It’s over, it’s finally over. The season that dragged on, keeping the tension right down to the last 90 minutes. So we spend the next season in the Championship, which I think we probably all knew would happen, but we kept clutching at disintegrating paper straws anyway. When you look back at the season, the instant reaction is to say that it was awful – and in a lot of parts, it was. But there were also quite a few positives. Individually, some of our players were really good at times, and we also had some standout team performances. We gave the FA Cup a good go, unlucky in the end not to be semi-finalists. It just didn’t all come together, the team underperformed as a whole and some players had woeful games with too many mistakes and not enough desire to rectify.
Managing uncertainty and the non-committal social media posts
The cliche is now to say that the rebuild starts now, but it does really. We’ve got certainty around our manager, which is a good start. Nuno does seem to have a good hold on the team, maybe not in a warm and fuzzy way, but he has shown us how he can influence for the better to churn out some committed performances. We just need that more often. The uncertainty rests in who will be a part of the team. The social media posts have all flooded in, players are all very upset about being relegated, but remain vague and non-committal. I get that, it’s football – there are very few players who can truly say they will stay, whether it is their decision or not. Speculation will be rife over the coming few weeks.
Financial ramifications and a complicated relationship with the London Stadium
And then of course, there are the financial ramifications of relegation. Wage bills, ticket sales, and sponsorships all see drops. We’ll be fine, but it feels uncomfortable. Not to mention the taxpayers turning up with pitchforks and flares outside the London Stadium. That’s another side of the complicated relationship with what still feels like our new home.
High expectations for Nuno to put rockets where they are needed
Again, it’s a cliche to say there’s no point dwelling on the past, and it’s true here. We need to be the best team in the Championship, prove we deserve to be back at the top, not whimpering to a play-off final leaving all our passionate performances to the last minute. We’ve been here before, and actually the fans had a great time. I think we’ve got high expectations this time and rightly so. This isn’t a season for being average, and I don’t think Nuno will accept that either. He’s got a point to prove, and can hopefully put the rockets where they’re needed.
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