[Sport] Premier League relegation: 'Hard to stop the slide' - the painful reality of fighting to stay up

[BirSaNN]

It is often suggested that some teams are "too good to go down".

In reality, poor recruitment and team spirit, or terrible luck with injuries, can thrust any side into a relegation battle and set alarm bells ringing.

Everton, Leicester City and West Ham are fighting for their Premier League lives, despite all having started the season with loftier aims back in August.

The Hammers are still juggling European commitments, Leicester have won the Premier League, FA Cup and finished fifth twice in the past seven years, while Everton have the second-longest unbroken spell in the top flight.

But all three teams are now nervously pushing for every point against sides who began the campaign prepared to do just that.

Before the crunch match between Leicester, who have won just three league games since the World Cup, and Everton on Monday, BBC Sport explores the psychology of falling into trouble.

'When you're at the bottom, it is a long way up'
In 2012-13, Newcastle United were supposed to be looking upwards.

After narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification the previous season, the Magpies should have been heading into the campaign looking to challenge again.

Like Leicester last summer, they only made one senior signing, midfielder Vurnon Anita, which stretched Alan Pardew's threadbare squad to the limit.

Newcastle reached the Europa League quarter-finals but finished 16th in the league, only securing survival on the penultimate weekend.

"It is tough," former defender James Perch told BBC Sport. "We didn't have a big enough squad as it was, so it was difficult to get used to.

"By Christmas I was looking at the table knowing where we'd be - I didn't think for one second we'd be able to challenge for the Champions League again because of the lack of signings."

Another side who struggled to back up a stellar season were Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys finished fifth in 2000-01 - their first season after promotion - which remains a Premier League record for the highest league finish by a newly-promoted side.

But the club's manager at the time, George Burley, believes increased expectations did not help as Ipswich were relegated a year later.

"If we'd had finished fourth-bottom, nobody would have said anything. Once you finish fifth, you think you had to get better," he said.

"It was hard to spin the idea that we will be lucky to stay in the league again. Europe made it 10 times more difficult. When you're at the bottom, it is a long way up."

link: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65437747