EPL: Welcome Back West Brom and a Big Hello to Stoke City!

There may be three clubs clinging on for survival at the bottom of the English Premier League as the relegation battle goes down to the wire, but in reality, two EPL teams have already been replaced.

West Bromwich Albion won the Coca Cola Championship (England's second tier) and will be joined in the EPL by Stoke City, who finished second. They will be joined by a third side after the play off lottery but for now let's have a look at the two automatically promoted sides.

West Brom have been termed an EPL yo yo side by many, with them being up (in the EPL) one season and down the next over the last few years. An excellent run in the FA Cup this year, where they got to the semi final at Wembley, has helped garner some optimism that this squad have the fight required for the top flight.

Manager Tony Mowbray is fast earning a reputation as a good manager but he will have to earn his corn, in the transfer market this summer. He also hopes to persuade trio Kevin Phillips, Zoltan Gera and Martin Albrechtsen to sign on for a season in the top flight.

Many of the squad have played a few seasons in the EPL and this will be of great value to Mowbray when top class football returns to the Hawthorns in August.

In keeper Dean Kiely, they have a mountain of experience. The former Charlton Athletic number one will be hoping to start next season as first choice, despite being 37.

The defence looks pretty good too, look out for young Leon Barnett (22) alongside Premiership veterans like left back Paul Robinson and the above mentioned Albrechtsen, should he put pen to paper on a new deal.

One new name to you EPL watchers will be Belgian, Carl Hoefkens. The defender funnily enough signed from Stoke City last summer, was an almost ever present this season and the 29 year old will now get his first crack at the big time in England.

The most famous name in the WBA midfield is of course Jonathan Greening. The former Manchester United starlet has always looked more than comfortable in the EPL and will be one of West Brom's trump cards.

Elsewhere in midfield we have Zoltan Gera, a quality winger on his day as well as Slovenian Robert Koran, who has been a revelation since his free transfer from Lillestrom. Former Middlesbrough youngster James Morrison will be another eager to impress on his return to the EPL.

In attack they are spoilt for choice with names like Phillips, Roman Bednar, Craig Beattie and Ishmael Miller. All five are capable of scoring in the EPL and this may well be the department that helps them stay up next season. I have a sneaky suspicion they will do just that.

Stoke City are completely new to the EPL, which in recent years has been a good thing, with the likes of Reading and Wigan Athletic making names for themselves after being promoted.

Stoke are one of the oldest clubs in the world having been formed in 1863. That's a whopping 145 years ago, to those of you who can't be bothered working it out. They are the hometown club of a certain Sir Stanley Matthews, he had two spells at the club, firstly between 1932 and 1947 and then returning in 1961. He played his last game or the club (which was in the top flight) in 1965, aged an amazing 50!

These days Stoke don't rely on one superstar player but on coach Tony Pulis moulding a work man like squad. He is now though, prepared to spend big, to keep his side in the top flight.

They have three former EPL goalkeepers on their books. Russel Hoult (Derby County among others) who only played one game this season and got sent off, Carlo Nash (Manchester City and Middlesbrough) and current number one Steve Simonsen (once signed by Everton for 3.3 million pounds).

The defence has some familiar names too with Dominic Matteo, Andy Griffin, Danny Higginbottom, Marlon Broomes and Chris Riggott all having had top level experience. Ryan Shawgrass was Stoke's best defender this season and the youngster looks EPL class, so watch out for him!

In midfield again the names pop out at you, with the likes of Rory Delap and Liam Lawrence in the engine room for stoke.

Upfront, former Southampton and Hearts striker Ricardo Fuller, along with Richard Cresswell lead the line in an attack that will have to be strengthened.

Sadly I think they will struggle badly next season but I do honestly hope I'm wrong as it's great to see new blood in the EPL. This is a big name club who are reaching the pinnacle of football in England once again with top flight football returning to the Britannia Stadium.

The upshot is that WBA need a few players to aid the squad next season. Stoke City need, well, to put it nicely, half a side, if they are to have any chance of retaining their EPL status!