The Premier League - Relegation

Who Will be Relegated in season 2008/2009

Jul 29, 2008 Paul Macdonald

Will promoted West Bromich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City be able to avoid relegation from the English Premiership in the 2008/2009 season, and who else will struggle?

Every season there are the nailed-on certainties for relegation, such as the newly promoted sides. Then, there are the teams who survived, but only just, the previous season. Finally we have the big name sides who, due to a poor season, finds themselves scrambling for survival in one of Europe's toughest leagues. But who can we expect to see near the bottom of the table come May 2009?

Prime Relegation Candidates

• Hull City - Hull have performed fantastically to even break into the top division. Their displays last season in the Championship were based on togetherness and strength as a unit, but there is surely no chance a club with such limited ability and resources can even dream of remaining in the top division. A swift return to the Championship beckons.
• Stoke City - Stoke, like fellow promoted side Hull, are perhaps out of their depth in the Premiership. A trim squad with limited spending power available, they will have to sign shrewdly in order to have any hope of avoiding the drop. They do have a substantial support that is sure to sell out every home match, but then Derby had the same last season, and finished with the lowest points total in Premier League history.
• West Bromich Albion - Easily the best placed of the three promoted outfits to maintain their top-flight status. In Tony Mowbray they have a young, forward-thinking manager who will have money to spend. West Brom have already avoided the drop successfully, in 2005, with arguably a weaker squad than is currently at Mowbray's disposal.

Others in danger of Relegation

• Bolton Wanderers - Survived last season thanks to manager Gary Megson's experience at the wrong end of the division. However, players such as El Hadji Diouf and most notably Nicholas Anleka have moved on, so money will need to spent on goalscoring options if they are to grind out more home victories next season.
• Fulham - Performed a great escape of cinematic proportions to survive last season, beating Portsmouth 1-0 on the final day to stay up. Manager Roy Hodgson has already added talent to his squad, and with record £12m signing Andy Johnson upfront, Fulham should have enough to remain in the division.

Others who may Struggle

• Wigan - Steve Bruce worked his magic last season to make sure his Latics were home and dry with three games to go, but if they struggle to put points on the board at home, this season could be one of despair. Again, a team who need to strengthen in forward positions in order to pick up points.
• Middlesborough - Alfonso Alves aside, the days of big money being spent by Boro are long gone. They have added precious little depth in the close season, and despite copious young talent streaming through from their youth set-up, a long battle with relegation may eventually take its toll.

The promoted sides are clearly odds on to go down, but it is never as clear cut as that, and there is always a potential shock or two. If you are a betting man you can always keep a keen eye on who are the favourites for the drop.

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