West Brom look doomed and can all three promoted teams survive their maiden Premier League season

Matt Jones - Editor 00:50 07/02/2018
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  • With 12 games of the Premier League season remaining, two of the teams promoted from the Championship last summer are outside of the relegation zone – and second-bottom Huddersfield Town (only in the relegation zone on goal difference) are hardly cut adrift without a hope of surviving.

    In fact, this year’s battle to avoid the drop could well be one of the most closely-fought in recent memory. Just seven points separate bottom of the table West Brom and West Ham – in 12th.

    The gap from the Baggies up to Burnley in the heady heights of seventh is only 16 points. To put that into context, the gap from sixth-placed Arsenal to runaway leaders Manchester City seems gargantuan, at 24 points, with the Gunners on 45 and City on 69.

    Although Sean Dyche’s side are more likely to be dragged into a relegation dogfight than a battle for the title, let’s just assume that the sides below them inside the top 10 – Leicester, Bournemouth and Everton are safe. Let’s also rule out rule out Watford in 11th.

    This is only the eighth time in 26 seasons that all three promoted sides have hit double figures after 10 games.

    All three – Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Huddersfield – showed encouraging signs early on.

    David Wagner has a fight to keep Huddersfield up

    David Wagner has a fight to keep Huddersfield up.

    David Wagner’s Terriers lost just once in their opening six games. After going three games without a win, Chris Hughton’s Seagulls have won four and lost just three of their last nine. Newcastle won three straight games after losing their opening two while Rafa Benitez has overseen just two defeats in their last eight.

    Believe it or not, if Brighton (13th), Newcastle (16th) and Huddersfield all managed to beat the drop this season, it would not be the first time that has happened in the Premier League era. In fact, it wouldn’t even be the second. Of the Premier League’s 25 seasons, all three promoted teams have stayed up the following campaign twice – Fulham, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn in 2001/02 and QPR, Norwich and Swansea as recently as 2011/12.

    And, you have to go back 20 years to find the last (and only) time all three went down – Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, in 1997/98.

    Here, Matt Jones assesses the nine teams who could all still go down:

    WEST HAM (12th)

    The Hammers have found their way of late, their recent defeat to Brighton a first loss in their last six games. They’ve finally seemed to have settled in their new home of the London Stadium and have scored more goals than any of the teams below them (32). The big worry for David Moyes is the alarming rate in which they’re conceding. The 46 goals they’ve let in is level with Huddersfield and only worsened by Stoke (52).

    Survival rating: 8/10

    BRIGHTON (13th)

    The Seagulls are flying high in 13th, something that seemed unlikely as they started the season poorly, losing four of their opening seven games. Of all the teams to come up they looked the most ill-equipped to survive. But they’re resilient and have conceded less goals (35) than any of their rivals, while Glenn Murray (eight) is 15th in the league’s individual scoring charts.

    Survival rating: 7/10

    Glenn Murray's goals have kept the Seagulls flying

    Glenn Murray’s goals have kept the Seagulls flying.

    CRYSTAL PALACE (14th) 

    A horrendous start to the season saw the Eagles plummet down the table as they lost their first seven successive games. A 5-0 hammering at Manchester City on September 23 saw them become the first side in English professional football history to lose their first six games without scoring a single goal. They’ve only lost twice in the last 15 though and have quality – Yohan Cabaye, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha – in abundance.

    Survival rating: 8/10

    SOUTHAMPTON (15th)

    Shorn of their star names after years of perhaps over-achievement, peddling their riches has finally turned Saints into paupers this season. Unbeaten in their last four but patience is already wearing thin with Mauricio Pellegrino who replaced the pragmatic Claude Puel midway in the summer. Lost rejuvenated Charlie Austin to a long-term injury while Manolo Gabbiadini has struggled in front of goal, but should have enough quality, especially in midfield, to survive.

    Survival rating: 5/10

    NEWCASTLE (16th)

    Have arguably the most talented manager of all the teams in the lower half of the table in charge, but the discord that exists between Rafa Benitez and owner Mike Ashley shows no signs of dissipating. You can’t help but feeling the Spaniard is managing with one hand tied behind his back. A losing run of eight games in nine at the end of 2017 saw them spiral downwards. The biggest concern is do the players have the stomach for a battle?

    Survival rating: 4/10

    Can Rafa Benitiez keep the Magpies up?

    Can Rafa Benitez keep the Magpies up?

    SWANSEA (17th) 

    The club has been run farcically behind the scenes for a few seasons now. It spoke volumes Wilfried Bony was brought back despite the fact he hadn’t undergone a pre-season, pinning their goalscoring hopes on teenage Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham and having no time to bring in any players after selling Gylfi Sigurdsson in the final throws of August. Carlos Carvalhal, in fairness, has started to turn things around as the Swans have climbed out of the bottom three. But 19 goals is equaled only by Huddersfield.

    Survival rating: 4/10

    STOKE CITY (18th)

    Mark Hughes was finally sacked after a humiliating FA Cup defeat to Coventry at the start of January, but Stoke fans would hardly have been inspired by the choice of replacement in Paul Lambert. Have lost nine of their last 14 but have form for beating the sides around them. Only West Ham (32) and Southampton (28) have scored more goals (26), but the Potters have worryingly conceded 32, six more than anyone else.

    Survival rating: 2/10

    Shaqiri-Stoke-City

    Xherdan Shaqiri has been poor for Stoke.

    HUDDERSFIELD (19th) 

    Nicknamed the Terriers which is appropriate as after an encouraging start to life in the big time, they have been dragged by the leash into the relegation mire. The worry for David Wagner is they’ve scored the joint least amount of goals (19) and have shipped 46 – only Stoke have conceded more, with the worst goal difference of the bottom nine teams (-27). You know they’ll scrap, but will it be enough?

    Survival rating: 3/10

    WEST BROM (20th) 

    The Baggies have been on a rapid sloping trajectory since the end of last season, with long-serving Tony Pulis sacked in November. Alan Pardew came in but his appointment hasn’t had the desired effect of bouncing the Baggies back up the table as they sit bottom. Amazingly, West Brom have only won three times all season, twice as few as anyone except Southampton (five). Worryingly, they’ve won just four of their last 36 Premier League games.

    Survival rating: 2/10

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