Relegation Favourites: Eight Games In

We take a look at who the bookmakers favoured to go down before a ball was kicked, and how that's changed after eight matches.

AFC Bournemouth 1/2 to 10/21

Bournemouth were favourites for relegation at the beginning of the campaign, an unsurprising fact given their lack of investment over the summer. It's somewhat surprising that the bookies now see them as slightly more likely to go down (though not the favourite) after a relatively decent start to the season. They sit 13th in the table with 9 points and a -13 goal difference (primarily due to that infamous 9-0 loss to Liverpool), but they've notched some good results. Two wins, one coming at home to Aston Villa in the opening game of the season, and the other an impressive comeback from 2-0 down at Nottingham Forest. They've taken points at home to Wolves and Brentford and came away from Newcastle with a draw also. Even more noteworthy is that their only losses have come against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City. Despite the collective eyebrow raise after they decided to sack Scott Parker after only four matches, the Cherries have kept chugging along. I think these odds are a bit unfair, and I'll be rooting for Bournemouth to stay up and prove to everyone that you can still succeed in the Premier League without spending an arm and a leg in the summer.

Nottingham Forest 5/4 to 2/5

Our new favourites for the drop are Nottingham Forest and for good reason. They sit in last place with four points from eight games, having lost their previous five in a row. Their new signings just haven't seemed to click, and while, of course, that's difficult considering the sheer number of players they brought in, it's starting to look a bit more worrying for the former European Champions. They have the worst goal difference in the league with -15, and having already played three of the other four relegation favourites (and lost), the matches won't be getting any easier. Two of those losses, to Fulham and Bournemouth, both involved the home side giving up a 2-0 lead, a worrying sign for both the mentality of the team and the ability of the home crowd to carry them over the line as we saw with Everton and Leeds last season. While, of course, it's so early, we still have over two-thirds of the season to play. Steve Cooper needs to start getting a tune out of these players before he eventually gets the sack, and upon losing the crowning jewel of their promotion to the Premier League, their only hope may be to call on a relegation expert like Sam Allardyce.

Fulham 5/4 to 5/1

Bookmakers were especially low on the newly promoted sides coming into this season, with the three new sides being the favourites to go down. However, Fulham have been one of the season's surprise packages after eight games, sitting in eighth place with 11 points. They've managed great results like wins over 4th placed Brighton and a draw on the road at Anfield, and their only losses have come to Arsenal and Tottenham away and by a one-goal margin, and Newcastle this past weekend following a sending-off. The catalyst for this has been the brilliant performances of striker Aleksander Mitrovic, who has scored six goals so far, but the rest of the team has pitched in too. New signings Perreira and Palhinha have settled in well and added some attacking flair and a newfound threat from set pieces. While Bobby Reid has also chipped in to help Mitrovic with a couple of goals himself. There is a fear that if Mitrovic gets injured, their productivity will slow significantly. Still, the Serbian has a decent injury record over recent years, rarely missing more than 1-2 games in a row. So their odds have deservedly jumped after the season's opening months, and as it stands, they look like they'll be more amongst the mid-table pack than fighting towards the bottom.

Leeds 2/1 to 43/10

Leeds were bound to be amongst the favourites to go down due to how down to the wire their survival went last season, but after a decent Summer transfer window, fans were undoubtedly more confident. Jesse Marsch has made his mark on this team more now, with their defence looking significantly more stable than it did under Bielsa, though it must be said their attack is inconsistent in productivity. They've had highs like their tremendous home win against Chelsea and lows like the disappointing away loss to Brentford. But, all in all, they've been ok, with some of their new signings, the young Americans Brendan Aaronson and Tyler Adams in particular, looking like really astute buys. As it stands, I would say they deserve their place as sixth favourites to go down. Though again, you would say that a lot of their season hinges on the ability of Patrick Bamford to stay fit and perform, which isn't the easiest of tasks.

Southampton 2/1 to 17/10

Southampton are now the third favourite for relegation, and they certainly look like they'll be in a dogfight. After signing several young unknown quantities over the summer, I raised questions as to how well they'd be able to perform, but that hasn't been a problem with young midfielder Romeo Lavia being their player of the season so far and Joe Aribo looking like a good option at striker along with Che Adams. However, after Saturday's 1-2 home defeat to Everton, the consensus among fans is that the issue is the manager. As it was reported yesterday, the board are thinking the same thing. While it looks like he'll probably still be at the helm for Saturday's encounter with Manchester City, one would expect defeat here to signal the end of the Austrian's reign unless they perform a miraculous upset. If Ralph Hassenhutl does get sacked, it will be interesting to see what route the ownership takes in the hunt for a new manager, whether they try to match the young vibe of the squad with an ambitious young manager or if they choose to go down a more traditional route and look for someone who can steady the ship until the end of the season.

Everton 3/1 to 5/1

Frank Lampard's Everton has been consistently improving throughout this season, kicking off with two losses, followed by four draws, and now they've won their last two and sit in a respectable 11th place. The stars of the show have been their new look defence. After the various pairings of Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey, and Mason Holgate never looked solid last season, James Tarkowski and Conor Coady are about as reliable as it gets. Combine that with their new central midfield of Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, and the rejuvenated Alex Iwobi and the Toffees finally have a spine that doesn't crumble if you simply stare at it for too long. While their attack hasn't been prolific, Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray have performed well enough, while Neil Maupay looks a reliable roleplayer up front. In addition, fans will much anticipate the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. If he can stay fit, he should add another dimension to their attack, but either way, Everton looks solid enough to avoid another relegation battle.

Wolves 4/1 to 27/10

Wolves were perennial relegation contenders in the eyes of the bookmakers coming into this season, but after a lacklustre start, they now sit amongst the top five to go down. It's pretty simple as to why, if you can't score goals, you can't win games, and Wolves have only scored three Premier League goals this season. Bruno Lage became the third Premier League manager to get the axe after their 2-0 loss to fellow underperformers West Ham over the weekend. Whoever comes in has a tough job on their hands, as the team looks generally toothless and leaderless. The worst thing about this is that they got rid of both their captain and one of the best performers at central defence in the league Conor Coady, on loan, of all things. As it stands, I would probably consider them more likely to go down than Southampton and Leicester, but maybe the new manager, whoever that is, will change that.

Leicester 12/1 to 23/10

Leicester's future looks a bit rosier after beating Nottingham Forest 4-0 at home on Monday night in the East Midlands Derby. Rodgers was under pressure after taking only one point from their opening seven, but some slight tweaks to the system, such as providing a bit more cover for their fullbacks, left Leicester looking a bit less vulnerable against Forest. They still have lots of talent in this squad, especially in the goalscoring department with James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, and Jamie Vardy, to name a few. So if they can manage to sure up their defence a bit, they should be ok, especially if they stop giving away leads. The owners clearly have faith in Rodgers, and this win will grant him some more time, but with games against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Leeds over the next few weeks, he'll need to pick up some more wins to indeed silence chatter about his position.

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