There are good reasons to keep leagues static in a crowded market but the threat of the drop does spice sport upIts May, and the football season in England barring that grand old dame the FA Cup and a few play-offs has reached its conclusion. Its like September and October in Australia, when the trophies are dished out. Except theres a catch. The fun doesnt happen exclusively at the top of the league, it goes on at the bottom too, where the battle tends to be a whole lot more bloody.
Call me what you want: a sadist, a masochist, a weirdo, its just Ive just always preferred what happens at the foot of the table. See, whichever division youre discussing, whether its the Premier League or the very bottom rung, the threat of relegation makes strange things happen. Faced not only with the indignity that comes with dropping a league but the financial ruin that it can bring too, teams, buoyed by fans every bit as fearful as they, can play above their station, as more than the sum of their parts and with new-found unity and purpose. Title-chasers are toppled, the comfy mid-tablers become fodder and clashes with fellow strugglers are every bit as important as the grand finals Australia does so well. Just as fear grips those facing the drop, aspiration drips from every pore of those with a sniff of climbing a league.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 10 hours ago.
Call me what you want: a sadist, a masochist, a weirdo, its just Ive just always preferred what happens at the foot of the table. See, whichever division youre discussing, whether its the Premier League or the very bottom rung, the threat of relegation makes strange things happen. Faced not only with the indignity that comes with dropping a league but the financial ruin that it can bring too, teams, buoyed by fans every bit as fearful as they, can play above their station, as more than the sum of their parts and with new-found unity and purpose. Title-chasers are toppled, the comfy mid-tablers become fodder and clashes with fellow strugglers are every bit as important as the grand finals Australia does so well. Just as fear grips those facing the drop, aspiration drips from every pore of those with a sniff of climbing a league.
Continue reading... Reported by guardian.co.uk 10 hours ago.