relegation

Positives
1. New grounds to tick off/teams to play
2. We'll win more games
3. No international breaks
4. Sky not ruining our plans with new kick off times

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

Think I'd rather stay up and not take the risk of relegation. There's some decent sized clubs at that level now, some bigger than us.

[Snowflake Royal]

Here's positives and negatives of relegation

Positives
1. New grounds to tick off/teams to play
2. We'll win more games
3. No international breaks
4. Sky not ruining our plans with new kick off times

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

Think I'd rather stay up and not take the risk of relegation. If I was told we'd get promoted straight back next season then I'd live with relegation.

Well yes, if you set them out to agree with your starting position then of course you wouldn't change your mind.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Is it just me who wants us to go down or anybody else?

Just sick of this league really and being at the bottom and getting pumped

No guarantee we won’t be fodder in league one too m5

[Lower West]

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

[tmesis]

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

As for 3, we said that about the last two owners, and many were delighted when Madejski sold up.

6 isn't an insult. It's a basic fact. League One players are not as good as championship players, and games will involve lower quality football as a result. That doesn't mean necessarily less exciting, but definitely less easy on the eye.

[Snowflake Royal]

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

As for 3, we said that about the last two owners, and many were delighted when Madejski sold up.

6 isn't an insult. It's a basic fact. League One players are not as good as championship players, and games will involve lower quality football as a result. That doesn't mean necessarily less exciting, but definitely less easy on the eye.

Football doesn’t get much lower quality than our performances thid season.

Less skillful players doesn't automatically mean low quality football. There's plenty of decent football in L1. We're not talking conference here.

A new owner could be worse, but it's not that likely.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

As for 3, we said that about the last two owners, and many were delighted when Madejski sold up.

6 isn't an insult. It's a basic fact. League One players are not as good as championship players, and games will involve lower quality football as a result. That doesn't mean necessarily less exciting, but definitely less easy on the eye.

Football doesn’t get much lower quality than our performances thid season.

Less skillful players doesn't automatically mean low quality football. There's plenty of decent football in L1. We're not talking conference here.

A new owner could be worse, but it's not that likely.

But lower league does tend to mean lower quality, that's why those clubs are in the division below.

I'd definitely rather be in the Championship, even if it means another season fighting relegation.

[Stranded]

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

On point 1 - our last 2 seasons in the 3rd tier saw average crowds as follows:

Play-off season (00/01) - 12,647
Promotion season (01/02 - 14,115

Since then, we have beaten that higher mark every season bar the last two (that were not COVID impacted). The season before the play-off run, despite being in a shiny new stadium, we only averaged 8,985 whilst finishing 10th. A home game v Bury attracted 5,393 people - Burnley, Scunthorpe & Wrexham games just a tad over 6k - an up tick in form in the back of end of the season helped crowds but the most we saw through the turnstile was 13k.

So yes, success at a lower level may draw people back in but realistically, it will need to be a concerted push for automatic promotion and even then crowds may only rise in the 2nd half of the season.

[Silver Fox]

It might have been answered elsewhere (there's obvs far too many threads duplicating stuff) but why are there no championship relegation odds around (on Bet365 at least)? Is there a points deduction in the offing for someone? I thought everyone else was being let off from any misdemeanors?

[Sutekh]

It might have been answered elsewhere (there's obvs far too many threads duplicating stuff) but why are there no championship relegation odds around (on Bet365 at least)? Is there a points deduction in the offing for someone? I thought everyone else was being let off from any misdemeanors?

Just an oddity I imagine, there are no more points deductions expected or in the offing for anyone else in the FL this season. Next season though could be a catalogue of comedy with quite a few clubs in the Championship waiting very anxiously for FL decisions.

[Hound]

Know there are a few dramatics about how if we went down then we’d go down again to L2

Just don’t see it. Don’t think we’d be anywhere close - there are some pretty dreadful teams in that div, we’d have to do terribly to finish below the likes of port vale and Cheltenham

[Snowflake Royal]

As for 3, we said that about the last two owners, and many were delighted when Madejski sold up.

6 isn't an insult. It's a basic fact. League One players are not as good as championship players, and games will involve lower quality football as a result. That doesn't mean necessarily less exciting, but definitely less easy on the eye.

Football doesn’t get much lower quality than our performances thid season.

Less skillful players doesn't automatically mean low quality football. There's plenty of decent football in L1. We're not talking conference here.

A new owner could be worse, but it's not that likely.

But lower league does tend to mean lower quality, that's why those clubs are in the division below.

I'd definitely rather be in the Championship, even if it means another season fighting relegation.

Upper L1 > bottom Championship.

Unsuccessful teams play badly, successful teams play well.

[Snowflake Royal]

Know there are a few dramatics about how if we went down then we’d go down again to L2

Just don’t see it. Don’t think we’d be anywhere close - there are some pretty dreadful teams in that div, we’d have to do terribly to finish below the likes of port vale and Cheltenham

And as a counter to it, its not the end of the world if we did. It's a shit time for a prolonged period. But Luton were in the Championship in 2005/06, and they've been in the Championship for a few seasons now. Inbetween they dropped to L2 and back.

6/7 years ago people would be using Luton as an example of how we were doomed if relegated. Now they're an example of where we wish we could be.

And they're not the only Championship club that's been in L2 within the last 10 years or so from memory.

[Royal_jimmy]

Negatives
1. Loss of revenue
2. Lower crowds
3. Owner might lose interest - administration?
4. Job losses
5. No guarantee of getting back
6. Poorer players and a lower quality of football

1. Winning games would encourage many to return
2. As above
3. Next owner cannot be any worse
4. If the owner does not adopt a community based outlook for the club then there's unlikely to be any growth. Be further decline due to apathy. Successfully run lower league clubs are adopting strategies that are more than just about the 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon.
5. That's football. That's why we return every season. A reflection of life. A soap opera. Full of highs and lows.
6. That's an insult to professional footballers in the lower leagues. Watchable and exciting football doesn't mean you have to play like Man City. Better than paying to watch players past their best simply building their pension pots while on overpaid salaries. Fewer top level footballers now drift back down the leagues. They've no need as already multi millionaires. That's why the game may well appear to lack quality these days.

On point 1 - our last 2 seasons in the 3rd tier saw average crowds as follows:

Play-off season (00/01) - 12,647
Promotion season (01/02 - 14,115

Since then, we have beaten that higher mark every season bar the last two (that were not COVID impacted). The season before the play-off run, despite being in a shiny new stadium, we only averaged 8,985 whilst finishing 10th. A home game v Bury attracted 5,393 people - Burnley, Scunthorpe & Wrexham games just a tad over 6k - an up tick in form in the back of end of the season helped crowds but the most we saw through the turnstile was 13k.

So yes, success at a lower level may draw people back in but realistically, it will need to be a concerted push for automatic promotion and even then crowds may only rise in the 2nd half of the season.

Agree with this and YR. We may get decent attendances away from home temporarily as we visit new grounds or teams we've not played for years but it'll slump if we stayed in league one for more than a year.

Attendances at home would fall to begin with for sure, I don't think many would fancy going to a home match vs Shrewsbury on a Tuesday night compared to a team like Southampton who look like they'll drop from the prem.

If we are top 3-4 in the league we may see crowds grow but would they be higher than they are now? Not sure really. The last time we were in the third tier we were a club on the up, we aren't that now.

[Royal_jimmy]

Know there are a few dramatics about how if we went down then we’d go down again to L2

Just don’t see it. Don’t think we’d be anywhere close - there are some pretty dreadful teams in that div, we’d have to do terribly to finish below the likes of port vale and Cheltenham

Only way we'd go down is administration tbh. Even our second string/kids should have enough to survive in L1. I've watched plenty of games in that league and L2 and it's a pretty poor standard.

[genome]

Yeah, I'm not seeing the freefall that others are. I don't think we'd bounce back at the first attempt by any means, but I think we would be back within 3 seasons max.

[72 bus]

Know there are a few dramatics about how if we went down then we’d go down again to L2

But Luton were in the Championship in 2005/06, and they've been in the Championship for a few seasons now. In between they dropped to L2 and back.

6/7 years ago people would be using Luton as an example of how we were doomed if relegated. Now they're an example of where we wish we could be.

And they're not the only Championship club that's been in L2 within the last 10 years or so from memory.

They actually dropped as far as the Conference Premier in 2009–10, took them twelve years to get back to the championship.

[Royal_jimmy]

Football doesn’t get much lower quality than our performances thid season.

Less skillful players doesn't automatically mean low quality football. There's plenty of decent football in L1. We're not talking conference here.

A new owner could be worse, but it's not that likely.

But lower league does tend to mean lower quality, that's why those clubs are in the division below.

I'd definitely rather be in the Championship, even if it means another season fighting relegation.

Upper L1 > bottom Championship.

Unsuccessful teams play badly, successful teams play well.

If we survive we might fare better next year in the league table. Bowen did a good job recruiting and there seems to be a bit of a plan to take the club forward. No guarantee we'd fight relegation again although we'll have to recruit well to avoid another relegation battle but if we do then I don't see why we can't finish midtable.