3 to go down...

It's that time of year again when my Dad and I pick our three teams to be relegated over the course of the coming season. Last year I actually got three out of three for only the second time in 14 attempts. This year it's a tough call once again.

The teams I am certain will be safe are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham. Those I expect to be safe are Birmingham, Blackburn, Fulham and Sunderland. That leaves Blackpool, Bolton, Newcastle, Stoke, West Brom, West Ham, Wigan and Wolves.

Of those, Newcastle and West Ham should be safe but they are clubs who seem to consistently achieve less than the sum of their parts.

You would think Bolton stand a better chance of survival under Owen Coyle than last season under Gary Megson.

Wigan baffled me last season beating the likes of us and Chelsea but fighting relegation for much of the campaign. I'd be equally unsurprised if come Christmas they were comfortable in the top half of the table or floundering near the bottom. I'm not confident in the assertion but I think they'll stay up.

Stoke appear to be making an increasingly impressive evolution from an over-achieving kick and rush team to a mid-table Premiership team. I expect that progress to continue this campaign - particularly given their transfer activity - but it only takes a slight regression and the club could descend into free fall. Again, I think they should be safe.

That leaves everybody's relegation favourite Blackpool, perennial yo-yo club West Brom and Wolves. Maybe this stems from personal malice rather than judgement but I think Wolves will go. They were lucky last season that there were a number of crap teams queuing up to go down. This time around, a squad that is never in a million years Premiership standard will surely be found out. Personally I really want them to go down because Mick McCarthy is a first class twat. His decision to field a reserve team at Old Trafford last season should have earned his club a points deduction. At least the 3 points he gifted his mate Ferguson weren't enough for the Scum to win the title. Expect the gift to be repeated again this campaign.

Blackpool, I am certain of. West Brom and Wolves I am confident of. If any of those three escapes, I reckon it would be the Baggies.