As a fan is it better to be competing for the title in the championship or fighting relegation in the Prem?? For the club its better to be losing in the Prem but as a Fan do you see things differently. Just a question not about Norwich or Ipswich just me pondering.
If we come straight back down I guess it will hurt a bit not not unexpected. In general terms losing in the play offs in the Championship felt worse (when Birmingham beat us in Cardiff) than being relegated from the PL last time IMO.
I will always want my team to be in the highest league possible, but when the chips are down, they are still my team where ever they are! When we dropped down to league 1, I didn't think "Oh I must start supporting 1p5wich, because they are in a higher division than we are, just as I don't expect you lot to support us just because we are in a higher league and play much more attractive football than you. East is east and west is west and ne'er the twain shall meet canary-dave, reporting from base-camp Carrow Road
Even having an average season in the Championship is better than finishing bottom 3 in the PL. Winning games gives a warm, happy feeling whereas losing most weeks clearly does not have the same effect.
Its not about abandoning your team David i was wondering which is better for a fan to win and compete at a lower level or struggle in the top league.
Define compete! Are you talking promotion with the real prospect of relegation the following season or are you talking about falling just short of promotion? This is the grey area. A team may well compete next season, even maybe make the play offs but could lose out on promotion. Which would you prefer? Lose out in the play offs of finish 7th - 10th? (still competing, just about)
I'd rather be in the Prem watching our boys battling it out with the top footballers even if we come off worse more often than not. If you ask me Championship football is a different sport to top flight football, it's a lot better than it used to be but you still have to get behind players who lack the ambition / drive / determination / attitude / balls to play at the highest level.
Everyone wants to get promoted i know but in a two year cycle which season is most enjoyable for a fan gaining promotion in year one or getting relegated in year two or even scrapping survival in year two???????????
I think I could live with promotion 1 season, relegation the next providing we get promoted straight back up again
I have had this thought myself. The joys of last seasons successes tempered by the knowledge that watching Norwich win almost every week is now a lot less likely. Don't get me wrong, I think we'll survive, but you can survive by winning 14 or so games and drawing a few. Even if we get 50+ points, I am going to see them get well beaten several times this year. That is a fact that every Norwich suppoerter will accept.
In addition to this, there are a lot more 'plastic' fans in the top flight. I live in a small village in norfolk and although there are a fair few Norwich fans here there are also a few who profess to be Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U fans. Few of them have ever been to see 'their side' play. But I know that when we lose to one or more of those sides (and lets face it, we will lose some if not all those games) I will get endless stick from them. Is very annoying.
So would you rather get relegated if you knew that youd get promoted the next season or finish just above relegation to survive??
Try and live here mate! Most of them could not point on a map to show where Manchester, Liverpool etc is but they love to wear the shirt
