Listening to my old BBC colleague Derek Rae commentate on Hamburg’s Bundesliga relegation play-off in midweek, the harsh truth that the football world doesn’t owe any club a living really hit home.
I thought of Dundee United’s plight, where, for a brief spell early in Jim Godwin’s reign, it looked like the drop might be avoided.
I remember wandering through the west end of Glasgow from the BBC club in the early hours many years ago with Derek after his leaving party, as he went off to pursue his career abroad.
He described Hamburg in midweek as once regarded as “un-relegate-able” in Germany, yet they’ve spent five years in the second tier.
They’re a huge club, evidenced by the crowd of 67,000 at their game at the Volksparkstadion v VFB Stuttgart which saw them consigned to another season out of the Bundesliga.
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Hach. 😍#HSVVfB 1:3 | #VfB | #Relegation2023 pic.twitter.com/24p5FOxr69— VfB Stuttgart (@VfB) June 6, 2023
Former European Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup winners, they’ve planned for a return to the top tier but also for remaining in the second.
United will presumably have done the same, because a quick return from relegation is anything but guaranteed.
With promoted Dunfermline making good signings, Partick Thistle running Ross County close in the play-offs, Inverness giving Celtic a decent run for their money in the Scottish Cup Final, and a clutch of others who’ll see the Tannadice club as a big scalp, United face a tough season.
They can’t afford to suffer another long barren period in the Championship without serious damage to their long-term future.
A lengthy spell out of the Premiership would make it tougher to attract and retain players.
It would also make it more difficult to sustain a strong youth system, because the best kids want to go to a successful club and, of course, within the Dundee area Tony Docherty’s Dark Blues will be more attractive than before to young prospects as a top tier outfit.
Dangers of becoming yo-yo club
A sustained period outwith the top flight will test Mark Ogren’s pockets and patience, and a chunk of the big season ticket base built-up painstakingly might drift away if the team struggles for a prolonged spell.
The dangers of becoming a yo-yo club, up for a season or two and down for a few years, would be debilitating, and a threat to stability.
The task ahead for those charged with making relegation a one-season wonder is formidable.
Dundee bounced back in one leap, but it was touch and go all the way and manager Gary Bowyer paid the price, despite getting them over the finish line.
There are no guarantees that United will achieve an immediate return.
Signing the right type of player and getting rid of deadwood is crucial.
‘Billy Big Timers’ won’t fit the bill; the Championship is no place for showboaters and flannel merchants.
Graft, grit and guts are the commodities needed to bounce back to the top.
If Jim Goodwin can locate enough new faces with those qualities, United’s stay downstairs may be short.
If he can’t, their vacation from the top could turn into a long, painful absence.
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