Crystal Ball Time for Fractious Premier League Fans

Article by Premier League Correspondent David Naylor

The Premier League campaign is only eight games old however fans of England's top league will already be dreading the thought that they'll be watching Championship football next season. The Premiership is a cruel league and with the likes of Southampton, West Ham and Norwich having splashed the cash this summer alongside the usual big-spenders it could be a tough season for some sides, especially those near the foot of the table who perhaps don't have the financial clout and quality of playing and managerial staff needed to survive.

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To begin with, let's take a look at Sunderland, who are currently propping up the Premier League table. The recently-departed Paulo Di Canio spent more than £20million on transfer fees during the Summer transfer window however much of that figure was recouped with the sales of Stéphane Sessègnon and Simon Mignolet. The Mackem's recent transfer activity may pose a problem to new boss Gus Poyet as the Uruguayan may find it difficult to work with a squad that includes a number of Italian players who were signed by compatriot Di Canio, although this may be a harsh view of Poyet's man-management skills. Transfers aside, the appointment of Gus has been seen as a gamble, however when considering Sunderland's current precarious position you feel that the arrival of any new manager would be seen as a risk. An apparent bust up with Brighton Chairman Tony Bloom last Summer over transfer budgets probably led to Poyet's departure from the Championship club and Mackem's fans will hope that this desire for progress and success will see Sunderland safe this season. Saying that, a season in England's second-tier may not be a disaster if Gus can successfully install his footballing logic and a winning mentality into Sunderland to instill hope into the long-term visions of supporters.

Crystal Palace are another Premiership team who are already fighting for their lives. In detail, The Eagles have recorded just one win in all competitions this season and I find it difficult to see how they can escape relegation without significant investment in the team. Manager Ian Holloway almost kept Blackpool up a few seasons ago with a shoe-string budget however signing sixteen players in the Summer has left him with a squad rich in quantity, but not quality. It remains to be seen whether any of the colourful Bristolian's bargain-basement acquisitions can fire Palace up the table however their 4-1 trouncing at home to Fulham on Monday night suggests that survival is an unlikely possibility.

Let us move on to Stoke City, a team who seem to be undergoing something of a change in style under new Manager Mark Hughes- and there lies a problem. Do the Potters have the players needed to move away from Tony Pulis's route-one tactics? Sparky's six summer signings haven't exactly transformed the Stoke side as of yet and if you take the effectiveness of Pulis's hoofball out of the mix then could the Potters be in trouble? Most of Hughes's signings have been recruited from abroad and aren't used to Premier League football. The combination of a side adapting to a new style of play and a measurable portion of the playing squad getting used to a new league could leave Stoke facing a return to the Championship in May.

Cardiff City may also find themselves in trouble if the behind-the-scenes tensions continue to build at the Welsh side. Boss Malkay Mackay may find it hard to keep any negative thoughts stemming from the dismissal of friend Ian Moody as Head of Recruitment away from his day-to-day duties, and the ill-feelings of an under-performing Manager could easily rub off on the players- a recipe for relegation-shaped disaster. Newly-promoted Hull City have no such worries and are loving life under experienced Gaffer Steve Bruce. Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore could prove to be astute signings as both are arguably Premier League players however you feel that the Tigers could do with more strength in depth in order to avoid the drop. The Premiership campaign has already begun to resemble something of a soap opera and with the likes of Ian Holloway and Malkay Mackay perhaps feeling the pressure from the big wigs at their respective clubs the Managers sack race could soon be up and running. However the race to beat the drop unfolds, fans of numerous clubs will no doubt be biting their nails for months to come. Could we be in for a 2011-esque D-Day finish?

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