Pick your bottom 3

[superdave]

1. Derby. No offense, but I've found that if you bet on the playoff winner to relegate, unless they've made substantial squad improvements, you'll be right.

2. Wigan. Coulda gone down last year. Unsettled. Losing Baines.

3. Normally, 1 "too big" team goes down. Only the Tevez shenanigans prevented that from happening last year. But for my 3rd choice, I'm going to, sadly, choose the London Yanks, aka Fulham. I don't think Sanchez knows what he's doing. I don't think al-Fayed will pump a bunch of money into the club if it looks bad in January. I think McBride will still be a good setup man, but he won't score as many goals this year. I'm a big Dempsey fan, and there's a chance he'll have a big year like Cahill did his first year at Everton, and Fulham will score enough goals. But I wouldn't bet on it. Healy is unproven as a club player at this level. I don't like the mix of midfield personnel. The 4-5 months of good play from Knight last year seemed to be a fluke by years end, and the friendlies don't make the situation look any better.

This year, to my eye, there's an unusual number of good relegation candidates. I didn't mention either of the other two promoted teams. I didn't mention West Ham, still unsettled, and without Tevez. I didn't mention Man City, who probably brought in too many players at once. I didn't mention Middlesborough, who lost their leading scorer, and are still managed by Gareth Southgate. I didn't mention Reading, who might be this year's Wigan, but without the end of season win. (The reason I didn't mention them is because I have immense respect for Steve Coppell.)

Anyway, that's my 3...Derby, Wigan, and Fulham. Nothing revolutionary there.

What's your three?

[cdmphy]

1) Birmingham City. Squad isn't terrible, but the manager is.

2) Wigan. What happened to Bradford when Paul Jewel left? Nuff said.

3) Bolton. "Oompaloompa" Sam will not be able to hold together a team of renegades the way "Big" Sam did.

[Dirt McGirt]

1>Sunderland -Geordie striker won't save this shit club and shit manger from being flushed back down the toilet.

2>Derby County-Me thinks they would struggle in MLS

3>Boro-lost their only hope in staying up to the Toon.

[The Potter]

Anyway, that's my 3...Derby, Wigan, and Fulham. Nothing revolutionary there.

What's your three?

I think you're right Dave. And your current avatar is much better than at one of you sitting at your desk.

[j.fisher]

- Derby
- Birmingham City
- Fulham

[superdave]

Benny Feilhaber has joined Derby County.

Last year, I picked Watford (playoff winner), Charlton (unsettled), and Villa (the "too big" club...in fairness to me, that was BEFORE they brought in O'Neill) to go down, and the two teams with Yanks I got right. So I figure you English should try to put down a double bet on Derby AND Fulham getting relegated. :D

[Matt Clark]

Derby are automatically the one everyone will pick - and with justification (although if there is to be a miracle, everyone will cite the fact that Reading were thought of in much the same way this time last year).

Fulham have actually spent £25m this summer, which is not bad going. Healy will be fine, Kamara is a very good signing for a club like Fulham, Smertin has the experience and the quality to be of significance and Dempsey looks like he can handle himself as well. Cook was great in the Championship last season, but he will have to do a bit to prove himself against the upper tier of defenders, he won't be quite the skippy little pest he was last year out.

Wigan will struggle hard, because Hutchings isn't as good a manager as Jewell and because the town just doesn't love football enough to really get behind them when things start turning proper sour. That sort of intangible can make a real difference to how a side's character and drive sours as results continue to slip away.

Birmingham have bought or loaned some interesting players, but Steve Bruce was about to get sacked in the Championship around 10 months ago, so believing he's now got it cracked and can take on the Premiership is a bet lots of people wouldn't take. I also think the Carson Yeung takeover may play a role: best case scenario for Bruce is that he gets a wad of cash in January to prop up what will at best be an inconsistent campaign. As likely, however, is the worst case scenario of a P45 and an escort to the car park.

It usually is the case that someone "big" goes down, but I actually think this may be one of those occasional years where the three promoted sides all find themselves sliding back down again. I think Wigan, Sunderland and Birmingham will be locked into a season-long "who's the least shit" competition and at this stage it's difficult to project a likely 'winner'.

Sunderland have spent some decent money and yet not managed to turn up any particularly impressive players for it. People perhaps put too much faith in Keane's drive and focus and yadda yadda what a warrior he is. Looking at it entirely dispassionately, the clubs with the weakest set up (be that playing staff, manager, or both) are Wigan, Derby, Birmingham and Sunderland.

So, to whittle that down to an abritrary three, I'll go with Wigan, Derby and Brum.

[Pablo Chicago]

I didn't mention Middlesborough, who lost their leading scorer, and are still managed by Gareth Southgate.

You should have.

Derby - Davies is no Coppell
Boro - see quote
West Ham - It's already been arranged...wink, wink, nod, nod, say no more. ;)

[ShoogarTheBarbarian]

18. Wigan
19. Fulham
20. Derby

[M]

Derby, Wigan and Birmingham City. Derby just don't have enough quality and will find goals very hard to come by, Wigan have made some crappy signings (come in, Mr Bramble) and have lost a quality defender in Baines, and Birmingham City likewise haven't made signings that inspire confidence that they will survive.

[ATL_Iron]

This year has the potiental that all 3 of the promoted clubs stay up with Bolton, Wigan and Fulham all being very weak. However i think Fulham will just scrape it and Derby will go down with Bolton and Wigan

[canadianscraggledog]

14 Sunderland
15 Fulham
16 Bolton
17 Birmingham City

18 Middlesborough
19 Wigan
20 Derby

Tough to call but think that Sunderland will be ok
Bolton will suck this year but should get enough Anelka goals to stay up
Birmingham look to do just enough to stay up
Fulham are not very good but not that bad. Healy will score some goals
Keano has made me a believer, 4 points in first two games. They look like fighters out there, who need to stay up or Keano will kick their asses. :D

[Andi the Hobbit]

Bimingham - As a Villa fan, I have to root for the blue noses.

Derby - As a follower of Forest, they have to go down. Forest go up. Next season we get a few Derby matches to goto *fingers crossed*

Midlesborough - Gareth Southgate. 'nuff said.

[Matt Clark]

You're a Villa and a Forest fan?!?!

[The Jitty Slitter]

"who's the least shit" competition .



Most of the prem is locked in this competetion tbh

[alain_9510]

18. Wigan - not enough quality to start with, lost Baines, brought in Titus Bramble.

19. Boro - Southgate is a bad manager, Aliadiere is a huge drop in quality from Viduka and Yakubu. Defense will struggle if Woodgate and Huth have more injury problems, which they will, midfield isn't good enough.

20. Derby - Not premiership quality at all.

Birmingham City, Fulham, Reading, West Ham to flirt with the relegation zone as well.

[superdave]

This year, to my eye, there's an unusual number of good relegation candidates.
Man, did this one ever turn out to be true. Man, the Prem is chock full of suck this year. Is there a reason for it, or is it a confluence of random events?

[auf Amerika]

Man, did this one ever turn out to be true. Man, the Prem is chock full of suck this year. Is there a reason for it, or is it a confluence of random events?

I don't think the Premier League is full of bad teams, it is just the good teams are the best teams in the world and can run through anybody.

Fulham, points wise, has done awful... but hasn't yet been blown out. In fact, if all the Premier League games had ended at the half this year, Fulham would be joint top of the league. Most of the other teams have hung in there as well, like Sunderland only losing by one at Old Trafford.

Derby is really the only atrocious team in the league right now.

[The Marquis]

Bolton - They are the most dull and uninspired side on the pitch.

Derby - This almost goes without saying. It'd take a miracle for them to avoid relegation

Fulham - I've said it before, but over the long stretch not much will change.

I don't think Sunderland is going to suffer that much, but Birmingham City and Wigan might. We'll see.

[alincoln]

I've got to beg to differ.

Birmingham, Derby, Sunderland, Fulham, Boro, Wigan, Reading, and Bolton are all shit and that doesn't even include bottom-three Spurs.

Some ugly, ugly football in the Prem thus far.