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Bottom three

J

JHB

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Location
London
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England
So the bottom three in the EPL are the three who came up. After yesterday’s results it’s looking increasingly likely they will be the three to go down just like last year. Worryingly for promoted clubs the points totals are getting lower. Last year Luton were third bottom and relegated on just 26 points. Looking at how Leicester and Ipswich played it wouldn’t surprise me if we see something similar again.

Is this a good thing for the game, an anomaly or just inevitable?
 
I suppose on the other hand you have the success of Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brighton (I know) and us (8 seasons in the PL must be relative success).
 
Probably a combination of things -

The standards in the PL get higher every year as those that regularly stay in it have more funds to fish for & attract better players from a global pond -

What used to be the top 4 where the largest haul of points were historically amassed has become more like top 6 or even top 8 (current blips by Man City & the like aside) so more points (collectively) are being won at the top end of the table, = less to be had at the bottom end.

Clubs coming up from the Championship have often played the financial cards very close to the point of breaking FFP / PSR rules to achieve that PL dream & are then faced with a very difficult choice to try & understand - what is going to be enough to stay in the PL for that second season (in terms of financial investment / do they have the right manager / players bought / players loaned etc)

Also - the 5 subs rule, its tough enough for clubs to field PL standard first 11 on the pitch without going against opposition teams who have players on the bench worth £40M / £50M even £100 Million to bring on against you when the starting 11 start to tire / the game needs a different approach.

Of course the PL is pretty unforgiving, if the scheduling gods are against you, any team in the bottom half can go 5 / 10 / 15 games without winning any........

Quite frankly - from a business standpoint I have every sympathy for clubs that decide not to play the massive investment game & yo yo between the PL & the Championship siphoning proceeds to invest in the club at Academy / training / sports science / management level

Also - even considering Palace have benefitted from the play off scenario (several times) I am not a fan of it at all, I just don't see how a club can finish 6th in the championship, with maybe 10 / 15 points less than the team that finished 3rd & still have an opportunity to reach the PL to the detriment of teams that have performed better over the full season.

Anyway - just my tuppence worth
 
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JHB said:
So the bottom three in the EPL are the three who came up. After yesterday’s results it’s looking increasingly likely they will be the three to go down just like last year. Worryingly for promoted clubs the points totals are getting lower. Last year Luton were third bottom and relegated on just 26 points. Looking at how Leicester and Ipswich played it wouldn’t surprise me if we see something similar again.

Is this a good thing for the game, an anomaly or just inevitable?
Click to expand...
If you are a fan of a team in the top 3 or 4 in the championship the thought must go through your mind, do we want to go up and put ourselves through 9 months of absolute misery.

The gulf is getting bigger every season, maybe the premier league should give the promoted teams a 10 point head start
 
the OP is correct. The bottom three look shyte. However, one must recall that its fairly recently that Leicester won the Prem.

Football is all about money. Sadly. My personal belief is that the Prem has the best football but the English Championship has the best entertainment. Cos when Liverpool play anybody in the bottom 8 clubs.....its boring. so that makes 16 boring predictable matches.

In the Championship, the gap between top and bottom is relatively modest. Much more goals, surprises, and fun.
 
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eaglesdare said:
And Luton a premier league club this time last year most likely will be a league 1 club this year.
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Luton relieved Rob Edwards of his duties when they were 20th in the League.
Under new manager Matt Bloomfield they have not won in his 8 games in charge and now sit bottom of the table.
Luton signed 7 players in the January 'Window'.
 
Luton got lots of praise last season despite being dreadful and finishing on the lowest ever points total for the team in 18th. Ipswich look to be heading the same way this season.
 
esox lucius said:
If you are a fan of a team in the top 3 or 4 in the championship the thought must go through your mind, do we want to go up and put ourselves through 9 months of absolute misery.

The gulf is getting bigger every season, maybe the premier league should give the promoted teams a 10 point head start
Click to expand...
2 of the 3 would still be in the relegation places as it stands now
 
Most likely because its the present season, but it feels like compared to previous seasons, Ipswich and Leicester haven't helped themselves with style of play and manager selection.

Ipswich at times can play some reasonably decent football. But IMO made a lot of transfer mistakes. Instead of signing prem experience, they have signed a lot of more long term signings who dont know the league. Clarke, Szmoodics, Philogene, Greaves, Oshea etc.

Leicester naturally have a more experienced squad, but have appointed Ruud. Someone with no experience of relegation either as a player or a manager.

Bad decisions and tactical naivety. They are far too open. Need to deploy the old Hodgson tactics of playing for 38 0-0 draws.
 
BromleyMonkey said:
Well we know it’s less than us because they didn’t quite make it one year, I can’t remember who, but someone beat then in the play offs 😀
Click to expand...

Sheffield Wednesday!!

The Weed absolutely battered them in the 2nd leg but couldn't get the job done.
It was so one sided but also sooo funny!
 
Eaglehamster said:
I suppose on the other hand you have the success of Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brighton (I know) and us (8 seasons in the PL must be relative success).
Click to expand...
That's just it, not any more.

Those clubs were beacons of hope for the Championship team with ambition. There was always one who survived. I remember my wife's look of astonishment when I told her Brentford were Premier League next season. Whipping boys? Not likely! Now look at them. Jeopardy and the churn make the whole deal what it is. Or was. Today, the same 3 who go up come back down with wearying certainty.

The weekend results were symptomatic. All 3 bottom clubs battered, at home, by 2 makeweights and the worst Spurs side in a generation. The only club who gave Ipswich and Leicester brief hope was Wolves, but their deeper resources has them now pulling away into the uncatchable distance as is fully expected.

That has impoverished the top tier for me. No more genuine risk. The various US owners must love it.

Leicester are the real sad case due to their timing. 10 years ago champions. They had one bad year but chose the wrong one. A few years earlier I reckon they would have come up and done a Villa. Now they are doomed to an eternity of yo-yo purgatory.

I just have to consider myself lucky I support a team that scraped up at a time when it was possible to survive. And the comment oft repeated on this site (that until last year I agreed with) that we all know we will go down eventually... I am no longer so sure remains true. I think a club (and never top 6/7) will need to implode in a catastrophic sense - probably off the pitch - to go down. And once they are down, they are down.
 
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