Looking Up After Going Down

Relegation. Here we go again…After another year of weekly disappointment, the Pars are relegated to the Scottish First Division to play alongside the part timers and the `local-rivals`, *ahem*, Falkirk.

It’s been a rough run for Dunfermline since our exit from the topflight in 2007. Not to keep barking up the same tree, but there is no doubt we have taken a whammy from the various global problems over the years.

After the economic crises of 2008 and 2011, we only just scraped by to make it out of administration in 2013. Now, it seems as though we are one of the unfortunate teams struggling to find our footing after the COVID pandemic.

With all the other obstacles we’ve had to kick out the way, it doesn’t surprise me that we are where we are. In our 137 year history in the Scottish leagues, we’ve had our fair share of ups and downs – pun intended.

With that, remember what Rocky said, “It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take, and keep moving forward”.

With all we have been through over the years, dare I say I’m feeling good about the next few years ahead?

That’s Football
First of all, the entire world of football has been topsy turvy since the pandemic. Barcelona have had their worst season in 17 years, Nicky Clark scored more league goals than Messi, and Cowdenbeath have been awful – oh no, that’s right, they were always awful.

If every league in Europe has seen its revenue drop, and even teams like Manchester United haven’t coped well, how on earth could we fare having just recovered from our last financial crisis?

On top of that, someone decided to take on a string of managers that had more relegations between them than wins. How we were supposed to get out of the world’s most volatile league with managers who thought the point of football was losing is anyone’s guess.

Saying that, if you ask me, the worst of this low point is past us. Now, from where I’m sitting, it looks like we are in a position where things can only improve.

Scottish League One
Unfortunately, the Pars are no strangers to the Scottish League One. We all remember the previous stretch that last three years from 2013 onwards, although I think we’d rather not. Perhaps our worst season ever came in 2014-15 when we finished seventh in the Scottish third tier. That was no picnic.

Shortly after though, we also remember the triumphant season of 2015-16 as we destroyed the opposition and leapt back to the Championship with five games to spare. That is the Dunfermline Athletic FC we all know and love.

The Scottish League One is no place for a club like the Pars. With half the players in the league more concerned with their day jobs than the football, we need to view our time there with the right perspective. This league is like the physiotherapy grounds for a player too injured to play first team games.

We will go down, mend our broken legs, and when we are firing five or six goals a game past teams again, we will shoot back to the Championship to contest for promotion to the Premiership.

Come On Ye Pars
The Scottish Championship these days is a lion’s den. The fact of the matter is that we were not prepared to fight last season, and that is why we were relegated. What we have to do now is collect ourselves, come together, and pull the club out of the pits the way we did in 2013 when we faced a much bigger threat than a season of smaller crowds and less pie sales.

It’s never nice to be relegated but this is far from our darkest hour. We have an opportunity to rebuild the team and learn from the mistakes we’ve made over the last few years so that when we re-enter the Championship arena, we are ready for the challenge.

And one more thing, Meggle, Keretic, Teller and Gundermann, how about you put your hands in your pockets and do something with your investment? There isn’t a lot of money floating about in the Scottish lower leagues at the moment, even a little thrown here and there could make a big difference.

Ryan David Campbell
COYP !!!