Coming Up…Who’ll be in the Prem next season?

By: Rob | March 26th, 2009

So the International break gives us a week to rest. Unless you’re not in the top division, in which case, you gotta keep going. So with just six games left for some clubs to play in England’s second tier, The Championship, it seems an appropriate time to profile the clubs who could be coming up.

First, the story of the Championship season thus far – Its been the tale of three cities, to misquote Charles Dickens. Wolves have led for the most part, but have never quite run away with it due to occasionally erratic form. Birmingham have not been out of the top 3 since September, while Reading have sat in and around the top 3 all year.

Its the top 2 that goes up though, then the playoffs, so who’s gonna be there?

Wolves

Currently: Sitting top of the league with 77 points from 40 games

Season so far: Have basically been the pacesetters all season. Had a bit of a slip around game 10, when they dropped to second, but have led pretty much all season – though it should be more considering Birmingham and Reading’s tendancy to drop points

Prem History: Last up in 2003/4, where their return to top flight football was blighted by long term injuries to the likes of current England international Joleon Lescott. They didn’t win away and came straight down.

Could They Stay Up? Its concievable, Wolves are the very definition of the hoary old Sleeping Giant cliché.

Coming Up? Almost certainly. Even if third place Reading win thier game in hand, Wolves would be six points clear of them, and five clear of Birmingham.

Birmingham

Currently: In the second and final automatic spot, with 72 points from 40 games

Season so far: Not been out of the top three all season, despite not having a fit striker for stretches of the year.

Prem History: They’ve been a bit of a yoyo club of recent times, their latest Prem spell ending just last season after Steve Bruce left to save Wigan instead.

Could They Stay Up? Possibly, if they made the right signings.

Coming Up? Could be, if they hold thier nerve, they have the advantage over Reading.

Reading

Currently: Third, 68 points from 39 games.

Season so far: an indifferent first ten games, but after that have rarely dropped out of the top three

Prem History: 2006/7 was Reading’s first season in the Prem, where they surprised everyone by playing well and finishing in a strong enough position that they were invited to play in the Intertoto Cup, which they declined. In a warning to Hull, the wheels came off last season and they went down.

Could They Stay Up? Possibly, although they aren’t a big club they have done it before.

Coming Up? Maybe. To go up automatically they’ll have to put together a blistering end to the season and hope Birmingham slip up somewhere.

Sheffield United

Currently: 4th, 66 points from 39 games

Season so far: Steady enough – they’ve rarely been lower that sixth

Prem History: As if we could be allowed to forget, Sheffield United are still licking their wounds over the last time they went down, due to a Carlos Tevez being illegally in place at West Ham.

Could They Stay Up? Possibly, but it’d be a struggle without good signings.

Coming Up? The automatic spots are probably beyond them now realistically, but they are likely to be in the lottery of the Playoffs.

Burnley

Currently: 5th, 65 points from 40 matches

Season so far: Erratic. They looked comfortably in the playoffs at the halfway point but proceeded to slide, but they’ve pulled it back, for now.

Prem History: The club haven’t played in the top league since 1976.

Could They Stay Up? They’d be a very small fish, like Hull.

Coming Up? In the lottery of the playoffs, who knows?

And the Rest:

Cardiff sit in the last playoff spot, and have the advantage of two games in hand, which could put them as high as third if they won them. Preston are two points behind Cardiff having played two games more, and are five behind Burnley. Its going to be an uphill struggle for Swansea, Bristol City, Ipswich or moneybags QPR to catch the playoffs now.