[Albion] Early days - but who do you think will be the bottom 3 sides in May?

[Beanstalk]

IMO the worst 3 teams in the league on paper are;

Cardiff
Huddersfield
Southampton

Newcastle have a good manager, West Ham have squad depth and will string a run together, and now Burnley have been knocked out of Europe (thought they would really struggle if they got through to the group stages) they'll start defending and be fine.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

11 Burnley
12 C****** P*****
13 Newcastle
14 Brighton
15 Bournemouth
16 Huddersfield
17 Fulham
----------------------
18 Southampton
19 West Ham
20 Cardiff

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I haven't yet convinced myself that Brighton have enough quality to avoid being dragged into the mire, especially if we're unlucky with injuries and suspensions.

Very early days and you can guarantee that at least one "surprise" club will be struggling by Christmas. And to most people who follow the Premier league, Brighton are still a club that would shock nobody if they went down.

I've got my eye on Burnley because I have a feeling they have flattered to deceive for a while.

Totally agree about Burnley. I know their European journey is now over, but it's amazing how a poor run can become habit forming at this level. They won so many games by a single goal last season, it wouldn't take much for their form to flip to close defeats.

My picks would be

Cardiff
Huddersfield
Burnley
Newcastle
West Ham

 

[Guinness Boy]

Totally agree about Burnley. I know their European journey is now over, but it's amazing how a poor run can become habit forming at this level. They won so many games by a single goal last season, it wouldn't take much for their form to flip to close defeats.

My picks would be

Cardiff
Huddersfield
Burnley
Newcastle
West Ham

Cardiff and Hudderfield for me too and then think the third will come from one of the other three you mentioned.

 

[Mellotron]

Somewhat arrogant to start a thread like this in my view, wait till January at the earliest

Why is it arrogant? People are free to include BHA in their bottom 3.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Cardiff - it seems a bit lazy to pick them, but the Warnock style of football isn't good enough for this league. Their possession and passing stats for last season were one of the worst in the Championship, they will be punished for mistakes so often that better teams are guaranteed to outscore them.

Burnley - As others have pointed out, last season they got lots of marginal wins with hard work and dogged defending - all credit to them for doing it. But that pendulum can quite easily swing the other way and I think it's going to this season. They rely heavily on Steven Defour in midfield and he's injured at the moment which is partly why they're in such bad form. They've also failed to strengthen at all, I think Dyche is going to really struggle to turn it around

Southampton - I think I'm slightly biased here because I really dislike Mark Hughes, but the fact that he's such a useless lying sheep-headed c**t will put them in or around the bottom 3. Trying to be rational, Hughes cannot organise a defence properly and he's rubbish in the transfer market. They'll leak a lot of goals this year, although they might have enough quality at the other end to get them out of it.

Huddersfield, Brighton, Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham will all be in the mix and I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them in the bottom 3.

 

[Two Professors]

Southampton
Newcastle
Palace

Please,please,please

 

[Silverhatch]

It's a huge IF, but if Southampton keep Ings and Austin fit they'll more likely finish 7th than 18th.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

We could certainly be in the mix, but I believe the comeback against Fulham was hugely important for us - the spirit and attitude needed to do that will stand us in good stead and lets everyone know that we are a team to be reckoned with, and the impact on our squad will be huge.

Cardiff and Huddersfield will be down there and will take a lot for either club to survive. But I'm sure Hudds will say the same about us. Not beating Cardiff at home was a terrible result for them, a draw at Everton a good one. They did keep pulling out surprise results last year, but the premier league looks particularly tough this year.

Saints and Palace both looked dog-shit when they played each other on Saturday, both will probably end up sacking their manager and it will all depend on what the new guy does. Moyes is available and could take one of them. Saints transfer business this summer looked horrendous right up to the last-minute signing of Ings, and he could be the guy that saves them.

West Ham will certainly sack their manager if their run continues much longer (and their next five games are Everton away, Chelsea and Man U at home, Brighton away and Spurs at home). But they will get a big-name in and squeak over the line. Or they'll get Pardew back

Newcastle and Burnley are certainly dark-horses that could struggle and also had a poor transfer window, I doubt either would sack their manager until its too late. And Fulham could panic if they get on a bad run.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Whilst the margins between relegation and the top half are quite fine we could realistically find ourselves either in the top half or back in the championship next year.

It feels to me, based on what I've seen so far, that the quality is higher this year than last so while we have clearly improved the quality of our squad I expect us to have a long, hard season where at the end of which we finish just about in the same place as last year.

As for the teams to be relegated because of the better quality this year the only club that I can say I would be surprised if they stayed up is Cardiff. It's not just Warnock's poor record in this division but their squad and team doesn't look particularly strong and they seem to have consciously gone for the low spend, slow build tactics which incorporate a bit of yo-yoing like Burnley did under Dyche.

My next best guess is Huddersfield. They're a team that has overachieved for two years in a row and there comes a time when that has to end. I'm guessing that it's this year.

Southampton also seem like good candidates. Hughes is a mediocre at best manager and they have a squad that performed poorly for the entirety of last season. They sold their best player and haven't replaced him and appear to be relying on a strike force of Austin and Ings which, to be fair, is a decent strikeforce but massively injury prone. If those two go the season without getting injured it'll be a big surprise(and will probably keep Southampton up, too).

Then you've got us, Burnley(for all the reasons others have stated), Newcastle(a club that seems to be in permanent crisis), Fulham(if they continue to defend all season like they did against us), West Ham(whats the point of them? Another perma-crisis club but this time one that spends shedloads of money for nothing but under performing players) and maybe Palace if Zaha gets injured/stops performing.

The rest should be fine.

 

[GT49er]

Wait until after ten games and then make a prediction

......and after ten games last season that would have meant West Ham and Palarse for the drop, wouldn't it?

 

[Two Professors]

It's a huge IF, but if Southampton keep Ings and Austin fit they'll more likely finish 7th than 18th.

You're probably right,but I've had it in for them since the mid-70's,when one of their fans booked us into the Anderlecht equivalent of the North Stand to watch the game!European Cup?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Pre-season tips were:
Cardiff: Didn't strengthen enough and will eventually be overwhelmed by it all.
Burnley: over achieved last year, prepared for this year with their usual shoestring approach. With European extra games plus I think they will be found out this year and struggle to assert themselves.
West Ham: With a midfield of fat boy Snodgrass (I'm here for dead balls only), old angry man Noble and self publicist, best in Premier League at pointless 10 yard passes Wilshere, they will struggle.
Post start of season addition:
Newcastle: Rafa is talking them down and they are believing it now.
Huddersfield: Poor continuation of last year's end of season form.

 

[blue-shifted]

There’s a huge concentration of talent in the premier league this season with the mid to lower teams spending millions to stay out of trouble with millions more spending to come in January. I’ll go something like …..

Top 9 miles in front, then bottom 11 …

Southampton 45 points– Ings, Redmond and Austin will stay fit enough and get them the goals they need.

West Ham 43 points – There were some truly horrendous examples of laziness and negative play on Match of the Day on Saturday, but they can’t not win games with some of the players that they have. They’ll be miles clear by the end of the season.

Fulham - 39 points– They’ll score and concede a load

Watford – 39 points – A great start for them, but they’re not all that

Newcastle – 36 points – I reckon they’ll finally spend big and spend well in January

Burnley – 35 points – Physical strength and organisation will again compensate for a lack of flair. Their strikers will decide enough tight games

Brighton – 35 points - It will be a gut-wrenching, touch and go season. As long as we can keep Murray fit until Andone can get up to speed, we should just grab the points we need. I think we’ll get more away and fewer at home than last season.

Bournemouth - 35 points – They’ve had a brilliant start, but i’m not sure their squad will stand up to an injury crisis.

Huddersfield – 33 points - They will get more bif scalps and have more great days, but not quite enough of them. Other teams have improved more

Palace – 33 points - I genuinely think Palace will go down, I’m not just having a pop because it’s them. I just think the other clubs around them have improved more than them and they have a massive exposure to losing one key player through injury or in the Jan transfer window.

Cardiff – 26 points – I can see them going on lengthy runs of losses and giving up the ghost when winter turns to spring

 

[WhingForPresident]

Cardiff
Huddersfield
Burnley

 

[brightn'ove]

Brighton
Palace
Southampton

Should make for an interesting championship next season

 

[Hiney]

Heart:
Southampton
Palace
Bournemouth

Head:
Cardiff
Burnley
Huddersfield

 

[Bold Seagull]

There’s a huge concentration of talent in the premier league this season with the mid to lower teams spending millions to stay out of trouble with millions more spending to come in January. I’ll go something like …..

Top 9 miles in front, then bottom 11 …

Southampton 45 points– Ings, Redmond and Austin will stay fit enough and get them the goals they need.

West Ham 43 points – There were some truly horrendous examples of laziness and negative play on Match of the Day on Saturday, but they can’t not win games with some of the players that they have. They’ll be miles clear by the end of the season.

Fulham - 39 points– They’ll score and concede a load

Watford – 39 points – A great start for them, but they’re not all that

Newcastle – 36 points – I reckon they’ll finally spend big and spend well in January

Burnley – 35 points – Physical strength and organisation will again compensate for a lack of flair. Their strikers will decide enough tight games

Brighton – 35 points - It will be a gut-wrenching, touch and go season. As long as we can keep Murray fit until Andone can get up to speed, we should just grab the points we need. I think we’ll get more away and fewer at home than last season.

Bournemouth - 35 points – They’ve had a brilliant start, but i’m not sure their squad will stand up to an injury crisis.

Huddersfield – 33 points - They will get more bif scalps and have more great days, but not quite enough of them. Other teams have improved more

Palace – 33 points - I genuinely think Palace will go down, I’m not just having a pop because it’s them. I just think the other clubs around them have improved more than them and they have a massive exposure to losing one key player through injury or in the Jan transfer window.

Cardiff – 26 points – I can see them going on lengthy runs of losses and giving up the ghost when winter turns to spring

9 sides not getting to 40 points. Can't see that happening...has it ever happened I wonder in 3 points for a win?

 

[Beanstalk]

9 sides not getting to 40 points. Can't see that happening...has it ever happened I wonder in 3 points for a win?

7 below 40 in 2014;

14 Sunderland 38
15 Aston Villa 38
16 Hull City 37
17 West Bromwich Albion 36
18 Norwich City (R) 33
19 Fulham (R) 32
20 Cardiff City (R) 30

But apart from that, there isn't much in the last 18 years of the PL. And Cardiff can't get 26 and there be 9 teams, as at least three of the bottom nine would have to have picked up 6 points off them with the other 6/9 getting at least 3. It would be a turn up for the books [MENTION=1890]blue-shifted[/MENTION]!

 

[Bold Seagull]

7 below 40 in 2014;

14 Sunderland 38
15 Aston Villa 38
16 Hull City 37
17 West Bromwich Albion 36
18 Norwich City (R) 33
19 Fulham (R) 32
20 Cardiff City (R) 30

But apart from that, there isn't much in the last 18 years of the PL. And Cardiff can't get 26 and there be 9 teams, as at least three of the bottom nine would have to have picked up 6 points off them with the other 6/9 getting at least 3. It would be a turn up for the books [MENTION=1890]blue-shifted[/MENTION]!

[MENTION=1890]blue-shifted[/MENTION] has 7 teams 36 points or under.

I think the predictions may need a rethink. Southampton on 45 too...blimey.