It was a sign of the times last weekend when the three teams battling to avoid relegation from the Championship -- Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City -- were all big clubs which have seen much better days. One common thread is that all three have experienced major ownership problems, something that is becoming increasingly prevalent in English football.
The clubs involved have considerable pedigree. Blackburn are only one of six teams to have won the Premier League, as well as lifting six FA Cups. Forest have two European Championships under their belt plus the English top flight title, two FA Cups and four League Cups. Birmingham, while not having an overflowing trophy cabinet, have won the League Cup twice.
Ironically, on a very tense Sunday, all three teams won their last match, but these belated heroics were not enough to save Blackburn from League One. Forest and Birmingham survived, but a lot of work needs to be done quickly if they are not to find themselves in a similar precarious situation next season.
So how did Blackburn get into such dire straits?
The golden days of Rovers occurred in the early 1990s under the enlightened ownership of local businessman Jack Walker. After appointing Kenny Dalglish as manager in 1991, Walker signed Alan Shearer from Southampton for a record fee and things really took off. Rovers finished fourth in the Premier League in 1993, were runners-up in 1994 and won the title the following year. That's what you call progress.
They suffered a hiccup with relegation in 1999, but bounced back straight away and continued to establish themselves in the top flight.
Then in 2010, along came the Indian chicken processing company Venky's and life has never been the same. The new owners sacked manager Sam Allardyce, replacing him with the unpopular Steve Kean. Since the Allardyce sacking, Rovers have gone through seven managers. The Telegraph newspaper has termed it "an era of misery".
Two years into the Venky's reign Rovers were relegated and after another five years of floundering in the Championship they finally went down last week, the first Premier League winners to drop into the third tier. It has been a sorry saga highlighted by owners who seem out of touch.
It was no surprise that last Sunday when Blackburn fans realized their fate they began chanting "Venky's Out!" Their performances this season became so dire that attendances fell alarmingly. Against Brighton last December, only 9,976 fans showed up at Ewood Park, the lowest attendance in 25 years.
Concerning relegation, current manager Tony Mowbray admitted "we have to take it on the chin," and said talks with the owners were vital if things are to improve. Venky's have called it a "temporary setback".
Forest are best known for Brian Clough's hugely successful 18-year reign from 1975-93. It was extraordinary what he achieved with this small, unfashionable club which was 15th in the old Division Two when he took over. Clough's first big success was the League title in 1978, followed by two amazing consecutive European Cup trophies in 1979 and 80. Later came two League Cup triumphs.
Modesty was never Clough's strongest point and in his autobiography he wrote: "Nottingham Forest will never know how lucky they were, that day they asked me to get on with the job of rebuilding their run-down club."
But he also needed the players and John Robertson, Peter Shilton, Viv Anderson and Tony Woodcock all proved to be invaluable. A little later came Stuart Pearce and Nigel Clough, the manager's son.
Forest have not been in the Premier League now for 18 long seasons, having been relegated in 1999, and their fans are getting restless. The nadir came in 2005 when they were relegated to League One, the first European Cup winners to fall into the third tier of their domestic league.
After returning to the Championship they reached the play-offs four times in eight seasons but were unable to get back into the Premier League.
Since 2012, Forest have been owned by the Al-Hawasi family from Kuwait. They finished eighth in the first season, but since then it has been downhill, culminating in Sunday's last-gasp escape.
Forest have also experienced a high managerial turnover, always a sign something is not right. In the past five years Forest have been through eight managers and experienced growing financial problems. It is little wonder most fans want a change of ownership.
Birmingham's recent history has also been overshadowed by ownership issues. Suffice to say, previous owner, Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung, is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for money laundering. In 2015 the club was taken over by another Chinese outfit named Trillion Trophy Asia.
For reasons best known to themselves, the new owners sacked manager Gary Rowett in December this season with Birmingham in a handy seventh place. Rowett was replaced by Gianfranco Zola, but in four months they plunged to 20th place.
Matters weren't helped when Rowett returned to St Andrew's as manager of Derby County and duly beat the club which had sacked him four months earlier. In a desperate move, it was left to Harry Redknapp to come to the rescue, winning the last two matches to ensure Championship survival and secure himself a job with the Blues for next season.
Sadly ownership problems have not been confined to Championship clubs. Fans of Charlton. Coventry City, Leyton Orient and Blackpool have all staged regular protests against their respective owners this season, with good cause.
Whether Blackburn will bounce back is hard to tell. A change of ownership might not be a bad start.