Most fans of promoted clubs will tell you the top-flight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it can be a hard slog for teams who are desperate to compete with the competition’s big-spending behemoths.
In the last two seasons, that has certainly been the case, with all three sides coming up from the Championship going straight back down again. The world’s richest league now has an uneven playing field. For the smaller clubs with limited resources compared to their top-tier rivals, the struggle is real.
Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton never looked like surviving
Last season, after the first few months of the campaign, it became abundantly clear that none of Leicester, Ipswich, or Southampton were going to be anything other than relegation fodder. The odds are stacked firmly against newly promoted sides, and while we’ve seen anomalies that have overachieved, fans who explore useful resources like this bookmakers list for the UK on FIRST.com struggled to put their faith in the promoted sides when it came to avoiding the drop.
Southampton’s return was nothing short of wretched, with Russell Martin’s naive tactical approach getting them off to a horrible start. Likewise, Leicester struggled to adapt to life back in the Premier League, resulting in Ruud van Nistelrooy being installed as their new manager late in November after sacking Steve Cooper. Ipswich fared the best of three in the early stages, although there was always a distinct possibility that they’d fade away as the season wore on.
In the end, Southampton produced the second-worst points total in the history of the competition, Leicester, the champions of England just nine years ago, won just once since December, and the step up for Ipswich came too soon after successive promotions from League One to the Premier League. As a result, it signalled another season where the Championship’s finest failed to adapt to life in the big time.
Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United suffered the same fate
The previous season Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United experienced something similar, despite some of their relegation rivals, Everton and Nottingham Forest, receiving points deductions. The three promoted sides couldn’t put a consistent run of results together all season, only managing to achieve less than 0.6 points per game combined.
When assessing Luton’s campaign, the Hatters were immediately up against it given their distinct lack of resources. It came as no surprise, then, to see the club finish with just 26 points – the worst total by a team finishing 18th in the league’s history. For Hatters fans, their relegation was a foregone conclusion.
Current Profit and Sustainability Rules hinder promoted clubs
Fairytale campaigns are harder to find these days. We aren’t seeing the Crazy Gang dismantle Premier League giants in a horrible atmosphere at Plough Lane, Rory Delap’s long throws aren’t helping Stoke batter their way to top-fight safety, and sides like West Brom aren’t experiencing dramatic escapes on the last day of the season. Numerous factors are at play here, but the current Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) clearly plays a part.
These days, promoted clubs can’t risk a transfer splurge as they attempt to survive and thrive beyond the current Premier League campaign. Nottingham Forest did and were given a points deduction. Splashing the cash is something fans demand, though, but many club owners are reluctant to employ this approach as it could put the club’s long-term future at risk. We’ve seen it numerous times before, with clubs like Sunderland and Portsmouth dropping as far down to League Two following financial mismanagement after an expensive period in the top division.
Brentford and Brighton have shown what can be done
While newly promoted clubs are at a disadvantage, the money they’re guaranteed from promotion still helps if it’s spent properly. Clubs have shown what can be done. For example, Brentford’s income went from £17million to £142m when they were promoted in 2020-21, with the Bees’ shrewd transfer strategy seeing them become a stable Premier League club.
Likewise, Brighton’s model of buying players for cheap and selling them on for big bucks is the envy of many of their league rivals. Wolves have had their issues, but they’ve also recruited well since ending their six-season exile from the league in 2018. Fulham have also competed since coming up in 2022.
While not every club has a billionaire owner willing to splash stupendous amounts of cash on staving off relegation, the increased revenues promotion brings can still buy survival. Hopefully Leeds, Burnley, and Sheffield United can buck the trend next season. Don’t hold your breath, though.
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