SO twelve months on, it real-ly is happening this time. You’ll remember about this time last year, we were in the middle of the will they wont they relegation saga with Waterford United. Play-offs that meant nothing and so on. In the end that time United stayed in the Premier League, after it looked certain they wouldn’t. Twelve months on they’ve ended up the opposite, relegated to the first division when it looked odds on that they’d stay up.
Having finished the regular premier division season, it looked at one stage that the Blues might even stay up without the help of a play-off. Indeed if they had taken some of the chances that fell their way on the last night of the season against Rovers and turned a great chance of a win into three points instead of one, then the United players would be on holidays for a number of weeks now, knowing that they or at least the club would be playing in the Premier Division once again in 2008.
But instead that point meant that it was into a play-off with Finn Harps (who finished second in the first division and saw off Dundalk in a mini-play-off) over two legs to decide who would be plying their trade in the top flight next season.
First up was the long haul of a trip to Ballybofey on Tuesday night last to take on Finn Harps on their home patch and the night turned out to be an unmitigated disaster from a Blues’ perspective.
The objective of a play-off, especially when you play away first, is to not be out of the tie after the first game. Keep yourself in it for the second leg at home. It didn’t work out like that as United lost 3-0 in Donegal. Then you had Gareth Cronin offering to resign, the board of management refusing to accept it and all in all it was a very bizarre couple of days for Waterford football.
Then came the second leg and it got even more bizarre. A thrilling 3-3 draw which meant that United went down on an aggregate score of 6-3. So Unit-ed’s love affair with the Premier League is over for now. A disaster. Or is it?
This time last year Gareth Cronin and Waterford United were preparing for the First Division, had a ‘First Division’ squad assembled and suddenly were horsed in at the deep end. Ok, they managed to strengthen the squad during the season but they still had not prepared for the Premier Division and that was a major setback from the off.
And as has become the norm over recent years, the season was a constant struggle from start to finish. Constantly looking over the shoulder and always battling to keep the club ahead of the bottom two. Don’t forget also that United would have been relegated automatically, had Longford not been docked six points at the start of the season.
Therefore, despite the pain, this is a blessing in disguise. Maybe it’s time to become a big fish in a small pool instead of constantly being a small fish in a big pool and trying to survive.
It’s time to put the structures in place to mastermind a quick return to the Premier Division and to ensure that when that happens these structures will help to ensure that the Blues don’t just come straight back down. Plan for the future. A bright future. I know the management committee have put huge effort into trying to keep the Blues up but now they must set out a three or five year plan and stick to it to ensure the future of football in Waterford.
I’m not saying Waterford should or will come straight back up at the first attempt, it doesn’t work like that, but they should challenge and should they be successful it will instill a new confidence and give the club a fresh beginning. Even if it takes two or three years, surely it’s better than fighting relegation each year, provided that when the club finally comes up again it is ready and prepared to do more than just battle against the drop. Look at Shamrock Rovers.
They spent an unwanted sojourn in the First Division, then came up this year and did superbly well. Why can’t Water-ford do the same? The answer is that there is no reason why they can’t.
Not meaning to sound like I’m telling Waterford United what they should do, but maybe the time has come to put the faith in youth and local youth at that. I’m sure the talent is there but talent needs its chance.
Maybe too this would give Waterford a chance to revert to a more attacking and offensive style of football, which is so more pleasing on the eye.
I don’t mean that it a nasty way, Gareth Cronin believed this season (and I fully understand his viewpoint) that the only way to stay up was to play a containing style. Defend well, don’t get opened up and try and snatch a goal here and there. Maybe he was right but I still feel that footballing teams have a better chance of doing well than teams who try and stop other teams from playing.
Of course the burning question now is whether Gareth Cronin will be in charge or not next season. The club have made overtures to say that he will but I’m not so sure. These rumours of him being linked with another club just won’t go away and as they say there’s rarely if ever smoke without fire. We’ll see.
**** So much for my theory that Paul Jewell might be the next Manger of Ireland. Despite, it seems, a plethora of phone calls from John Delaney and John Giles, it seems that Jewell is eager to get back into the day-to-day management. So now, with England’s shock demise, Bobby Robson looks like the number one contender. El Tel, the preferred choice of the Irish players it seems. I’m still not convinced.
The draw for the World Cup qualifiers threw us in a tough group but I still think it could have been worse. Not easy of course but none of these are. Surely have a chance of second though? And another play-off. And we all know how heartbreaking they are......
