Premiership: Who's going down

Killme00

13 Reading 22 -17 22
14 Middlesbrough 22 -17 21
15 Bolton 22 -10 20
16 Birmingham 22 -10 20
17 Wigan 22 -15 20
18 Sunderland 22 -18 20
19 Fulham 22 -16 15
20 Derby 22 -37 7

Its tough to see at the moment because it is so tight at the bottom. A run of 2 or 3 results could get any club out of the myre.

Derby - gone, no money and no goals

Fulham - good manager but 5 point behind is tough

Sunderland - getting better but poor at the back, they will spend money in Jan which may save them

Wigan - struggling at the moment but have goals in them, should be okay

Birmingham - good manager, team getting better, defense is good but they will need goals

Bolton - could be in trouble, they cant keep relying on midfield for goals now that they have lost Anelka

Middleborough - so hot and cold, poor manager

Reading - goals for fun but conceding them too, will do ok against teams around them

In conclusion - Bye Bye Derby, Bye Bye Fulham, Bye Bye Middlesborough

sweetie

I think Boro will pick up a decent striker in the window and probably stay up. Derby and Fulham the bottom two with Brum, Wigan or Sunderland for the last spot. Hopefully Wigan.

Helix

liverpool

whatawaster

Derby are gone, obviously.
I think Fulham will join them.
And possibly Bolton or Wigan. Probably Bolton.

I think Sunderland will be ok, especially if they get Hunt. Stokes is starting to show real promise IMO. I think a front 4 of Hunt, Richardson, Stokes and Jones would keep them up.

Helix

nah in all honesty, ill have to go with derby, fulham and small heath

tho id like to see sunderland go

Savman

Killme00 wrote: »

13 Reading 22 -17 22
14 Middlesbrough 22 -17 21
15 Bolton 22 -10 20
16 Birmingham 22 -10 20
17 Wigan 22 -15 20
18 Sunderland 22 -18 20
19 Fulham 22 -16 15
20 Derby 22 -37 7

Out of that list you have to consider which Managers have experience of a Premiership relegation dogfight. So expect Boro and Wigan to do just enough. Going down along with Derby it'll be between Fulham (Hodgson), Birmingham (McLeish) and Bolton (Megson) IMHO. I reckon Keano's Sunderland might stay up.

flanzer

Derby, Fulham and Wigan. I think Newcastle as an outsider is a worthy punt if either Keegan or Shearer gets the managers job. Their current leauge form is worse than most teams down there and doesn't look like changing. Remember the last time a hero centre-forward got the managers job at a north-east club.....if it wasn't for Niall holding his hands up and getting Roy in, Sunderland could have been a league 1 club this season and not languishing at the bottom of the Prem.

mike65

Helix wrote: »

liverpool

But only on current form!

Derby/Sunderland/Fulham

Mike.

PHB

No chance of Newcastle going down really.
I think Derby are defo gone.

I don't think Fulham have no chance, but i'd be surprised to see them stay up.

I think Wigan are improving, and probably have enough depth to stay up. Reading will certainly stay up I think.

Boro, Bolton, Brum, Wigan, Sunderland. One of those will go down. I'd like it to be Boro, really dislike them as a club. That said, at this stage, the fact that they are willing to stick with a manager rather than replacing him means I kinda prefer them to stay up. I want Birmingham to go down for how they treated Bruce to be honest, but I think he's done too good a job, and they've got enough depth to stay up.

Melion

I dont think Newcastle are too good to go down, if they played like this last season they probably would have. The only thing going for them is the fact there are some very very poor sides at the bottom. If Shearer gets the job then i think they will definitely go down.

Derby and Fulham to join them i think.

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

Fanny Cradock

I'll tell you after the transfer window.

yahoo_moe

At the start of the season, I backed Derby, Wigan and Boro to be the three relegated sides - at this point, I'm still hopeful of collecting on it but Sunderland and Fulham are the two sides that worry me most...

I thought Sunderland would need to buy well and even though they'd a poor summer in the market imo, they might get it right this time around. Fulham are really scaring me but with Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard coming back, I think they could be okay too.

Don't think Birmingham or Reading will go down but as someone said, a short run can make a huge difference one way or the other...

_blank_

Definite : Derby, Fulham
Hopefully : Sunderland
Probably : Bolton

RedorDead

I looked at this on Christmas day and in the last 6 seasons at least 2 of the bottom 3 at christmas have been relegated. Like others i think that sunderland might be okay, so im going with derby, fulham and wigan.

kryogen

derby are gone already, i think its between birmingham, sunderland, wigan, fulham and bolton for the other two places imo.....

can see bolton getting sucked in unless they replace anelka with some real quality (which will be hard for them to do)

fulham, i expect them to go down

birmingham, i see like a mini league between birmingham and sunderland, and whoever wins the league between them stays up, whoever loses it goes down

wigan, i think bruce will kepp them up personally

JimiTime

Derby, Fulham and I hope Middlesborough. From an Irish standpoint i hope its them 3 anyway. Have a feeling Middlesborough will stay up though, should be a very interesting dogfight though.

UnitedIrishman

Fulham, Bolton and Derby for me. Can't see Megson bringing in a top class striker and will probably go for some battling player like a Jason Roberts type rather than a decent goalscorer that will keep them up.

homerjay2005

Derby anyway
Ill go with Bolton and Fulham also.

and i think Sunderland will stay up for definate. Reading were my tip at the start and im still worried for them, but they have such battling qualities, that i think they will survive. but they need to invest in players and not a new stadium.

_blank_

JimiTime wrote: »

From an Irish standpoint i hope its them 3 anyway.

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Reading were my tip at the start and im still worried for them, but they have such battling qualities, .

AND Hunty, Doyler and Longy

OPENROAD

JimiTime wrote: »

Derby, Fulham and I hope Middlesborough. From an Irish standpoint i hope its them 3 anyway. Have a feeling Middlesborough will stay up though, should be a very interesting dogfight though.[/QUOTE


Not really bothered from an Irish point of view but my three at the moment would be Derby, Fulham and Bolton.

Would like to see Fulham stay up and maybe Sunderland going down, but can't see it.

Xavi6

Please God let Sunderland go down. In fact let's get rid of the whole North East. Boro, Newcastle and Sunderland. Imagine.

OPENROAD

Xavi6 wrote: »

Please God let Sunderland go down. In fact let's get rid of the whole North East. Boro, Newcastle and Sunderland. Imagine.

Actually would love Boro to go down.

Mr. Presentable

Not really bothered from an "Irish point of view".

Because of what I think of Roy Keane (which I am not allowed to express under pain of banning here) I hope Sunderland go. Had he not been there, or if he gets the boot soon, I'd hope they'd stay up.

Mr.Nice Guy

I predicted Derby, Fulham and Wigan at the start of the season and there's a good chance of that still I reckon.

I'd like to see Keano save Sunderland from relegation. The Irish players there would benefit from staying in the Premiership too.

WhiteWashMan

derby fulham and bolton.

aidan24326

The Derby assistant manager was on SSN earlier and he said they're already looking to next season and preparing for the championship. Resigned to their fate at this stage.

I think Reading will stay up as they can score goals and will win enough games to stay afloat. If they could sort out the leaky defence they'd be a solid midtable team so I can't see them going down.

Fulham are emerging as favourites to join the doomed Derby in next year's championship. A good manager gives them a chance but their away form is hopeless and it was always going to come back to haunt them once the home wins dried up.

For me It's Derby, Fulham and probably Bolton to go down. I think Bolton will struggle from here on. Birmingham and Wigan to survive by the skin of their teeth along with Sunderland.

Boro will stay up imo, but they could do with Downing sticking around at least til the end of the season. If he stays and they get Alfonso Alves they will definitely stay up, otherwise they will be there in the dogfight right to the end.

Are Derby the poorest team to have played in the premiership? I can't ever recall a team being so completely doomed from so early in the season. They can't score goals for love nor money, which is kinda the objective of football in the first place.

OPENROAD

aidan24326 wrote: »

The Derby
Are Derby the poorest team to have played in the premiership? I can't ever recall a team being so completely doomed from so early in the season. They can't score goals for love nor money, which is kinda the objective of football in the first place.

I think Sunderland were worse imo, though don't have stats to hand.

JimiTime

jimitime wrote:

From an Irish point of view derby fulham and middlesborough

DesF wrote: »

They don't have Irish players in the side. I'd rather see Irish internationals playing in the premiership. Bolton dropping would mean Andy and Joey O'Brien, Sunderland, well, lots, Wigan have Kilbane etc etc. the 3 teams I mentioned have no Irish contingent that I am am aware of so i hope they're the 3 to drop.

Obni

As a Bolton fan I'm seriously scared after yesterday.
When people see how well Anelka does at Chelsea they'll realise what piss-poor supply he got at Bolton. I know everyone's expecting us to spend the Anelka money on a striker, but our midfield is in dire need of quality.
Wonder-goal apart, Nolan's not the player he was. Stelios is just too lightweight. We'll miss Diouf as much as Anelka in the next few crucial weeks.

But we're not the only ones in trouble...
Reading play 6 of the top 7 in their next 8 games.
The others are away at Boro and at home to Bolton.
They could easily be dragged back in.

Survival is largely about home form and not losing touch.
Not losing touch is about keeping as close as possible to a point a game average.

Looking at the next five home fixtures and likely points...

Fulham: Arsenal, Villa, West Ham, Man Utd, Everton (2 pts)
Boro: Wigan, Fulham, Reading, Derby, Man Utd (5 to 9 pts)
B'ham: Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle, Man City (4 pts)
Wigan: Everton, Chelsea, West Ham, Derby, Arsenal (4 pts)
Bolton: Fulham, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal (4 pts)
S'land: B'ham, Wigan, Everton, Chelsea, West Ham (4 pts)

Unless someone picks up a good run, it looks like Boro will pull clear, while Fulham join Derby in the dead zone.
Any of the other teams that starts picking up draws away from home should be safe.

My forecast: Derby-Fulham-Birmingham

Mr Alan

Derby,Fulham and Sunderland for me.

kraggy

Derby Fulham and Bolton.

Sunderland will buy their way to safety.

And Southgate seems to have Boro in fighting spirit. As do McLeish and Bruce.

weemcd

Derby are gone, think i read a stat that they are on track to beat what was previously sunderland's poorest record in a premiership season @ 19 points, derby currently have 7, with no sign of improving.

Id say Bolton are looking at going down at the minute, with a minus 10 goal difference now, which is by no means the worst in the league they have lost their major strike force in anelka and will find the remainder of the season difficult.

as for the 3rd, i cant decide, sunderland had a good game against portsmouth, a team i was sure they didn't stand a chance against, richardson seems to be finding his form, and they can strengthen their squad to some extent, theres still time...

my vote goes with wigan