Sink in the Deep or Swim in the Shallows?

Just a small reflective piece on a conversation I had the other day. I was speaking to a friend who happens to have the misfortune of being a Hull City fan. Now, compared to what myself and Graeme are used to, he's had it pretty good in the last couple of years. However, the excesses in which the Tigers indulged during their two year stay in the Premier League have created the potential for things to get much, much worse. Spending on players such as Jimmy Bullard (who essentially gets paid £45,000 a week to keep the physio employed and occasionally perform a comedy act on the football pitch before his knees give out again) and investment in youngsters like Jozy Altidore who fail to live up to the hype has contributed in part to the club owing £21 million as things stand, although that has already been greatly reduced from a peak of £35 million thanks to the efforts of chairman Adam Pearson.

Administration and further relegation may well follow if further drastic action cannot be taken. And yet... my mate seems so much happier with the club's situation. This is a standpoint which may appear difficult to understand but is also one which I can completely empathise with. The boom and bust which Hull may be about to experience is a very similar story to the one which afflicted Livingston just over a year ago. Life with young players who we have mostly produced ourselves plus a couple of old hands suits me so much better than living beyond our means in the SPL and Division One. And, if we continue with current form, we may be back at a higher level much more secure financially and with the wisdom of past experience to stop us repeating the trick. In summary, the short-term loss of administration, near liquidation and forced relegation to the bottom tier has been so preferable to the long-term alternative - staying at a higher level before completely imploding and the club no longer existing.

My friend also pointed out how much more enjoyable it is to be able to get tickets to Championship games more easily, as the fair-weather fans have departed and returned to rugby league. The atmosphere is more fervent and the knowledge of the crowd greater, understandably so. Of course, it won't boost the coffers to the same extent, but it's wonderful to have the opportunity to rebuild a club from the floorboards up. And, like Livingston, the club are relying upon their own youngsters and a few old veterans. And Jimmy Bullard.

In a sport increasingly more reliant upon television money and parachute payments from the Premier League, football needs to look at these stories in a positive light. Yes, financial misdemeanours should be frowned upon but the hardcore fans, those who contribute to the club more than anybody else, will always stand by their players, no matter how dire the circumstances become. One of the reasons why the England national team has struggled so much in recent times is the lack of investment in local youth, with a preference from the "big teams" to pick up youngsters from overseas. Circumstances like Hull's gives English youngsters a shot. Who knows what they could go on to accomplish? It may have taken a crisis to create the situation, but having no choice but to play young Englishmen can only be a good thing in the long-term. However, a word of warning - clubs will never be saved if the public and the footballing authorities fail to support them through their times of trouble and help them get to the other side, no matter how far they have to fall to reach security.

That said, I had a bloody good chuckle today when I saw Dundee were going back into administration!
RM