Well boys and girls, its that time of year where we get to see the battle in the back half of the EPL table as teams seek to avoid demotion out of the Premier League and down to the EFL Championship Division. Bottom three teams will go down, and right now it looks like this could be one of the more ho-hum relegation battles in recent memory, with the three promoted clubs all sitting in the bottom three. The real wild card here is that the next two clubs (Nottingham Forest and Everton) are both facing point deductions for Financial Fair Play violations. How many points and when those deductions will be handed out are all pertinent to the discussion.
So we will follow the matches and keep track of the teams standings, then move them around as the point deductions are handed out.
Current Standings
Team. Matches Played. Points. Goal Differential.
15. Brentford. 28 26 -12
16. Everton. 28 25 -10
17. Nottingham Forest. 28 24 -16
18. Luton. 27 21 -17
19. Burnley. 28 14 -35
20. Sheffield United 28 14 -50
Brentford. The Bees sit in 15th place, 5 points above the relegation zone. The best thing the Bees have going for them is that they also have two clubs between themselves and relegation spots who are likely to lose points due to FFP violations. Brentford have claimed 7 points since the New Year (with a 2-1-6 record), which doesn't sound good, but wait until you see the other teams below them! Brentford have a manageable schedule, with only 2 remaining games against top 6 clubs and 4 against other relegation battlers. I don't see the Bees being relegated unless there is a massive collapse, but they need to claim more points for sure.
Everton. This has become an annual magic trick avoidance of relegation for Everton, and you wonder when their luck will run out. The FA may say it is this year, as they club has already incurred a loss of 6 points and is facing another point deduction. The play of the Toffees has not helped matters as of late, as the club has not won an EPL patch in 2024 (going 0-5-3 for 5 points). There are plenty of opportunities for points however, as Everton still face all 5 fellow relegation clubs and have just one match remaining against top 6 opposition.
Nottingham Forest. Sitting in 17th place on 24 points, I would not be too concerned about Forest avoiding relegation, but for the possible point deduction sitting out there. If they get dinged for 6-10 points things could get real interesting. Forest have just 4 points since the New Year (1-1-6) so their form is not great, They do have a decent remaining schedule with only 2 top 6 games remaining and 4 against others in the relegation hunt.
Luton Town. Luton are a great story, how much fun has it been to watch matches at Kenilworth Road? The Hatters currently sit in 18th place, just 3 points behind Forest. Given that Forest and Everton might also lose points, Luton are actually close enough to claim safety, especially if they could claim some more wins. They have taken 6 points since the New Year (with a 1-3-4 record), and they have the toughest remaining schedule with 3 matches against top 6 clubs and only 2 remaining against other relegation battlers.
Burnley and Sheffield United. These two teams have both had abysmal seasons, each claiming only 14 points, 10 points below 18th place Forest. Their only hope is 10 point deductions for Forest and Everton, but I don't see that happening after Everton's prior deduction was reduced to 6. Both clubs need wins in a hurry. and I just don't see that in either of their future.
Looking forward to keeping track of this again, and will mix in some promotion/relegation talk as well for all the lower levels.
So we will follow the matches and keep track of the teams standings, then move them around as the point deductions are handed out.
Current Standings
Team. Matches Played. Points. Goal Differential.
15. Brentford. 28 26 -12
16. Everton. 28 25 -10
17. Nottingham Forest. 28 24 -16
18. Luton. 27 21 -17
19. Burnley. 28 14 -35
20. Sheffield United 28 14 -50
Brentford. The Bees sit in 15th place, 5 points above the relegation zone. The best thing the Bees have going for them is that they also have two clubs between themselves and relegation spots who are likely to lose points due to FFP violations. Brentford have claimed 7 points since the New Year (with a 2-1-6 record), which doesn't sound good, but wait until you see the other teams below them! Brentford have a manageable schedule, with only 2 remaining games against top 6 clubs and 4 against other relegation battlers. I don't see the Bees being relegated unless there is a massive collapse, but they need to claim more points for sure.
Everton. This has become an annual magic trick avoidance of relegation for Everton, and you wonder when their luck will run out. The FA may say it is this year, as they club has already incurred a loss of 6 points and is facing another point deduction. The play of the Toffees has not helped matters as of late, as the club has not won an EPL patch in 2024 (going 0-5-3 for 5 points). There are plenty of opportunities for points however, as Everton still face all 5 fellow relegation clubs and have just one match remaining against top 6 opposition.
Nottingham Forest. Sitting in 17th place on 24 points, I would not be too concerned about Forest avoiding relegation, but for the possible point deduction sitting out there. If they get dinged for 6-10 points things could get real interesting. Forest have just 4 points since the New Year (1-1-6) so their form is not great, They do have a decent remaining schedule with only 2 top 6 games remaining and 4 against others in the relegation hunt.
Luton Town. Luton are a great story, how much fun has it been to watch matches at Kenilworth Road? The Hatters currently sit in 18th place, just 3 points behind Forest. Given that Forest and Everton might also lose points, Luton are actually close enough to claim safety, especially if they could claim some more wins. They have taken 6 points since the New Year (with a 1-3-4 record), and they have the toughest remaining schedule with 3 matches against top 6 clubs and only 2 remaining against other relegation battlers.
Burnley and Sheffield United. These two teams have both had abysmal seasons, each claiming only 14 points, 10 points below 18th place Forest. Their only hope is 10 point deductions for Forest and Everton, but I don't see that happening after Everton's prior deduction was reduced to 6. Both clubs need wins in a hurry. and I just don't see that in either of their future.
Looking forward to keeping track of this again, and will mix in some promotion/relegation talk as well for all the lower levels.
