The Relegation Thread

[Abertawe]

How we've not been relegated is beyond me. We went into this season with the weakest squad since getting promoted and then hired Bob Bradley as manager.
We've got away with it but more importantly we have rediscovered what made us good in the first place. I'm looking forward to next season already. Clement has more about him than the likes of Martinez, Rodgers & Laudrup. Provided we make the right signings we can achieve top half, season after could have top four potential.

Hull overachieved. Their pre season was a complete shambles. They bottled it though, proper.

 

[Nilsson]

The table when Clement was appointed

 

[LondonOrn]

We've got away with it but more importantly we have rediscovered what made us good in the first place. I'm looking forward to next season already. Clement has more about him than the likes of Martinez, Rodgers & Laudrup. Provided we make the right signings we can achieve top half, season after could have top four potential.

I wouldn't get that carried away, I bet you were thinking you'd really push on with Guidolin at the helm after a similarly good second half of the season this time last year and look what happened.

And I'm sure a fair few Southampton, Stoke and West Ham fans have been thinking of top 4 being a possibility (especially after Leicester's example) only to endure quite disappointing seasons.

Much credit to Swansea though for securing a seventh successive top flight season, better than us and Palace have ever managed, not to mention much bigger clubs like Derby, Leicester and Sheffield United in modern times.

 

[Aero]

Commiserations Hull City, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

Glad Hull City went down.

Would have liked Crystal Palace to have failed also.

 

[epic73]

Do Hull City still stand a chance to survive?

No.

 

[mistermagic]

One game to the halfway point of the season, time to assess who will down the wrong end of the table come May.
I think no side is a dead cert to go down. Swansea are in a bad way but have a decent enough squad and can get results every now and then. Yes, games are being lost most weeks but they don't concede that many goals (except against City but everyone gets and will get hammered by City this season, they're gonna win the league I think). West Brom have made a serious mistake in sacking Pulis (especially to make way for Alan fucking Pardew) which could cost them, Newcastle have a solitary point in 9 games, nuff said and underrated managers (well, managers I didn't think were any good down this end of the table) have improved London clubs no end (Palace and West Ham). I'm especially impressed by David Moyes beating Chelsea and winning at Stoke is surprising. Hodgson has the experience and he has inherited an alright squad.

Of the less usual suspects we have Bournemouth (they won 3 games out of 4 a month ago but that's as good as it got) and Stoke (4 wins so far! For such a talented side that's shocking) who could be down there.

Gonna predict West Brom Newcastle and Bournemouth to go down. Promises to be another fascinating battle for survival. Looking forward to it.

 

[Abertawe]

all to play for. we need to back clement in january - he's got crap depth to work from. Stoke need to sack Hughes - will be funny if they hire pulis till the end of the season.v

 

[mistermagic]

Stranger things have happened.

 

[Leewilson]

Interesting one. Newcastle need investment or they will go down. Their squad is not good enough. Huddersfield and Brighton may just have enough. They seem to have the right spirit about them.

Swansea do look a bit doomed but stranger things have happened. Bournemouth seem to have stopped scoring which doesn’t bode well since that’s what’s kept them up the last few years. Southampton are very dull but have a knack of eeking results. They’ll be ok I think. West Brom invested terribly in the summer. Jay Rodriguez was not the right buy and they bought a few DMs which was a stronger position anyway. They’re crying out for creativity. Unless Pardew does well in January, they’re gone.

Palace and West Ham will be fine now. Both squads are good enough, they just needed better direction. Stoke will probably follow the same way when then finally ditch Hughes.


Think I’m going for Swansea, West Brom and Newcastle to drop.

If Newcastle invest though, Rafa will keep them up and I’ll go for Brighton to take their place.

 

[AnkleBiter]

I'm slightly offended we've been grouped with Brighton! We're comfortably a better side. They are organised, but dull, and I think they'll go down.

It doesn't take long for things to change though. 2/3 weeks ago I'd have probably put Palace and West Ham in my bottom 3, now I think they'll both survive comfortably.

We're well on track, 5 wins and a draw or two from 20 remaining games will probably see us safe. We're still learning, and will buy a couple in January. Wagner has an incredible record with transfers. We should survive which would be an epic achievement. We've been tipped to go down all season but have never actually been that close to the bottom 3 at all.

Swansea, Brighton, West Brom for me atm. But I'll probably change my mind by next week.

 

[JimJams]

Without a huge January spend Newcastle are 100% going down.
Pardew is doggo and might take WBA down, cos he's utter tripe.
Swansea need a change. They look like a championship side.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

One big difference from my point of view compared with the last two seasons here, is the lack of a Sunderland / Villa at this point. Swansea who are bottom currently are still capable on their day, there's no one team you can point to currently as the worst side in the league, as I think you could with Villa and Sunderland in the last two seasons. That means there are three relegation places to fight over, rather than just two. That increases the danger for us clubs hovering.

We've lost our way a bit this season for a few reasons. For some of our old timers who never would have expected top flight football in their career, a third season of it is proving really tough. For some of the newer blood, Howe is struggling to trust them, the lack of game time for L.Cook this season an example of that.

We saw this last season in patches, and it took only Howe modifying his preferred 4-4-2 slightly into a 4-2-3-1 for it to change into a top half push and a 9th place finish. Drop the idealistic 4-4-2, that doesn't mean we turn into Pulis, it just means we play with a little more stability in our core. Replace the captain Simon Francis, we're not good enough to keep a player of Steve Cook's quality on our bench for the sake of the captain. The midfield must contain Lewis Cook as much as possible. Josh King is our best striker, play him up front. It wouldn't take much for us to look more comfortable. But the way it's going currently it's not good, and no capitulating clubs as in previous years.

 

[AnkleBiter]

If Swansea don't beat Palace on Saturday, I'd say they're well on their way to being a Villa/Sunderland.

 

[Benji]

Nah, they're obviously not very good but there is considerably more talent about them than those teams.

 

[Abertawe]

if we go down we'll win the championship in record breaking fashion

 

[Camborne Gills]

Like Sunderland?

 

[Benladdie3000]

Swansea lol a joke club, took less than 200 to Everton

 

[Camborne Gills]

They knew what to expect. Even for a Monday on Sky, that is pony.

Wonder how many mad sods went to Carlisle tonight. (by comparison)

 

[AnkleBiter]

I go to every game home and away, but if we were bottom of the league, playing a fellow Premier League club we'd been playing for 5 years, were very likely to lose, felt disillusioned with the running of the club, and it was Monday night on Sky... you'd probably have to pay me to go.
They still out sang the usual silent scousers last night.

 

[AnkleBiter]

Swansea and West Brom are looking odds on, but the third team is very hard to call.

Watford, Southampton and Palace I'd say are too good to go down and will do enough to have no stress come April/May. With 22 points at the half way mark, I'm hoping we'll be in the same boat.
Everyone else keep picking up a result here and there. I would've said Newcastle but that's a very good win today. Despite being 18th, I just can't see Bournemouth going down, plenty of quality... I was also going to put spirit there too, but not so sure right now?

 

[Super_horns]

Well we need to get some players fit/back in form or we will be in trouble.

 

[Benji]

Man City are officially safe from relegation.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Who is getting sacked first then? Peligrino or Hughes?

 

[Jamie_SFC]

We won't sack that clueless c***.

 

[Skinner]

Only Leicester and the top six have more points than us since Hodgson came in, we'll pull away from this thread soon enough.

 

[mistermagic]

Really interesting couple of results tonight. Palace and West Ham won the 6-pointers which means that Swansea and West Brom are 4 points adrift at the bottom with Southampton and Stoke occupying 17th and 18th place respectively. Does that mean the bottom two are already down and out? The managerial changes don't seem to have had a good effect on their respective squads.
We still have no idea who is in this relegation struggle and who is not. Stoke are just 3 points behind Brighton who are 12th. You can even stretch that to Everton who have 7 points on the relegation zone. The next few months are going to be very interesting.

 

[Leewilson]

West Brom have to invest in a couple of forward options as their wingers and strikers are not good enough.

Swansea just aren’t good enough all over. They’re gone already.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Well this partys' getting crowded.

 

[AnkleBiter]

Stoke are clearly looking for a replacement. Rightfully so, as they really need to get the next appointment right. A Hodgson/Allardyce would easily keep them up, I've seen a few sides that looked worse than they did on Boxing Day.

I predicted Southampton to go down not long ago but they've got some serious cash to spend in January, but I know their fans certainly don't trust those in charge to spend it well. Surely enough to keep them up though?

West Brom have to beat Brighton at home next up, 20 games without a win!

We have home games against West Ham, Palace, Bournemouth, Swansea, Watford, and Everton.. and huge aways against Stoke, Newcastle, West Brom and Brighton. If we go down we'll have had a poorer 2nd half of the season compared to the first half which would be gutting. Already starting to strengthen the squad.

 

[Jamie_SFC]

I'd be surprised if we spent £20m of that VvD money.