It's fair to say some teams you never expect to fall from the limelight, West Ham are a good example of a team that shocked the pundits in being relegated in the 2010-11 season, and perhaps more recently Blackburn are a team that will enter the history books for all the wrong reasons, being the first team to both win the premier league (1995) and be relegated from it (2012).
So what's the best way to stay in the premier league? Dave Whelan knows, Roberto Martinez knows, but sadly Steve Kean-out doesn't, so just for Steve here's 5 rules for staying in the Premier League:
Rule number 1- Don't fire your manager mid way through the season without having a suitable replacement in line. Too many times have we seen teams with staying power relegated by chumps. Terry O'connor despite his loyalty simply lacked the experience to lead Wolves to safety.
Rule number 2- Nothing in this world is free. You might think its smart to snap up a player on a free transfer, and sure sometimes it is. But just remember they're usually free for a reason. If its not because of in-fighting and generally being a prick *cough* Barton *cough* then its usually because they're not fit enough for this level any more, take Kieron Dyer or Owen Hargreaves for example.
Rule number 3- Keep changes simple. Don't go getting yourself a new starting 11 in the off season. There's a squad of 11 hard working footballers that got the team promoted or kept them safe, don't dump them and get yourself a team of hapless lads that cant work together.
Rule number 4- careful who you model the club on. Newly promoted teams might think its good to model the club after Wigan. As they've shown great PL staying power. But bear in mind Wigan have also not progressed greatly in their time in the PL, and how can you expect your club to make progress if you're facing relegation season after season?
Rule number 5- If a team is going to survive and make progress in the Premier league it will need a good manager. Alan Pardew, David Moyes, Martin O'neil, these are all good examples of managers who know how to build a team and how to manage them. So yes, there is actually a message behind me posting that specific picture at the top of this article. Avoid that man at ALL costs.
