Dunfermline also spent a load of cash, signing Stevie Crawford and Ian Ferguson among others, and finished second in the league in 2000. Had it not been for league reconstruction, however, they too would have failed to go back up at the first attempt.
Since then, four sides have been relegated from the SPL and spent a complete season in division one: the two Saints and Partick Thistle. None came close the season after their return to the first division, although Partick did ensure they avoided another season in the league when they were comically relegated last season. The closest any of the three teams has come to going back to the SPL was ourselves last season when we finished second, several points behind runaway champions Falkirk.
This season has seen Dundee grace us with their presence and they don't seem to be showing any signs of bucking the trend. They are currently sixth, ten points behind ourselves, and are in a bit of turmoil.
So, why is it so hard to get back out of the SFL and into the SPL?
It would be easy to point the finger at the SPL. Indeed, if they operated a two up, two down system things could be different. Likewise, if they didn't have a 10,000 seater stadium requirement (now reduced to 6,000), Falkirk would have gone up in 2002/03 and maybe Motherwell would have gone up the season after. However, for once, it is not the blazers at the SPL who are to blame.
The main problem seems to be one of arrogance. When Saints were relegated from the SPL in 2001, most fans reckoned that we would stroll the first division and be back there in twelve months time. I'll freely admit that I thought we'd go straight back up, or at least find ourselves challenging. At the end of our SPL adventure, we'd finally coped with that level and so surely the SFL would be a doddle? Wrong. Instead, we were nearly relegated and only now, a few years and managers later, are we in decent shape. The same could be said of St. Johnstone.
Partick weren't helped by not knowing for six weeks whether they would actually be relegated, although that was partly their own fault and can't be any excuse for just how bad they were last season. The arrogance of their fans last summer was incredible, and also familiar, and met with the predictable result of being out of the title race by Christmas. The same looks likely with Dundee.
If there is this arrogance from fans, then it's safe to assume that there is some of it amongst some players. This was definitely true of Saints in 01/02, often the players didn't appear to be trying much and thought they could stroll through games without difficulty. This is something common in players who leave an SPL club for an SFL one, so it's no surprise that a whole team was doing it.
So, is it the arrogance of the players, the fans, the increased pressure, all three, a combination or neither? Who knows, but past form seems to suggest that unless you've got a lot of money to spend you'll be stuck down here for a good few years.
Dundee are skint. Get used to the first division lads. You'll be here for a long, long time.