The relegations of Huddersfield Town and Fulham are a stark confirmation of
how difficult life can be for teams recently promoted to the Premier League.
The Terriers and Cottagers were relegated within days of each other. After
narrowly escaping relegation during their first season in the highest tier of
English football 12 months ago, the Yorkshire club’s fate was sealed when they
lost at Crystal Palace on 30th March.
And three days later in early April, Fulham’s even shorter stay in the
Premier League was over, following a 4-1 loss to Watford at Vicarage Road.
When the bad news arrived at the doors of both clubs, Huddersfield
still had six league games left to play, one more than Fulham who only
returned to the top flight following a play-off victory at Wembley last May.
Cardiff City, who were also promoted from the Championship last season,
could join these two if their fortunes do not take a sudden and dramatic upturn
between now and the middle of May.
But if it’s difficult for newly promoted teams to remain in the Premier
League, it’s just as hard for relegated teams to bounce back quickly from the
Championship.
The bookies rarely get it wrong and if you take a peek at
the latest Championship betting odds, only one of the three teams relegated
from the Premier League last season have a realistic chance of making it back
at the first attempt.
While Swansea and Stoke are both effectively – though not mathematically –
certain of competing in the Championship next season, only West Brom can really
retain any ambitions of bouncing back immediately – which is certainly the
belief of those setting the odds at Bet365.
And even the Baggies will probably have to get there via the playoffs unless
there is a remarkable change of fortunes among the top four teams in the
division.
As things stand, Norwich City are looking good for automatic promotion. But
should they return to the Premier League following a three-year absence, what
are their chances of staying there?
The Canaries are on the verge of claiming a fourth promotion in 16 years, so
they will know better than most how treacherous life can be at the top table.
After being crowned champions of the second tier in 2004, they were
immediately relegated out of the Premier League the following year –
albeit on the final day of the season.
The same thing happened in 2015: after enjoying
a playoff victory over Middlesbrough, they once again finishing 19th in the
Premier League.
In between these two disappointments, the Norfolk club earned promotion in
2011 when finishing second in the Championship table and, on this occasion,
spent three seasons in the rarefied atmosphere of England‘s highest division.
In the first two seasons, they did enjoy mid-table status, with
positions of 12th and 11th, but they ended up third from bottom in the
Premier League in May 2014.
Since 2000, only 13 teams have bounced back straight away, and if West Brom
make it ‘home’ this season then that figure would become 14 – making an
overall success rate of just 23%.
Whichever way you look at it, it is hard. Difficult for promoted clubs to
remain in the Premier League and just as tough for relegated sides to secure an
immediate return.
Connect with us
