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Premier League Mid-Season Review: Relegation Battle

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By @potts93

Leicester Hull Relegation

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Leicester City are gone. I didn’t expect to be saying that so bluntly after their early form in the league, but they’ve been out of their depth since a 5-3 triumph over Manchester United. Nigel Pearson did a fantastic job to earn promotion and looked to be doing a good job in the top flight, but now he’s lost the fans and if things don’t change, probably the board of directors who keep him in his job.

To give the Foxes some credit, they stole three points away at struggling Hull City, though before that, they failed to win any of their last 13 games. That’s just suicide. January offers slight hope of reinforcements, but the question stands: Who will want to sign for a team in such turmoil? They’ve got a good set of fans, but they’re adrift at the bottom and I can’t see Leicester clawing their way back.

Realistically, I can see two of West Bromwich Albion, QPR, Hull, Crystal Palace or Burnley filling the other two drop-zone places.

Aston Villa and Sunderland are both close to the mix, but have shown they can be solid without doing anything spectacular either. They aren’t great teams, but they have enough to edge away from danger. To put it simply, there are three worse teams in the league.

QPR are sketchy. Win one, lose one, repeat. They’ve gone down the same route as their doomed campaign from a couple of seasons ago by signing anybody over the age of 30. The way they break their current run of form will determine their fate. If they cap their inconsistency off with a run of positive results, it could give them momentum to push on. Lose a few, and Harry Redknapp will have to produce something special for his team to survive — and to hang onto his job.

West Brom and Hull are two all-around poor sides. They’ve both signed a host of players in the summer and enjoyed the initial boost, but now they’re sliding towards danger. Their heads are above water for now, but either team’s gradual descent could quickly turn into a rapid downward spiral.

Neil Warnock at Crystal Palace was never a great idea. He has become the first manager to be sacked in the Premier League this season. Palace have shown nothing of great significance this season, so it’s not a surprise to see that they’re struggling. Their season hinges on whether they make the right managerial appointment. Ex-Spurs boss Tim Sherwood is one of the favorites, but is he really experienced enough to turn this side around? I’m not convinced.

Finally, Burnley. They did a tremendous job last season to secure promotion, and if they do go down this season, they’ll go down with an almighty scrap. Their staggering 2-2 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad recently shows the right attitude exists. There’s an obvious lack of quality in their side, but the fighting spirit is alive and has led them to a handful of victories.

Sean Dyche deserves credit for the job he’s done in charge, and the Burnley fans need to have patience with him. There’s still a good chance they’ll plunge down to the Championship, but the dream of staying up is certainly far from over.

Prediction: Leicester are looking perilous, and although they have some good players, I can see them dropping. As for the rest, I can see QPR picking up enough wins to wriggle clear, while West Brom will just about survive. Palace have some good players, and with a new manager they could climb out of danger. Unfortunately, that would see plucky Burnley fall from the top flight, followed closely by Hull. They’ve invested heavily in their side and haven’t seen any reward. Steve Bruce has been relegated before in similar fashion. History could repeat itself.

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