Over the past few seasons I have noted with interest (but not much) others' passionate cries for promotion and relegation. I put it down to a simple agenda of fans from the NPL or various state-based leagues wanting their teams in The A-league. Good luck to that, but I'm happy with the Roar's guaranteed place in the upper tier.
But this season something happened. For a change, I've found myself watching my team at the wrong end of the table and playing badly, and strangle I've been not really caring much about the result. In fact, I've even found myself thinking, at least if we lose something might change.
Then Friday night I watched my team play poorly, get gifted 3 goals and win the game. And I didn't even feel that good. This got me thinking, if relegation was in play, I would have been feeling all the emotions of excitement and relief at my side getting a result and easing relegation concerns, and then next week I'd be nervous again about whether we could get a result.
This game is all about emotions and I'm now a firm believer that relegation is an essential part of the whole football equation.
I'd be interested to hear the views of those whose teams have been in similar positions.