Its going to be closly fought at the bottom end of the table in the 2012/2013. I fear that it may be one of those years when anyone will beat everyone and even 20th has around 30 points. With such a close fought battle at the bottom this year, here is my predictions for next years bottom five.
15th Place- Wigan Athletic (42 Points)
The Key to Wigan surviving another year in the Premier League is Roberto Martinez. If he would of left Wigan then I probably would have placed them at 19th because it the belief he gives his players which kept them up this year.
There is no arguing this man is a tactical genius, to creep past united 1-0 and Arsenal 2-1 is no small feat and to do it at the business end of the season is something else. Martinez is what turns these average players into good players but be warned, if Wigan lose the like of Moses and Di Santo then this prediction may change.
16th Place- West Ham United (40 Points)
West Ham got promoted back to the Premiership in emphatic style with a 2-1 win over Blackpool in the playoffs. Despite not gaining the automatic promotion spots I think that West Ham are more suited to the premier League than the other teams who have just come up so I think they will survive.
Players like Cole and Nolan will have to be on their best if they are to stay-up but should they pick up important points against similar standard teams they should hopefully stay up.
17th Place-Swansea City (38 Points)
Swansea are in 17th?! Many of you will be questioning my choice but I have good reason to place them in 18th, let alone 17th. Firstly they just lost their manager who not only got them to the Premiership, but also gained them a respectable league place this year. They also lost a whole host of their key backroom staff to Liverpool as well.
It is who Swansea are trying to replace Rodgers with that troubles me. Wigan's assistant manager? Of all the club assistants they could steal and nurture into a great manager, Wigan's is not the one to go after. Next they also lost Caulker, as he was only on loan and I am convinced he will become a key part of the Spurs line-up next year, so there is very little chance they will regain him. I don’t feel the replacements for what they are losing right now are going to be good enough. That’s why they are here.
18th Place- Reading (37 Points)
I'm sorry Reading but you have to be my first club I predict to go down. I do think that they are a good side and there is no denying their form from the beginning 2012 is unbelievable. Also I don't think they will be far from safety but I think its going to be relegation pain for them.
My only problem is I feel that once they lose a few games they are going to find it hard to regain form, and in the top Tier of English football taking to long to get back on the wagon could very well cost you you're place. Also I don’t feel that their player have enough experience in the Premier League to gain those extra points to keep them afloat in the Premier League.
19th Place-Norwich (32 Points)
Their is no denying Paul Lambert is Norwich's saviour. He didn't only get them promoted twice (in a row) he steered them away from relegation and almost won them a top half finish. Now he wants to leave. That’s a big problem as he knows these boys better than anyone else and I don’t think that any manager will make them respond the way he makes them respond.
If that was not enough their star striker Grant Holt also handed in a transfer request and without him they will be lost. This is a team destined for disaster.
20th Place- Southampton (28 Points)
This team in my opinion is just not good enough to make the cut for the Premier League. They did well to make the Premier League and did look a force in the Championship but ultimately I don’t think they will manage to get enough points from crucial games.
They have come up with strong sides and if you can beat you’re fellow promoted counterparts then you have a guaranteed 12 points. Sadly I don’t feel Southampton will be able to beat West Ham and at best will muster a couple draws with Reading which will in the end lead to their demise. Lastly in the same way as Reading I dont feel their players have enough Premiership experiance.
That’s my opinion folks be sure to leave a comment with yours!
