There may be a better noun, but the Oxford dictionary says, "Matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome." Figures vary for the cost of relegation, from forty to sixty million pounds, a loss which must mean trouble for the smaller clubs. The alternative would be to breeze through the Championship, but relegated teams often tumble through the divisions and Reading have sacked the manager that got them two promotions in as many seasons. If Wigan go down, history shows they will disappear into obscurity, whereas QPR should be a Premier League side (like Leeds Utd). So should Aston Villa.
Saints have Stoke and Sunderland - both can be tenacious.
|