Lancashire rivals Bolton are a club that you expect to see in the Premier League, and under former manager Sam Allardyce they were a top six club. Being taken apart by Chelsea is one thing, but losing to Swansea and Sunderland is something than Bolton simply cannot afford to do, and with little hope of beating the bigger sides in the division, they must start beating the teams around them if they wish to have any chance of surviving.
Whilst West Brom may linger at the bottom half of the table, Roy Hodgson is an astute manager who, although it may not have clicked for him at Liverpool, is able to bring the best out of players of medium quality, and keep a club that may flirt with relegation in the premier league. Yes, things may look worrying but the baggies are able to beat the sides in and around them and it is this that will see them safe this season. The game against Bolton in two weeks’ time is a must win, as either side of that they play both North London teams, and will be lucky to pick up points against either of them.
Sunderland are another club that may consider themselves too big or good to go down, yet under Steve Bruce since the latter half of last season they have been in free fall and have struggled to put together a winning streak since. With the signings of Peter Crouch and what seemed to be most of the Manchester United rejects, Bruce brought quality in, and there is a spirit in the team and a will to win – displayed by coming back from behind twice against Villa, and this coupled with the board and manager should see Sunderland climb the table towards the second half of this season.
If any club are ‘too big’ to go down, it would be Everton, who are having their customary slow start to the season, which was not helped by the loss of Arteta to Arsenal, yet Moyes still has quality in the squad and always manages to do great things with the pittance he is given at the club. In no way would I be surprised if Everton pushed for a UEFA cup spot this season – with the money and resources other clubs in the league have, a top four place seems beyond Everton.
Written by Rebecca Knight for FootballFancast.com. This early on in the season it is hard to conclusively say who will be in a relegation fight, one thing is certain, no club is too big for the drop – who do you think will go down? Comment or follow me on twitter @RebeccaKnight01
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