It was quite early on in the 2023–24 Premier League campaign when I predicted all three newly promoted clubs could go straight back down.
That statement hardly provided some great insight or knowledge. The SBOTOP Premier League 2024 betting odds largely concurred too.
After all, it’s not uncommon for at least one promoted side to yo-yo and find their top flight time is brief.
But for all three promoted clubs to go straight back down?
That has not happened since 1998 (Barnsley, Bolton, and Crystal Palace).
The one side I thought might be the exception this time was Burnley, but, despite a spirited effort in recent weeks, it does appear the Clarets’ race is almost run.
Earlier in the season, Vincent Kompany’s side were going down to regular (often narrow) defeats at a time when they needed some points on the board to keep in touch with their fellow strugglers.
Now they are getting points at a time when they need three most weeks. Too little, too late!
Premier League 2024 highlights have included a recent 2-2 draw at Chelsea, a contest where they played for more than an hour with 10 men.
Yet that has been followed up by two home draws and a narrow defeat at Everton—all results which could have been better.
Saturday at home to Brighton was a case in point, as they wasted really good chances before opening the scoring, only to concede a calamitous own goal just five minutes later.
Burnley have lost a club-record 11 of their 17 Premier League home matches this season and failed to score in 12 of their 33 games—the most of any team in the top flight.
In addition, leading games before capitulating through needless errors has been the story of their season; 24 points dropped from winning positions is evidence of that.
Sheffield United are also a matter of weeks from bowing out at the first time of asking.
In the week in which the club accepted it must kick off its next season in the Championship on minus-two points after reaching a “negotiated settlement” with the English Football League, the side moved nearer the trap door by slipping to a 2-0 loss at Brentford.
An independent EFL disciplinary commission imposed the sanction after the club defaulted on a number of payments which were due to other clubs in their promotion season.
The only upside for fans of these teams is that, in manager Chris Wilder, hailed as ‘one of our own’ by the travelling fans at Brentford, the Blades may well be in a position to push for an instant return. Likewise, Burnley under Kompany.
As the financial gap between the Premier League and Championship increases, the one team tipped as red-hot favourites to go down do have a chance of survival.
That Luton Town went down 5-1 to the champions Manchester City on Saturday was almost irrelevant; these two clubs operate on different spheres, and it was never a contest manager Rob Edwards would have expected something from.
Luton are a point behind Nottingham Forest, who drew 2-2 at home with Wolves, and their next game at home to Brentford on Saturday is a proverbial six-pointer.
Fail to win, and the Hatters may struggle to stay up. Victory and the confidence surge could be huge.
At the other end of the table, Newcastle are showing glimpses of their form, which secured them a fourth-place finish last term.
With key men returning from injury, the Magpies look stronger, and their 4-0 thrashing of Spurs avenged a 4-1 defeat in the previous meeting in North London earlier this season.
It was a contest in which Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordan shone.
Isak is in rich goalscoring form and produced two clinical finishes to score on Tyneside for the sixth match in succession.
The striker now has 17 goals in 24 Premier League appearances this season.
Meanwhile, Gordan and Fabian Schar were also on target, with the former setting up two of the goals.
How the Geordies and Manchester United—third and fourth respectively last term—must have wished they had not encountered such ill luck with injuries this term—a factor, although not a total excuse, for their unpredictable showings.
As for the title, what a weekend for City.
Surprise home defeats for Liverpool and Arsenal to the fantastic duo of Crystal Palace and Aston Villa (who netted with their only two shots on target at the Emirates) mean City, who started the weekend in third place, have finished top of the shop.
With six matches remaining, they may take some stopping.
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