‘A little year in hell’: when the biggest football clubs drop down a division
Some football clubs exist in a perpetual yoyo state between success and failure, promotion and relegation. But what happens to fans of the biggest clubs when they drop down a division for the first time in living memory? Football has produced a few riches-to-rags stories of slumbering giants who sleepwalk off cliffs and into the depth of their domestic pyramid.
In October 2019, I travelled to Hamburg to see former European champions HSV during their first season outside the Bundesliga. For years, Hamburg had prided themselves on being the last founding club of the Bundesliga to taste relegation. The club even had a clock in the Volksparkstadion that counted how long they had been in the Bundesliga; it reached 54 years, 261 days, 36 minutes and two seconds.
But, after a gradual decline, they fell into the 2 Bundesliga. Their relegation brought new challenges. Hamburg fans found themselves travelling to footballing outposts. Towns and cities that would have once been pit stops or detours en route to Munich, Dortmund or Leverkusen were now awkward away fixtures for the fallen giants. Opposing fans, notably those of cross-city rivals St Pauli and Werder Bremen, delighted as the dinosaurs of the Bundesliga faced their own extinction. For St Pauli, it meant the Hamburg derby would become a league fixture and their bitter rivalry would take centre stage.
HSV have won the Bundesliga six times and the European Cup once, developing a global following. Suddenly, their matches became harder to follow for fans overseas. US-based Hamburg fan Blake has found it difficult to watch the second tier: “On matchdays, the Bundesliga has a multicast of all the big games. In 2 Bundesliga, ESPN+ shows one game from the lower league. Luckily it’s often Hamburg, but not always.”
HSV are now into their fourth straight season in the second tier. They have finished fourth for the last three seasons, narrowly missing out on the play-offs on each occasion. Their sojourn in the 2 Bundesliga continues.
Hamburg have enjoyed a friendship with Rangers that dates back to the 1970s. Both clubs know what it’s like to drop out of the top flight. Just nine years ago, Rangers had to start afresh in the third tier due to financial mismanagement. Rangers fan Ross Kilvington summarises the feelings of the period as “the people versus Rangers football club”. He remembers local town centres filling with travelling supporters. “It certainly helped boost the crowds at lower league grounds, having Rangers in town.”
“Some of the away games were brutal,” says Rangers fan Lee Newell. “Elgin, East Stirlingshire. How the hell did we end up there?” Although stung by their club’s demotion, Rangers fans continued to follow them across the country. “You never really saw too many home fans,” says Newell. “We packed out the places we went. I remember going to Stirling Albion and getting beaten. Silence. The place was full of Rangers. They were bottom at the time, and even their manager wasn’t in the dugout. It was his wedding day.”
But how does it feel for a home fan when a fallen giant visits your ground? Lifelong Cardiff fan Tim Hartley remembers when Manchester United were relegated to the second tier and visited Ninian Park in 1974, just six years after they had won the European Cup. The match between local heroes and household names was one of Hartley’s first experiences at a football ground. This was long before the days of wall-to-wall football coverage, which made it more exciting. “People forget how big a deal it was for Manchester United to visit. You only saw them on Match of the Day and never in the flesh.”
Preceded not only by their reputation on the pitch, United’s travelling support were also famous. “Newspapers were full of stories of thuggery and hooliganism,” says Hartley. Thousands of United fans made the trip to Ninian Park, the ground creaking under the pressure. “Stewarding was weak. There were no checks and United fans were present in the Grange End, when away fans were usually allocated the Bob Bank.”
Hartley, a young boy at the time, recalls his relief at being sat on a wobbly wooden seat in the grandstand as the fence that separated the crowds on the terraces succumbed and the opposing fans reached one another. Sporadic fighting began before kick-off and continued during a first half. Cardiff conceded within five minutes, the warring casuals barely noticing.
“Terrace culture had reached a new low,” says Hartley. Rival fans goaded one another with chants of “Munich 58” and “Aberfan”, referencing the tragedies of the Munich Air Disaster and the coal slip that killed a generation of schoolchildren 20 miles north of Cardiff. The big boys coming to town brought out the worst in a lot of people and, as Hartley escaped fighting factions of fans on Sloper Road, the cry of “United are back” rang in the ears of the home fans. Manchester United were soon back in the top flight, promoted as champions. In contrast, Cardiff were relegated.
Even though Atlético Madrid are one of the most successful clubs in the history of Spanish football, their relationship with Real means they can cast themselves as underdogs. When Atleti were relegated to the second tier in 2000 – just four years after they had won the double – their marketing team dubbed it “a little year in hell”. By confronting the failure head-on, the club made a novelty of their year outside the top flight.
Atlético are no strangers to disappointment. They have the nicknameEl Pupas – meaning “The Jinxed One” – after their devastating defeat to Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in 1974. Defeats are as relevant as victories to the history and identity of the club. Due to the branding of “a little year in hell” and common-sense prices, attendances at the Vicente Calderón went up when the club went down. “They got the messaging right,” says Atlético fan Nic. “They understood that Atleti is so much more than winning and losing.”
When Atleti did not bounce straight back to La Liga, Luis Aragonés returned to manage the club and they signed Germán Burgos, who would go on to become Diego Simeone’s righthand man. The new arrivals bore fruit and Atleti clawed their way out of hell at the second attempt, the fans proclaiming: “We held your hand in hell and you lifted me to heaven.” The club responded with an advert in which Burgos emerged from the sewers to the streets of Madrid.
Many fans remember winning the Segunda title as fondly as their triumphs in La Liga in 1996 and 2014. It symbolised a time of unity against adversity and strengthened the bond between club and fan – a cornerstone of Atleti identity. Nic was disappointed the club did not celebrate promotion with more fanfare. “There was nothing official from the club, but we all went down to the Neptune anyway.” A trip to the fountain is a rite of passage for Atlético fans when celebrating a trophy and they made the pilgrimage in their hundreds. In attendance was a young Fernando Torres, who had an early understanding of what success means to Atleti supporters.
Though frustrating, a relegation can strengthen the bond between fans and their club. As time passes and the memory of their sabbatical in another league becomes hazy, fans bored of the same old routines start reminiscing fondly about their time outside the top tier – its challenges, frustrations, and unfamiliar and exciting trips. A little year in hell does not preclude fans from experiencing heaven in the future.
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