Of course there are things that will be a positive of going down....
No VAR, Saturday 3pm KOs, less diving/cheating, worldwide fans who actually have never even been to a game and biased one eyedmedua coverage etc BUT....
I am with
YES Blade
Surely the whole point of Sport and Football is being the best you can. In my lifetime other than a 3/4 year period early 90s we have never established (not even sure we did then) ourselves as a top flight club. Indeed in the last 45 years we have spent 6 seasons up there and only 3 in the last 25 years.
There are no doubt better things about the Championship as others have stated but we dont tend to do the bouncing back and often it can be 10 years or so before we return.
We had an opportunity to establish ourselves as a top flight club and really push on as a club financially, infrastructure and worldwide appeal (it's so much bigger now being in the Premier League than it ever was us being there before) and we have blown it.
I am surprised by the mentality of fans in thus regard. It's like we are settling for 2nd best and accepting we will never be any good...maybe that is right to be realistic (to be fair I've posted that's what I accept we are- Champ club who has odd seasons in Prem or Lg 1 (actually had 9-10 seasons in third tier compared to 6 in top flight in last 40 years!) but surely we should be aspiring to be the best?
I have seen a lot of posts this week on social media saying look where we were a few years ago (random ground posted from League One) and we should be grateful. Whilst I take the point and we have come a long way quickly, I also think that as fans even us have now sadly become aligned with the board/owners over most of our history....that is not demanding more, expecting better but merely just accepting we'll never be any good and being pleased to be 2nd rate.
It's quite sad really. Maybe without major investment we will never get to be established at the top table but I see other teams have done it (Palace, Burnley etc).
I do think within a few months of next season the 'I'm glad we are back in the Championship' will have well and truly worn off. I watched a few games this week on mud heap pitches and the standard was appalling. It was like something youd see on Graves Park almost. No crowds there also seems even worse than the Prem (no idea why- maybe the pitches and smaller stadiums makes it seem worse?). Also the wall to wall media coverage we criticise will be something we may miss. Without paying a fee every week you wont be able to see every game and you will not get anywhere near the coverage/information/highlights. It will be harder to find games for a fair few and actually more expensive (streams not as easy to find at a lower level).
As for away games...isnt it more expensive for tickets when we can go back (Prem games capped)? I personally have loved going to big grounds and newer ones. Granted it wears off but as much as people (include myself) say we miss trips to smaller grounds will we be as excited when the fixtures are out?
The Prem offered trips to London, Manchester, Liverpool etc...great days out. Granted more expensive but I tended to find that take away the train fare and youd spend similiar wherever you went (booze/food etc).
Are people excited about us visiting the same grounds we have been to so many times and I thought had escaped for the foreseeable future...Preston, Watford, Stoke, Huddersfield, Forest, Barnsley, QPR, Cardiff, Millwall, Blackburn etc
I had a look and I think other than Brentford many Blades will have done every ground time and time again. Just hope Lincoln and Accrington come up!
I have not even discussed the financial side or playing side (we could attract better players in the top level)....
I dislike a fair few things in the Prem definitely but its the place to be and surely we want to be there? If you don't is that just accepting mediocrity as our lot?
So in summary, it's a disappointing attitude and a bit defeatist to me but maybe I am on my own?
