Football betting: Kings and dregs: the difference between relegation blues and bouncebackability

Championship / Frank Gregan / 12 June 2008 / Leave a Comment

The mist of relegation misery takes a long time to lift, says Frank Gregan. But one sleeping giant may be about to make an overdue return to the big time.

"I've felt better at funerals!' That was the reply when I was stupid enough to ask my boss at Manchester City how he was feeling the day after our relegation from the Premier League.

Job security wasn't really an issue, the gaffer had been assured by the Chairman that his job was safe and everyone else was staying in situ. Two weeks later all deals were off as the directors changed their minds and the vote of confidence turned out to be as genuine as a Rolex bought in a Tenerife bar.

The days following relegation are dreadful, a truly miserable time. There will be a mist hanging over the training grounds at Birmingham City and Reading when the players report for pre-season. The gulf between the Premier League and Championship is huge and everybody connected with both clubs will be desperate to get back into the big time. It's like staying at the Ritz or staying in a Travelodge, eating fillet steak or feeding on mince, surfing on Bondi Beach or riding the waves at Newquay. Nothing wrong with any of the second choices but once you've experienced the former the latter is not quite so attractive.

It's a different story at Derby where relegation may well have been greeted with relief. The euphoria of their play off win was replaced very early on in the season by the harsh reality that they were just not good enough. In their last three home games they conceded sixteen goals. The question Derby fans will be asking themselves post annus horribilis is: "Do we want to be the Dregs of the Kings or the Kings of the Dregs?" Many will take a crumb of comfort from the fact that they should at least hold their own in the Championship. I can't, however, see them figuring in the chase for automatic promotion.

Reading could bounce straight back. They endured heartache on the last day of the season after looking safe prior to Easter. They lost their way and paid the ultimate price. They had acquitted themselves very well in the Premier League until the latter stages of last season and they have the infrastructure in place for a speedy return. A match at [4.2] on The Royals to get promoted is a very good price. Birmingham are fancied by many at [3.1] to return but I would rather lay at that price than back.

The Championship win market is fascinating, some very big prices are available. Bristol City, who suffered the agony of losing the play off final, are a very generous [34.0]. I toyed with investing in Wolves at [16.0] but I've decided to put my couple of bob on Nottingham Forest. In Colin Calderwood they have one of the brightest managers around. I did my UEFA 'A' License with him at Lilleshall and found him to be a true professional. I even forgave him for ending my dream of a third round FA Cup tie when we clashed as managers in the second round when he was at Northampton. To add salt into the wounds they went on to draw Manchester United after one more round! I think [44.0] is a great price for Forest and I will be disappointed if I am not able to turn them green in my portfolio by the time Santa is climbing down chimneys!