It’s Official: Arsenal Are Safe From Relegation

With this weekends big matchups out of the way, and the halfway point of the season fast approaching, Arsenal are the first team to reach the all-important 40-point mark in the table.

In what has become something of a tradition in the EPL, 40 points is said to be the survival mark—the very least a team can get and still stay in the top flight.

Now I’m not suggesting for one minute that Arsenal were ever in danger of being relegated. But it should be interesting to see which of the lower-placed teams will be sitting on the magic 40 points come the 11th May.

I’d think all the clubs down to West Ham in 11^th place should be out of sight come the annual end-of-season dogfight.

So what about the rest? 

Tottenham have had a difficult season, but with a new manager and some money to spend in the January transfer window, they should find themselves pushing up the table.

Reading are suffering through that clichéd 'second season.' After doing the hard work to get in to the EPL, then having a fantastic first season, they have found it hard going this time round.

But they’ll be used to battling—and in Steve Coppell, they have a manager who knows what needs to be done.

Middlesbrough are looking shaky. The win against Derby gave them a much-needed three points. But everybody is beating Derby.

The big test will be how they deal with away trips to Birmingham and Portsmouth. They could easily find themselves sitting just a place above the relegation zone come the New Year.

It’s time for Boro to forget about that amazing result against Arsenal and start grinding out results against teams around them in the table.

Birmingham are another team with a new manager. It’s never ceases to amaze me how the arrival of a new boss can improve a team's performance. Aren’t these the same players that were playing under Steve Bruce?

But I think they have enough talent on their team to stay up. However they must watch out for three big league games in January: Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea. It's enough to give any club nightmares.

Could this finally be the season Bolton go down? Big results against Bayern Munich and Man Utd can’t hide the fact that they are one point above the relegation zone. Success in the UEFA Cup has not translated into success in the league, and it’s been hard going for a team that has become used to finishing at the top end of the table.

Will the new manager, Gary Megson, be given the resources to bring new players in come January, and who is out there for him to get?

I don't imagine he'll be as creative as Sam Allardyce was in the transfer market. The approaching games against lower placed teams could make or break their season.

Roy Keane wont let any team he’s involved with give up. But it must seem like a lifetime ago since Sunderland cantered to the Championship title.

No one ever said the EPL was easy, but if the manager can impose himself on his players they’ll stay up.

But it’ll be a close run thing. Expect Sunderland to be in the thick of it come April.

Fulham are the draw specialists. Seven times, they have split points with the opposition this season. More then any other team in the EPL. If they are to pull themselves out of the relegation zone, they have to start turning one point into three. Not an easy task when the pressure is on.

Lawrie Sanchez is a much-liked man in football, but is he the right person for a club in this position?

The biggest mistake Wigan could have made was letting Paul Jewell leave. He built that team, and was the pin that held it together. If the man wanted more money then he should have been given it—if for nothing else, for getting that team to where they were. Now all they have to look forward to is a long, hard season.

Steve Bruce is a good manager. But maybe it may take a season in the Championship to rebuild before they can push for mid-table in the EPL again.

I would be sad to see them drop down. They have to battle for everything, including supporters. Most people in Wigan would rather watch the town’s rugby league side than their football team.

They’ll be another team fighting it out at the bottom come the end of the season. But maybe that fighting spirit is what they will need.

Derby are already gone. I know they still have 21 league games to play, but six points from the first 17 games wont fill a team with confidence. Their supporters should make the most of the time they have left in the EPL. Treat each game like a cup final, and look forward to a few upsets they may cause along the way.

The task for them now is to have a good season in 2008/2009 and get back into the EPL.

So, come April who will be fighting it out at the bottom?

If I had to make a prediction I’d say Derby will have already been relegated, so that will leave two places.

On current form—and in my humble opinion, I’d expect to see Middlesborugh, Birmingham, Sunderland, and Wigan in the relegation scrap.

But that’s the interesting thing about the EPL. While the usual suspects are always at the top end of the table, any of the other teams can find themselves flirting with the drop zone.

Expect to see one or two teams who look comfortable now slipping down near the trap door come the business end of the season.