So many players through the years have told me the same thing about life in soccer abroad:
There is pressure attached to playing for trophies and spots near the top of the table, of course. But make no mistake, they say, there is no pressure like the incomparable, desperate weight that comes with a fight to avoid relegation.
Nothing cuts so deeply in the game abroad, where the systems of promotion and relegation are omnipresent (and sometimes shadowy) features of the landscape. The scourge and the stains of relegation aren’t just psychological, either. Club solvency could be at stake. Individual reputations certainly are. Not to mention this: any top flight club that falls through the relegation trap door will almost certainly see a big roster breakup.
Think of your office or place of business. Think about working alongside a good group of people, about forming alliances and sharing good times, all in the name of working toward bigger, shared goals. And then think about the weight of knowing that it’s all coming in for a hard landing – one that may well see the entire group broken up mercilessly.
Well, here you go: Wigan meets Blackburn today in a match laden with relegation implications.
Blackburn is holding on by the thinnest of threads, one that could easily snap today, when anything but a win would officially cast Rovers down with Wolverhampton as two of the three sides already relegated for 2011-12. (Wolverhampton has been circling the relegation drain for weeks now.)
A Wigan win would seal the “staying up” deal for Roberto Martinez’s club, which has performed so admirably down the stretch. A draw would probably suffice for Wigan, too. (See the full EPL table here.)
A Blackburn win would assist Bolton, where U.S. internationals Tim Ream and Stuart Holden earn their keep. Either way, Bolton will carry its fate into Round 38 this weekend.
That’s because Queens Park Rangers (still ahead of Bolton) looks like the sacrificial lamb, about to go into Manchester City with all the glory of the EPL title about to fall spectacularly around the Etihad Stadium, so long as City takes care of business.
Bolton goes to Stoke City this weekend; anything but a win means curtains for the Wanderers, which would fall into England’s second tier.
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- sir1389 - May 7, 2012 at 12:25 PM
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I wish we had relegation and promotion in MLS.
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- trhendricks5966 - May 7, 2012 at 11:11 PM
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Me too. It makes the sport interesting. Wigan, for example, is a city about the size of Grand Junction, Colorado, or Topeka, Kansas. yet they have a top flight team. Open leagues also allows the sport to grow, which is important for international quality. I do not see the US Men winning the world cup until they embrace this important part of the Game.
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- wesbadia - May 7, 2012 at 12:45 PM
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What are the chances of Ream washing back up on the shores of northern Jersey if Bolton is relegated? If it’s at all possible, Bolton’s shortcomings may well be Hans Backe’s treasure…
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- footballer4ever - May 8, 2012 at 11:09 AM
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Can someone smart, respectful and objective respong the usual cry of ” bring relegation to MLS”? Really, do these same people realize that even though it’s a “neat” concept and it works in other countries in which football is king. Having said that, do you naively forget it was not long ago MLS was in close to folding and that it’s nit until recently where the league has solidified, but not enough as there’s markets that are still shaky and there’s a lot more to do. With all due respect, but the “we want relegation” people are either dreamers or naive because soccer in the US is nowhere close as to what football is in football loving countries. Get a grip of reality, please.
Thank you for reading and apologies ahead of time if my observation offended anyone in any way, shape or form.
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- wesbadia - May 8, 2012 at 12:16 PM
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European leagues have had relegation/promotion in place since as early as 1888 when the English top flight was organized for the first time. That was a measly 10 years after many of the clubs were founded. Comparatively to MLS and the American Soccer Pyramid, there’s little difference in the time line of the leagues. I think what makes the European (and English in particular) model unique is that they were formed before the era of professionalism in the sport.
The Football League, The Football Association, and other leagues existed in England for more than 10 years prior to the organization of a premiership. People played soccer because it was part of their culture. Towns formed teams and played against each other for the purposes of claiming that their town was better. This is how derbies were formed. In other words, the entire structure of European football was organic and grassroots. And this is the marked difference between it and American.
American soccer history is littered with small clubs that played in small, regionalized leagues. And, once a year, they’d all assemble to play in the US Open Cup tournament to claim the top prize in the nation. Since then, most of those clubs have vanished. And in their place we get organizations like the first NASL, or the Western Soccer League, or the NPSL, and now MLS. These top-down models are converse of what occurred in Europe. In Europe, the leagues were formed to collect the teams already in existence. In America, the teams were formed to justify the existence of a league. And THAT is why promotion/relegation cannot currently work in our model. We are not a grassroots soccer culture. Our towns do not create clubs with the hopes and desires of representing those towns. Instead, a corporate entity moves into a city and says “We bring you Soccer!” and then hope and pray that everyone accepts it and that their finances and on-field performance is successful enough to justify its existence.
So, while I think you’re right from a cultural standpoint, I can’t see how anyone could say that it would never work (as some people do). We could wake up tomorrow and the US/Canada could be transformed into a soccer-loving continent with truly fan-supported clubs. Or, 5 years from now the league could be filled with financially viable, grassroots clubs like exist all over the world. And Garber could all of a sudden say “The state of soccer at all levels in America is ripe for pro/rel!”. One day it’ll happen. Maybe tomorrow or 50 years from now, but one day it’ll happen.
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- footballer4ever - May 8, 2012 at 10:36 PM
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@ Wesbadia- thank you for your entertaining and informative contribution which i found it pleasant to read and most importantly it was respectful too.
I don’t say relegation never will happen, but definitely not now as some fans adamantly cry out each time they are given a chance. Would i like relegation? Yes! And that’s only because it will mean our football not only exists, but it has settled down enough roots in the country and in the culture, but realistically nowadays culture still looks down on our football. It’s changing though one day at a time.
We are still a long way far from relegation ever happening, if any.
I say fans should worry and concentrate going to the stadiums, tuning to games on tv in all markets which will cause to attract business sponsors and which will trigger more money to the league to be able to buy better and high profile players and then the casual fan will follow too. It’s a snowball effect, but skipping steps as if we have “already made it and now we need relegation” is totally ludricous and naive.
Long live football and kudos to the passionate yet respectful footie fans! (smile)
