Providing some of the best entertainment and talking points in the Premier League this season are the stories of Norwich, Swansea and QPR, the three promoted sides from the Championship last year, all with a completely different tale to tell. Often, predictions are made at the beginning of the season that the promoted three teams will be the three to go down, but in recent seasons, this routine prediction has failed time and time again. They are no longer the weaker teams, indicating a rise of the quality of football being played in the Championship. This is also true recently of cup results, with Crystal Palace beating Manchester United, and Brighton and Hove Albion seeing off Sunderland and Newcastle.
Queens Park Rangers have so far been the underachieving club out of the trio. Disruption from Neil Warnock’s sacking could be to blame; however, their squad is far more experienced and recognised at the higher level than Norwich and Swansea’s. Boasting players such as Adel Taraabt, Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora, you should expect them to be fine. Despite these names, however, the club’s overall performance so far has been surprisingly poor, being consistently in and around the relegation zone. Even with a change of manager in Mark Hughes, their league situation has not significantly changed with as of yet. Having only gained six points from their last ten games, and with an away record better than their home record, you can only presently hope if you’re a QPR supporter. If they manage to get the January signings going, there’s no reason why they can’t stay up, however if they don’t, they could be in trouble.
Swansea City: a good side, a good manager, and so far, a good season. Personally, at the start of the season I thought they would struggle, having invested little compared to QPR, but I’ve been shocked with how good this team has actually been on occasions this season. Beating Arsenal and taking points of Liverpool and Chelsea is definitely something I didn’t expect, and they’ve only lost two games at home. They have a clear philosophy of keeping the ball which they implement very well; who claims that English players can’t play passing football? I’d love to see them stay up and I believe they have the team spirit to put a good run of form together towards the end of the season to secure safety.
In 11th position in the league, Norwich City are just a cut above the rest. Back-to-back promotions from League One and then the Championship, to currently to holding their weight in the Premier League is no small feat. With Grant Holt spearheading the side to almost assured safety, they could now look towards a potential European spot. I’m certain Norwich would’ve been happy with 17th place at the beginning of the season, especially after their six-year absence from the Premier League, but they clearly have a thirst for bigger and better things. With passionate supporters, sensible owners and a solid squad, I can see them being a stable Premier League club for years to come.
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