The Relegation Hangover Part II

West Ham fans are well acquainted with reacclimatising to life in the second tier. Every relegation is unhappy in its own way but these latest two demotions feel worthy of comparison, bookends as they are to one of the most tumultuous periods in our history. Seven managers in eight years is testament to that.

For many, relegation this time actually felt quite cathartic, a possibility of closure, a chance to rebuild and stabilise under a manager with a reputation for organisation and discipline. But it does not alter the fact that life in the Championship is a slog and, even for the teams at the top, inevitably comes with some poor performances and embarrassing results.

Some games from the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons will haunt us for years to come: a home defeat to relegation strugglers Brighton; losing 2-0 to Gillingham; 4-1 defeats at the hands of Cardiff and Millwall; turning a 3-0 lead against West Brom into a 4-3defeat.

Even when we were winning, the opposition was hardly inspiring. Opponents included Bradford, Walsall, Crewe, Rotherham, as well as some team called Wimbledon who put the words ‘Football Club’ at the end of their name.

And then there were the players: Pavel Srnicek; Brian Deane; Sergei Rebrov; Adam Nowland (who I once nearly convinced myself wasn’t that bad); John Harley; Richard Garcia; Andy Melville. I could go on.

Neil Mellor; Wayne Quinn; Maurico Tarrico; Shaun Newton; Darren Powell …

Our two-year tenure in the Championship is one many of us actually look back on quite fondly. There were some genuinely good times, as the likes of Zamora, Harewood and Etherington flourished. This has helped to generate optimism about the upcoming campaign. Two games every week. A chance to see some new grounds. Winning more than losing - hopefully.

It is not until the season is underway though, that the reality hits home. Shaking that feeling of ‘we shouldn’t be here’ is all but impossible. And it only gets harder with time. I can only assume Sheffield Wednesday fans walk round in a permanent state of despair. Their Yorkshire rivals Leeds have now been out of the top flight for seven years. It is hard not to have some empathy with fans so accustomed to better things. But since this is Leeds, all one actually feels is lots and lots of schadenfreude.

Three weeks before the season starts, there are still many question marks:

• Will they stay or will they go? If we hold on to Scott Parker, Robert Green and Carlton Cole, is it for good or will they be off at the turn of the year, as David James and Jermaine Defoe were in 2004? Was it that lack of stability that did for us in 2003/04?

• Some very good players have left. Some very bad players have left. But was there not a case for keeping the likes of Jonathan Spector and Lars Jacobsen, players who could surely hold their own in the Championship? The recruitment process seems to be slower than Pablo Barrera.

• Are the most recent Academy products really any good? Junior Stanislas? Not sure. Jordan Spence? I think so. Zavon Hines? I fear not.

• What style of football will we play? Over the last few weeks many of us have found ourselves turning into Allardyce apologists, myself included. But think back to Blackburn under Big Sam. Dull one-nil wins scraped from a deflected shot as Diouf takes out the goalkeeper. Deluded or not, will we fans really be able to stomach that?

Our last dalliance with the Championship began and ended with wins against Preston. The setting for this climax was Cardiff, whose Bluebirds are our first opponents as we start all over again. We left the Millennium Stadium in May 2005, oblivious to what the subsequent years would hold: Alan Pardew’s indiscretions; Carlos Tevez and a £25m pay-off; bankrupt Icelandic owners; Gold and Sullivan; the end of the Boelyn Ground; Avram fucking Grant.

Perhaps that’s the point. Nothing is certain. But this is West Ham. What we do know is, it ain’t gonna be straightforward.