This season, Arminia Bielefeld and VfB Stuttgart are threatened with fulfilling the prophecy. The Arminen already had their difficulties last year as a promoted team, but saved themselves in 15th place. They are currently in penultimate place. So that it doesn’t stay that way, the club parted ways with coach Frank Kramer on Wednesday (April 20, 2022). VfB Stuttgart fares only marginally better. After ninth place last year, the Swabians are currently in 16th place and thus on the relegation place.
Stuttgart and Bielefeld are burned children
By the way, the people of Stuttgart already know that. In the 2018/19 season, the Swabians were relegated from the Bundesliga. At that time they were accompanied by Hannover 96. Both clubs had been promoted together two years earlier. So there it was, the “twisted second year”.
And there are other examples in the recent past. Last season, 1. FC Köln only saved themselves in the relegation, in 2019/20 Fortuna Düsseldorf got it, in 2016/17 Darmstadt 98 and FC Ingolstadt got relegated – all in the second year after promotion. Karlsruher SC, KFC Uerdingen, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bielefeld were even hit twice in their second year. Incidentally, Hertha BSC started in the 1964/65 season.
57 newcomers caught off guard
But of course there is hope for Bielefeld and Stuttgart. If you rummage through the statistics of the Bundesliga since 1963, you will find out: Of the 146 relegated so far, 57 were new in the upper house. It will probably be the same for the Greuther Fürth game association this season. Only 26 were relegated in the second year after promotion.
The supposed football wisdom is therefore none at all. Exceptions confirm the rule – just as, of course, quite a number of marriages in Germany end in divorce in the seventh year. But not most.