Promoted sides faring well in Premiership waters

With Portsmouth and Hull having seemingly hit the self destruct button, most pundits seem to think that Premiership survival will be as easy this season as it ever has been. The newly promoted sides are the ones most people look to as relegation fodder, but so far they appear to have adapted to the demands of the Premiership pretty well.

In spite of standing up well to Premiership opposition in cup competition in previous seasons, many expected Burnley to be the main strugglers. Big defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Chelseas show there is still a gulf, but their survival strategy appears to be making Turf Moor their fortress. Wins against Manchester United, Everton and Sunderland are testament to this.

Wolves’ form has been somewhat more patchy, although they have shown they are able to grind out results where required. Dropped points against teams they would have been looking to take something off (a draw against Hull and loss against Blackburn spring to mind) have been offset by tight but crucial victories over Wigan and Fulham.

Birmingham have had some cruel luck to date, with late goals robbing them of a point against Tottenham and Aston Villa. Their two victories have come against bottom sides Hull and Portsmouth, but they have displayed a defensive resilience which suggests they will be competitive this season. They also have a raft of players to return from injury.

So which of these three teams are most likely to still be plying their trade in the Premiership next season? If Burnley can start nicking a few points away from home and maintain their form at Turf Moor, then they could defy the bookies and keep their place amongst the elite. They have a well organised and balanced squad who obviously want to work hard for Owen Coyle.

The survival chances of Birmingham and Wolves look slightly more precarious, and they will need to start picking up points from some of the league’s more established sides. Their supporters will become even more nervous should Hull and Portsmouth be revived by new managers in the coming weeks, something which is looking increasingly likely.

In terms of this weekend’s fixtures, Burnley will do well to get anything out of a trip to Spurs, and Wolves may also find the going tough against Sunderland at The Stadium of Light. Birmingham should be looking for a maximum return at home to Bolton Wanderers however, a side who have had a stuttering start to their league campaign.

In all likelihood, one of the newly promoted sides will probably be returning from whence they came come May. However, their prospects for survival are stronger than most promoted teams in recent seasons, with around 7 or 8 teams looking to be in danger of the drop. It’s a marathon not a sprint as they say though, and there is still a fair distance left to run.

September 25, 2009