The Championship is widely regarded “as the toughest league in the world”, so here we look at how previous teams have got on in their first year and what we can expect from this years newcomers.
As of the start of last season, 64 per cent of relegated teams have made a Premier League return – that’s 46 out of 72, according to Sky Sports.
The last team to achieve the feat was Newcastle United in 2016, with none of last year’s relegated teams managing to secure promotion. Of the 3 who were relegated from the Premier League in the 2016/17 season, only Middlesbrough extended their season this time round, finishing 5th and eventually losing out to Aston Villa in the play-offs.
Sunderland made it back to back relegations finishing bottom of the pile, while Hull City also flirted with relegation, finishing in 18th.
This goes to show that it’s no easy task returning to the top flight at the first time of asking, and this could be for many reasons. Firstly, relegated teams are often littered with over-paid and under performing players which can have a detrimental effect on the dressing room (and atmosphere around the club).
The teams who are relegated from the Premier League are always there to be shot at the year after relegation, with teams seeing it as a chance to make a statement to the rest of the league that they’re serious contenders.
However, the biggest issue with relegated teams may be the hunger of the players who are tasked with getting them back up. Having just got relegated and already experienced playing at the highest level, will they be as hungry to make an immediate return as some of their counterparts in the league, who’ve never played there before? This may be part of the reason why teams promoted from League One often carry on their momentum the next season.
None of the 3 teams promoted from League One in the 2016/2017 season dropped back down to the 3rd Division last season. Bolton escaped the trap door in the most dramatic fashion edging out Nottingham Forest on the last day of the season, meaning they’ll get another crack at the Championship next season, while Millwall and Sheffield United both pushed for a play-off place.
Next season:
Relegated from the Premier League – West Brom, Stoke City and Swansea City
Promoted from League One – Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United
The Championship doesn’t get any easier, shown by the newcomers to the league next year, who’ve all had previous experience in the league. All 3 teams who dropped down from the Premier League have employed new managers to steer them up which makes a change to previous years and could stand them in good stead compared to previous teams.
Whereas the 3 promoted teams also stand a strong chance of challenging next year. Wigan and Blackburn both have squads full of players who’ve plied their trade in the Championship before and have only been away from the league for a season or two.
My predictions:
West Brom – 7th
Stoke – 5th
Swansea – 10th
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Blackburn – 12th
Wigan – 9th
Rotherham – 16th
Leave your predictions below for where you think they’ll finish.
