Ranking the Premier League Sides Most in Danger of Relegation
With the halfway point in the season an increasingly distant memory, the Premier League table is starting to take shape. Teams are now getting a clearer indication of whether they should continue looking up or start glancing over their shoulders.
With the revenue from the league's television rights creating an ever-more impenetrable glass ceiling for clubs fighting for a place in the division, relegation carries a cost like never before.
This list will rank the clubs most in danger of the drop, from safest to least safe.
Their ranks are based on their current position in the table, their remaining fixtures, the players they have at their disposal and, most importantly, their form.
Everton
1 of 9
After the highs of last season, Everton's honeymoon period under Roberto Martinez has well and truly finished.
The individual errors which have plagued the team and cost them numerous results already—they would be eight points and four positions better off if games ended at half-time—are worrying, but Everton should have enough quality up front to see them through.
The upside of Martinez regressing toward the form of his Wigan days is the fact that the Latics frequently finished strongly under him.
However, there have been clubs in the past that appeared too big to go down—Leeds United in 2004 are possibly the best example—so the Toffees must be careful not to fall into this mindset.
West Brom
2 of 9
Tony Pulis' appointment couldn't come quickly enough for West Brom. His record of never having been relegated will be a major source of solace for the Albion faithful. However, there's still considerable work that needs doing if the Baggies are to remain a Premier League side.
Their chances hinge as much on Saido Berahino as Pulis. If they keep hold of him, and he maintains his scoring streak, he could well see them safe virtually single-handedly.
If, as some are suggesting he will, Pulis cashes in on him, he must invest wisely. His lavish spending at Stoke didn't always pay dividends, and West Brom's prospects will depend on him effectively replacing Berahino's goals.
Crystal Palace
3 of 9
Alan Pardew has made a terrific start to life at Selhurst Park and has reinvigorated the squad that looked lacklustre under Neil Warnock.
Before Pardew’s appointment, they’d failed to win in nine games, but already they’re reminding the league that they should have more than enough quality to stay up. The battling win away to Burnley at the weekend was absolutely critical.
With a solid defence and an attack that contains plenty of scoring capability, Palace should be fine, provided Pardew avoids any more barren runs.
Sunderland
4 of 9
Sunderland have largely gone under the radar this season, as they've avoided the histrionics that go with changing managers and scrapping at the bottom of the table.
However, they're by no means out of the woods yet, and the Premier League has a cruel tendency of dragging teams into the relegation zone at the very end of the season.
They have been the polar opposite of QPR, in that their home form is to blame for their current predicament, as they hover just one point above the bottom three.
Just one solitary win at the Stadium of Light is cause for concern for Gus Poyet, particularly as several of their rivals for survival will be visiting the north-east.
Their next three home games are against Burnley, QPR and West Brom. If the Black Cats can turn it around in these games, they should manage to steer clear of trouble.
Burnley
5 of 9
Until their loss to Palace at Turf Moor at the weekend, Burnley had been experiencing an unlikely resurgence.
Their early-season form had done nothing but establish them as favourites for the drop, but Sean Dyche's men have shown plenty of steel and growing cohesion as a unit.
Their final run of fixtures isn't the easiest by any means, but six-pointers at home to West Brom and Leicester and away to Sunderland, Everton, Hull and Aston Villa will be the key. If they can hold their nerve—as they have shown they're capable of doing—they can survive.
Hull City
6 of 9
Hull City have been little short of dire this season, with their big-money risks in the transfer market simply not paying off.
However, defensively, they’re fairly sturdy, which will be critical in their final run of games. They will look to home games against Villa, QPR, Sunderland and Burnley to provide a springboard to safety.
Even if they’re unable to pick up maximum points from these games, they may still survive by virtue of there simply being three teams worse than them.
Aston Villa
7 of 9
Aston Villa are this season paying the price for Randy Lerner’s inactivity at the helm of the club. With the American looking to sell, he has turned off the tap of investment, with the intention of keeping the club in the league until he finds a buyer.
However, with the ever-increasing quality of the Premier League, standing still is as good as walking backward.
After an opening five games that saw them sat in third, Villa have slumped in spectacular style. They’ve scored just 11 goals in 22 games and are on course to beat Derby County’s record for the fewest goals scored in a Premier League season.
With any major investment in January looking unlikely, Villa will have to rely on what they’ve got. Unfortunately for them, they doesn’t amount to much at all, with Christian Benteke off-colour and their youthful team lacking the grit to deal with the mounting pressure.
Unless the Belgian begins firing, the Villains look to be in serious trouble.
Queens Park Rangers
8 of 9
Queen Park Rangers' survival depends on one thing alone—their home form. They've lost every single away game they've played, setting a new record in the process, and Harry Redknapp has cut an increasingly despairing figure on the touchline.
QPR currently sit ninth in the table based on home fixtures, but their remaining fixtures at Loftus Road make for grim reading. They must face Southampton, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham—all of whom currently reside in the top seven.
Perhaps even more worrying is their remaining away fixtures. As well as daunting trips to Liverpool and Manchester City, Rangers face no fewer than six of their relegation rivals—Sunderland, Hull, Crystal Palace, West Brom, Aston Villa and Leicester.
These games are particularly troubling as, unless their away form dramatically improves, they will not only be missed opportunities for QPR but will give their rivals a leg up.
Leicester City
9 of 9
The bottom of the table is still tight enough—with just six points separating 12th from 20th—that anything could happen. However, even with such fine margins, it’s beginning to look desperate for Leicester City.
They started well, and an emphatic display against Manchester United had them looking up at a mid-table finish. Dispiritingly, they’ve won just once in the league since then, a sequence which stretches back 17 matches.
The stream of vitriol directed toward a fan by boss Nigel Pearson betrayed the amount of pressure that he is feeling, and there’s a sense that the club’s record signing of Andrej Kramaric is a final roll of the dice. If he can replicate his Rijeka form, then the Foxes stand a fighting chance—but that’s a very big "if."
