Premier League Preview: 17-20

It Was Nice Having You Lads In, Bye-Bye Now
These teams are destined for relegation. The list includes four, even though only three will be relegated. Odds are, there will be a race at the end of the season to avoid the last relegation spot between the 17th and 18th placed clubs. There can be no question about the bottom two however. Neither one are as bad as Derby County last year or Sunderland 3 years ago, but they are still quite bad.

20. Hull City AFC (PREDICTION: 22 Points)
Ladbrokes, the premier betting shop in England, has their relegation odds set at 4/11. Yes, you read correctly. Not even Big Brown would bet on those odds. If there was ever a guarantee, it's that this team will not be around next season. If you have life savings, I would say place it on Hull being relegated. The thing is, it's not that they just have to finish 19th, they would have to climb all the way to 17th Place in the League. They were Third place in the Championship (Second Division) last season. They finished in 21st place two years ago. That doesn't bode well for them. This is also the club's first time in the Premier League. Actually, a funny note, up until this season Hull was the largest city in Europe to never have a top flight team. That fact, coupled with the fact they have already sold out every home match this season, will make Hull an annoying place to visit, and give them a few points When we get further into the clubs, like clubs that I have seen play a football match before, I will delve into summer signings and releases, but to be honest, they aren't worth my time. This is the largest amount of space I will devote to Hull City this year. (That being said, it's almost a guarantee that they go on a miracle run now isn't it? When I root for teams I give them the kiss of death, but I just pumped life into Hull).

19. Stoke City FC (PREDICTION: 26 Points)
Another safe bet for relegation this season. They were the runners-up in the Championship last season. The main difference between Hull and Stoke falls on management. I actually think this team is just a few playmakers away from staying up. Their defense proved to be quite formidable last season, and I think that every successful team starts at the back. They are a scrappy group, and upset a lot of teams last season with their rough style of play. They remind me very much of a team like Blackburn a few years ago, when they were starting their rise. The key differences between Blackburn and this club lies in their talent. As good as Stoke may be managed, at the end of the day if you don't have the horses you can't run the race. And they do not have the horses. It's one thing to stop Crystal Palace from scoring, quite another to stop Liverpool. Add all of that to the fact that they don't have a single proven scorer, as well as an out of form, acquired goalkeeper in Tomas Sorensen, and you have relegation. They'll put up a fight though, and their defense will force draws from teams that thought they could sneak a win.

18. Bolton Wanderers (PREDICTION: 31 Points)
Two years ago Bolton were a solid club. Big Sam Allardyce had cemented a formula of getting up to the Premiership, staying there, and consistently moving up the ranks. In fact he got them all the way to a UEFA Cup berth, before splitting town for Newcastle. That Bolton team is dead. This team probably should have gone down last season. I think they were worse than that Reading FC team that was sent down, but Bolton were saved on the last day. And so we have another season of dreadful trips up to Bolton to deal with. However, gone are the days of El-Hadji Diouff and Ivan Campo. The team that used to scrap out tough 1-0 wins at the Reebok Stadium is long gone, and Gary Megson has proved to be a shade less than an astute manager. In fact, he is my pick to be the first manager fired this season. As I said earlier, Diouff and Campo is gone, as well is Stelios Giannakoplous. Their big buy this season was Johan Elmander (I know you enjoy that), along with several other players. While Campo and Diouff were aging, they were experienced at how to play in the Premiership. I really believe this team will struggle to make it through the season, and in the end will be sent down to the Championship. You can't put Championship-quality players on a club, play in the Premiership, and expect to be successful.

17. West Bromwich Albion (PREDICTION:38 Points)
The high-flying football act from Birmingham. They scored just under 2 goals per game last season in the Championship, and a lot of people like them to do much of the same this year. This team should have been playing Premiership football last season, but were pipped out at the end by Derby County (the worst football team to ever take the field. If you weren't watching last season, you truly missed a show). They stayed in the Championship for another year, won the league outright, and are back in the Premiership for the first time since 2006. They won the Championship using a high powered offensive tactic, which they will probably employ this season again. They should provide for some interesting matchups, and their points will come against the teams in the league in the bottom of the table. Look for them to nick points off of clubs like Hull, Stoke, Bolton, West Ham, Middlesborough, and Fulham. Meanwhile, look for them to really struggle against teams with a balanced defense, and a strong counter.

This is a decent club, and the addition of top notch keeper, Scott Carson, will do much to help a maligned defense. They added another player I like a lot, Luke Moore, from Aston Villa, as well as a few players from Europe that I am not too familar with. People in the know claim that manager Tony Mowbray knows what he's doing, and can pick out talent. We'll see how strong of an eye for talent he has when things kick-off.