Here we go again

Just so you know, in two weeks the football season begins. Again.

It seems only a few days ago that the latest round of pain that marked the final 9 games of the Premier League season ended and we were rightfully relegated.

By "we" I mean Norwich City.

A year ago we were still full of hope of the still new season, having beaten Newcastle in the first home games, ad soon to come was the stunning home victory against Citeh. And then it all went wrong.

Very wrong.

Nearly two decades ago, WSC published an article by an Ipswich fan on their then recent relegation and how unrelentingly dreadful the experience had been. He ended with the thought that maybe promotion from the then Football League wasn't worth the pain of the weeks and months of constant defeats.

I have thought much about this over the years. Each time we have been promoted, the summer break has been full of blind optimism, thinking how well our team of heroes would do. For the last two times I have have been 100% wrong. Contrary to what I thought, the team that either won the Championship, came second of got promoted via the play-offs were not ready, or good enough, for the trials ahead.

I have seen Norwich promoted three times as Champions of either the Second Division, The First Division of the Championship in 1986, 2004 and 2019, and each time the hopes had been higher and the resulting season, worse. As champions in 1986, winning the title at a romp, we could happily expect the season ahead to see us comfortable survive, and indeed that was the case. It started many years in the top flight, culminating with the team finishing 3rd in the first Premier League season, and qualifying for Europe for the first and only time.

2004-05 was my last year as a season ticket holder, and despite being champions, and buying apparently experienced and more than capable players, we went straight back down, having not scored enough goals.

Last year, and last season, bucking the trend to spaff tens of millions on players, City stuck with what they had, and did OK at first, but after Christmas, just one league wine, including those nine straight defeats with just one goal scored. It was painful.

I can say, that in my opinion, the team promoted 14 months ago was the most capable footballing side Norwich had produced, scored goals from all over the team, not just relying on the fella up front to bang em in. And we scored less than ever, 26 goals in 38 games. We were always going to concede, but I thought scoring was the least of our worries.

Show what I know.

At the three away games I managed to get to; Anfield, Old Trafford and New White Hart Lane, there was a sizeable amount of football tourism; is that what we want, giving sets and space to why be fans, but are willing to overpay for the chance of seeing their local hero from Korea play? Is that what being in the Prem means too, now?

And so back to the point of this post, as the new season beckons, the prize for winning again would be another season in the Prem, being hammered week in week out: is it worth it? And now throw in the chaos that is VAR, the whole Prem experience is pretty dreadful, with those in the ground, when we're allowed, knowing less than anyone.

If being promoted isn't worth it, then what is the point? Is there a point? Should we be happy being the club with most Prem promotions and relegations?

Teams that have survived and even thrived have done so because of close links between owner and an agent, or a style of football that isn't attractive. Or sometimes, just luck. Even if you survive for a season, two or more, the threat of relegation hangs over every team in the bottom half of the table all season. Three defeats in a row is a crisis and the manager is under threat.

Even if a club over-achieves, like Burnley, and they finish 7th, then the following season brought a relegation struggle, fans get restless and calls for the manager to be removed.

So, discontent if you spend and fail, discontent if you don't spend and fail and discontent if you fail to match previous season's highs.

It is grim.

What do I want for Norwich this season? Maybe winning, but not quite enough to go up, happy to win a hat full of games, but just miss out.

So those who are only happy when they have something to complain out, moan just a little less, and we can always look forward to next season.