I Just Can't Help Believing: The Relegation Experience

About this book

Every football supporter has peered at least once into the yawning chasm of relegation. At the beginning of May each year, nails are bitten and hair is pulled out across the land as clubs either topple into the division below or are saved by last-gasp winners or equalizers. This is a study of the causes, effects, and heightened emotions of relegation. Drawing upon the experiences of players and supporters, the book explores the meaning of emotion in the English game, particularly in the current top-heavy financial climate where relegation is measured in millions of pounds' worth of lost revenue. Charlie Connelly examines tales of relegation and narrow escapes at clubs ranging from Manchester United to Millwall, and Coventry City to Colchester United, and asks whether relegation really merits the widespread wailing and gnashing of teeth that accompanies it.