The last time all three promoted teams from the Championship stayed in the Premier League was in 2002 when Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham all staved off relegation and kept their respective places in the top flight; places which they still hold.
In the nine years since, it hasn’t happened once. Teams have been promoted, proved their worth but ultimately fallen at the final hurdle. Good, entertaining sides like Blackpool, Burnley and Watford came and won many admirers but succumbed to the dreaded drop due to a combination of leaky defences and lack of firepower. Put simply, it’s been a long time since all three teams came up and stayed up. It’d be refreshing to see and in this current campaign, it’s looking very good indeed for QPR, Norwich City and Swansea City.
Obviously, it’s very early doors just yet and there’s a lot of football to be played but all promoted teams from the Championship have showed very promising signs that they could well be much more than just cannon fodder this season.
Championship winners QPR have been in this division before but that was back in the mid-90s when fitness levels were inferior to what they are now and money didn’t provide as big a financial gulf. Now, under the management of Neil Warnock (who has enjoyed one season of Premier League football before with Sheffield United), Rangers are enjoying a fairly comfortable start to life back in the top flight. Spearheaded by feisty captain, Joey Barton, Warnock’s men have overcome a difficult start (a 4-0 defeat against Bolton on the opening day) and are now sitting in 11th in the table.
Outstanding results include: a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Loftus Road and a couple of well-earned away wins – 1-0 against Everton and an outstanding 3-0 win over Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side. They have players that can hurt teams with Shaun Wright Phillips, signed in the summer, and the talismanic Adel Taarabt, who can be a handful for any team on his day.
Norwich City, after a six-year spell away from the top flight, came up in the second automatic slot with QPR. Under the excellent management of Paul Lambert, the Canaries, backed by a very strong support at Carrow Road, can be very content with the start they’ve made to this campaign. With dangerous players in the side, namely Anthony Pilkington, Wes Hoolahan and captain Grant Holt, Norwich have already proved their mettle.
They were unlucky with defeat at Old Trafford against Champions Manchester United, creating a number of chances in the game, and should have perhaps beaten Liverpool at Anfield, coming away with a point after a 1-1 draw. They’ve beaten Sunderland, Swansea and Bolton and look well placed for a season of consolidation at this early stage.
Finally, we have Swansea City, the first Welsh team to have graced the Premier League. After enjoying a season of fast, silky football under the astute management of Brendan Rodgers, the Swans came up through the play-offs. Their first season in the top flight endured a shaky start, in which they struggled to score goals. However, the side soon found its rhythm and has enjoyed a solid run of results, including a very credible 0-0 draw at Anfield against Liverpool.
They’ve also made the Liberty Stadium something of a fortress, winning three on the bounce and conceding only one since the opening day. They have fast, dangerous players in Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer and goalkeeper Michel Vorm, signed from FC Utrecht, has really caught the eye with a number of outstanding displays.
Cast a glance over the current Premier League table and you get the impression that there are definitely three worse teams than these in the division. Wigan Athletic are treading water and Lancashire neighbours Blackburn Rovers aren’t too far behind, themselves enduring a wretched season under the management of much-maligned Steve Kean. Bolton, too, are really struggling, only one home win to their name all season and leaking a worrying amount of goals.
QPR, Norwich and Swansea have every reason to be confident about their chances for survival in this campaign. They are all run by excellent managers, have good, honest players in amongst their ranks and are backed by vociferous home support. Don’t be surprised if they’re still here in 12 months’ time.
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