Will All Of The Promoted Clubs Avoid Relegation?

Fact or Fiction: None of the newly promoted clubs will face relegation this season.

MH: Fact. There are two parts to this answer. First of all, all three promoted clubs- QPR, Norwich, and Swansea-all have played well to begin the season. Norwich and Swansea in particular have shown tremendous form and already have taken points from some of the bigger clubs in the Premier League. While the other, Queens Park Rangers, have had an uneven start, they are still trying to work in a bevy of transfer signings like Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips into to the flow of the team. Secondly, while the three new clubs have played fairly well, established clubs like Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, and Wolverhampton have performed so poorly that it appears that they will all battle each other for the three relegation spots.

ER: Fiction. We went through this last season, too. We were all thrilled to see Blackpool start out in a strong fashion, play a team like Manchester United extremely tough, and ride that underdog swell of support. Then they started losing, and as quickly as they looked safe, they were gone. I know this will probably knock me off the Gaffer’s Christmas Card List, but I think Swansea City will not escape the bottom three when it all shakes out. If there is anything that could save the Swans, it would be that there are some consistent teams that have looked utterly awful thus far. Bolton have lost some key players due to long-term injury, Blackburn have been mismanaged from above, and Wigan Athletic lacks the fan support and money to flourish long-term in the Premier League. But it seems every season these types of teams find a way to shake out of their malaise and get the results. Come May, I expect one of those three teams to right the ship, and the team that will catch the downdraft will be Swansea (sorry Gaffer!).

What do you think, is it fact or fiction that none of the newly promoted clubs will face relegation this season?