[Football] Name Three Teams That Will Struggle

[el punal]

On my boozy lunchtime gig with a friend yesterday we got to chatting football (as you do!). The conversation came round to which Premier League teams will have an awful season next time around but with a couple of caveats - do not include the Albion, or any of the promoted sides (who probably will struggle anyway).

So what we’re looking for are clubs that, for whatever reason, are going to fare well below expectation and may or may not be in a relegation dog fight. Anywhere, here goes with my selection :

Tottenham - Who are crippled by a huge debt from their new stadium, a revolving door manager policy, Kane rumoured to want out and their annual Spursy dilemma as soon as THEY think they’re the best team in the world, this occurs around mid-October. A mid to lower table finish.

Southampton - a lot of internal strife with a lack of leadership from the top. The current owners want to sell but it seems no one is interested. Many bang average players on huge wages but no other clubs are interested in taking them. The one player, Danny Ings, who has kept them out of the relegation zone is rumoured to be moving (Everton?). All in all things are not looking good. Relegation beckons next year.

Burnley - I just think that Sean Dyche will not be able to motivate his players anymore. They have tended to struggle in the first half of the season and then turn it around from January. I reckon next season will see them suffer the drop.

Dishonourable mentions for relegation : Leeds - second season syndrome, similar to Huddersfield and Sheffield United. Palace, because it’s about f***ing time!

 

[blue-shifted]

Leeds. Second season syndrome as you say. They'll spend a fair bit of wedge just to keep Harrison

West Ham - Won't keep up the pace from this year. May struggle juggling Europa League if they qualify, will be lower mid table.

Spurs - Turmoil approaching as the scale of their debt and the inadequacy of their squad hits home

Everton - Unbelievably, given the money they spend, will struggle to get into the top half. Now lots of cash will be diverted to the new stadium, they'll tread water


Palace sadly will have a good summer of recruitment, with bargains available from the continent and will do very well.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Southampton - seem to be in slow decline, next season may be the one that takes them down

Palace - new Manager, requiring a complete overhaul of a one dimensional, aged squad - very tricky season coming up

Newcastle - spawned their survival last season - only stayed up due to Wilson & St Maximan this. I think they are ripe for relegation.

Wolves? Don't seem the force they were.... . next season will either see them get their mojo back, or really struggle.

 

[PHCgull]

Everton
Soton
Newcastle

 

[Barham's tash]

Newcastle if they don’t sort out their ownership issues. As we saw this season they’re one injury away from drastic underperformance. Ashley won’t want to spend anything unless they get a big offer for Wilson or Saint-Maximan etc

Saints for the reasons already mentioned.

Likewise Burnley but it’s possible they’re new owners may surprise and invest more than the 60p they paid us for Dale Stephens.

Palace - lots of old high wage earners to get off their books and a new manager’s ideas to impart on a threadbare squad as a result. I expect it to be Lampard and although he does well with youth so Palace have a burgeoning excess of talent there or has that dried up with the emergence of Wan-Bissaka and to a lesser extent Mitchell? Eze and Zaha do not make a premier league standard team.

 

[Perkino]

Burnley - It seems like the rot is starting to set in around the club. The board don't want to back Dyche and very few signings are likely to be made

Crystal Palace - Losing the manager and 10+ squad players will mean next season is a transitional year for them. A new manager with new ideas and without the personnel to implement them is a disaster waiting to happen

West Ham - Struggle is potentially the wrong word but they won't finish in the top 10 next season. A Europa League spot will takes it toll and a stadium full of fans will work against them. I can honestly see us finishing ahead of them if we sign a striker for £25m+

 

[Oscar]

Palace - the transition from Woy's ways will mean a bad start but they will probably still stay up with a post-Xmas run and another win against us.

Newcastle - Same reason as this season's struggle.

Leeds - Second season syndrome coupled with a volatile manager will see them struggle.

 

[Weststander]

Norwich - they don't invest, in a money league.

Bmuff (I think they'll go up).

West Ham - if they make the EL .... Thursday night games across Europe, whilst their EPL weekend oppponents have a lovely week's prep, are a huge hindrance.

Spurs - ditto.



NSC's perennial prediction of the relegations of CP, Newcastle and Burnley, won't come to pass. All expertly savvy on how to chisel our EPL wins.

 

[southstandandy]

Southampton, Burnley, and possibly whoever comes up from the play offs. Oh, and us sadly.

 

[Simster]

Palace ought to be at the top of everyone's answer list, yet we all absolutely know they will be nowhere near the relegation places. That's just the way it is.

I'll go with:
Play off winner will go back down again (unless it's Bournemouth). The other 3 are not good enough and they won't have time or money to strengthen enough to compete.
Everton - spent a fortune and I don't really think they've impressed.
Newcastle - far too reliant on 2 or 3 key players
Norwich - that chasm between the divisions will be laid bare again. (Not sure why, but I fancy Watford to stay up.)
Arsenal will continue to be shit unless they sign Bissouma and 2 or 3 others! Not happening. Mid table for them I reckon.

West Ham and Aston Villa will revert to their usual 14th/15th type finishes IMO. Not sure if that counts as struggling.

Finally - sadly I don't think it'll happen but seeing Leeds go down would be absolutely splendid.

 

[Happy Exile]

Arsenal - don't think they'll go down but they seem to exist in a bit of a bubble that must burst at some point and at least have them flirting with the bottom 3 spaces. Lack of Europe will hit their attracting of big new signings, might mean some of the current squad want to leave, and I can see them failing to qualify again next season, perhaps with a bottom half finish. Somehow as a club they don't seem to be able to do what Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, even Spurs seem to do, and rise out of the mire of a poor start to a season.

Spurs - for all the reasons already given. I think they're in trouble without Kane, huge pay-off to Mourinho, massive stadium debt, ESL farce etc, perhaps struggling to attract a manager. Definitely look like a club in crisis and out-Newcastleing Newcastle which is quite an achievement.

Southampton - again for the reasons given. I think they might replace us next season as the team too good to be in the position they are in.

I think Leeds will probably do better next season and I think Norwich will do well too of the promoted sides. Hopefully Palace will appoint Lampard.

 

[GT49er]

Nothing very surprising, I think. It will be interesting to see how second season syndrome affects Leeds.

Then there's the four who don't play very attractive football, often play pretty badly, but just collect enough points to always bobble about just above the relegation zone - Burnley, Southampton, Palarse and Newcastle - will one of them finally crack and crash? And if so, which one(s)?

My long-shot outsider punt? Arsenal.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Southampton.

Burnley.

Palace (it will happen one day!).

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Palace ought to be at the top of everyone's answer list, yet we all absolutely know they will be nowhere near the relegation places. That's just the way it is.

I'll go with:
Play off winner will go back down again (unless it's Bournemouth). The other 3 are not good enough and they won't have time or money to strengthen enough to compete.
Everton - spent a fortune and I don't really think they've impressed.
Newcastle - far too reliant on 2 or 3 key players
Norwich - that chasm between the divisions will be laid bare again. (Not sure why, but I fancy Watford to stay up.)
Arsenal will continue to be shit unless they sign Bissouma and 2 or 3 others! Not happening. Mid table for them I reckon.

West Ham and Aston Villa will revert to their usual 14th/15th type finishes IMO. Not sure if that counts as struggling.

Finally - sadly I don't think it'll happen but seeing Leeds go down would be absolutely splendid.

Agree about Everton. They're so average bearing in mid the money they've spent and I'm really not convinced about Ancelotti anymore. I heard on a podcast yesterday someone say they need a bit of a rebuild and need an entirely new centre midfield - they spent over £40m on Doucoure and Allan last season that was supposed to be the answer!

 

[GT49er]

West Ham - Struggle is potentially the wrong word but they won't finish in the top 10 next season. A Europa League spot will takes it toll and a stadium full of fans will work against them. I can honestly see us finishing ahead of them if we sign a striker for £25m+

So we'll finish below them again then .....................



And ...... not connected to your post - but it seems the further we get down the thread, the fewer the people who have read the OP properly!

 

[Mellotron]

West Ham, a la Wolves when they had Europa.

If Southampton start badly they look like they could be in serious trouble.

I KNOW it's jinxing it but Palace. They will go one of two ways.

Spurs - not enough to go down, but potentially Kane gone and the massive pressure on them to succeed given the huge money spent on the stadium. Expectations high, squad quality not that high really...

 

[blue-shifted]

Wolves an interesting one.

Plenty of players have peaked. Moutinho, Neves, Patricio. Young players don't currently look up to the mark. Though they have a striker who if they can get fit is not far off world class and a winger who if they can get fit is near impossible to defend against.

I suppose the answer is that they will spend and they will be ok

 

[crodonilson]

Wolverhampton

Palace

West Ham

 

[RandyWanger]

Newcastle
Palace
Southampton

 

[Stat Brother]

Liverpool
United
City.


Paving the way for a palace,. Newcastle and Burnley dominated league.