While there was glee on Tyneside after Sunderland amazingly avoided relegation again last night, despair was general in Newcastle and in Delia's kitchen down in East Anglia.
At least there will be something familiar about the sadness that Sebastian Bassong of Norwich awakes to this morning. The old pro's say there is nothing worse in football than being relegated, but Bassong has now been relegated six times in his career. Does the feeling get better or wose?
Bassong's relegation issues started early in his career when he was relegated twice with Metz in 2006 and 2008. He then came to England and displayed a metaphysical clarity for choosing clubs facing the drop. He joined the Newcastle team that would get relegated under Alan Shearer's watch. Then he left Spurs for Wolves and was relegated under TC in 2012. This is his second time being relegated for the Canaries.
On the plus side, Bassong knows the highs that accompany promotion more than probably any active footballer, but surely that high is nothing like the woesome low of repeatedly presiding over relegation.
We feel for him today.
