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6 steps to Premier survival
Ride your luck
Blackpool’s love affair with the Premier League proved a brief fling but Swansea, Norwich and QPR will arrive in the big time with high hopes of a longer top-flight romance. The Premier League is as unforgiving an environment as there is in sport – just ask West Ham and Birmingham – and all three new boys know they will need a huge slice of luck to dine at the top table of English football for more than one season. And if that deserts them, then they should still stick to the basics.
Get off to a flier
There’s nothing like a decent start to give fans, players and even managers hope. Newcastle lost their first match last season but bounced back to trounce Aston Villa 6-0 in their second – immediately providing the
self-belief they needed on their return to the top flight.
Keep the faith
It’s all well and good splashing the cash but it takes time to build a team capable of mixing it with the very best. Ian Holloway’s (left) Blackpool came up last season and with minimal outlay started the season with a bang that could be heard from Bloomfield Road to Barcelona.
“It’s been a hideous pre-season for me, the chairman and the secretary because I am so shocked at what everybody else is on and what they are paying – we are completely out of our depth,” he said after his side’s 4-0 opening day win over Wigan. The lesson? Give the players who got you up a chance to keep you there.
Don’t die wondering
If you’re going to go down, make sure you still make it a season to remember. Take Blackpool (again), they were relegated after just one season but they made more friends in nine months than Manchester United or Chelsea have in a lifetime.
Don’t get distracted
Cup competitions are nice but don’t do much for your survival chances. Alex McLeish’s (above) Birmingham side were a world away from relegation when they shocked Arsenal in the Carling Cup final – three months and just two wins later, they were down.
Stay harmonious
Birmingham and West Ham went down after a season of intrigue off the pitch as well as on it. The season before, Pompey had sunk like a stone after football became little more than a sideshow.
Chairmen and chief execs need to concentrate on the business side of things, and let the manager and the players get on with what really matters – winning matches.