Middlesbrough, Burnley, Hull: How will Premier League’s promoted clubs fare this season?

The three promoted clubs are invariably, widely tipped for relegation at the start of any Premier League campaign, and things are no different this year, reports Greg Lea.

Burnley's Michael Keane and Real Sociedad's Jon Bautista in action. (Reuters/Jason Cairnduff)

Having successfully negotiated the 46-match marathon that is a season in the English Championship, Burnley, Hull City and Middlesbrough will all be desperate to avoid an immediate return to the second tier this term.

The three promoted clubs are invariably, widely tipped for relegation at the start of any Premier League campaign, and things are no different this year.

While that is entirely understandable, it is also worth remembering that in the last five seasons only five newcomers to the top flight have fallen through the trapdoor at the first time of asking – Reading in 2012/13, Cardiff City in 2013/14, Burnley and Queens Park Rangers in 2014/15 and Norwich City in 2015/16 – with 10 such teams surviving the drop in that period.

There is hope, then, for Burnley, Hull and Middlesbrough as they embark upon the challenge of retaining their place in the Premier League over the coming months.

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Burnley were crowned Championship champions in May and will be aiming to secure a second consecutive campaign of top-tier football for the first time since the mid-1970s.

Sean Dyche has largely kept faith with the group of players that got his side up in the first place – the same approach he took in 2014/15, when Burnley were relegated by a margin of five points – with Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Nick Pope the only two acquisitions made at the time of writing.

Middlesbrough’s methodology has been completely different, with Aitor Karanka having so far added nine new faces to his squad. Alvaro Negredo and Victor Valdes are the most eye-catching arrivals, but Viktor Fischer, Marten de Roon and Antonio Barragan are also astute additions who have helped bolster the ranks at the Riverside Stadium.

The actions of play-off winners Hull – who had to contest 49 games before sealing their place in the Premier League – since their defeat of Sheffield Wednesday in that final at Wembley Stadium suggest they do not even have a strategy for survival.

Steve Bruce stood down as manager in July after growing frustrated with the club’s inactivity in the transfer market, with 18-year-old goalkeeper Will Mannion still the only signing made despite the departure of Mohamed Diame, Ryan Taylor and Sone Aluko and an injury crisis that has claimed Allan McGregor, Alex Bruce, Moses Odubajo and Michael Dawson among its victims.

Bruce, meanwhile, has still not been replaced with just days before Hull’s opening-day encounter against champions Leicester City.

A look at the aforementioned 10 promoted outfits to finish outside the bottom three in the last five years shows there is no magic formula which can be employed to stay clear of trouble.

Sticking with your manager through a rough patch worked in Leicester’s favour when they retained Nigel Pearson in 2014/15, but dispensing of Ian Holloway and hiring Tony Pulis ensured Crystal Palace extended their Premier League stay the campaign before.

A strong start to the season was ultimately what kept Watford up last term as they did not suffer for only picking up 15 points in the second half of the season.

Southampton, conversely, began slowly in 2012/13, winning only one of their first 11 matches, but went on to finish 14th.

Southampton also parted with a hefty £35 million (Dh167.7m) following their promotion the previous year, whereas Hull spent less than £10 million in the summer of 2013 and still finished above the dreaded dotted line.

Avoiding relegation can therefore be achieved in a variety of ways, something Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull could again demonstrate in the upcoming campaign.

The promoted trio may be among the favourites for the drop, but recent history suggests at least one of them should achieve their objective of Premier League survival this term.

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