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EPL Review: A tale of two tables, Part 2

By on May 21, 2015

West Ham United

Highest position: 3rd
Lowest position: 11th
Final standing: 10th-13th

West Ham peaked around Christmas; in early December they climbed all the way into third after fifteen matches and remained in the top four on Christmas morning. 2015, however, has not treated them well, with just three wins from fifteen matches since the turn of the year. Slowly but surely, they’ve dropped back down to mid-table oblivion. In fact, since reaching third place Sam Allardyce’s men have only improved their standing twice over twenty-two game-weeks. After a loss to Everton last weekend, they dropped out of the top ten for the first time since September, and could mathematically finish as low as thirteenth, although they have a vastly superior goal difference over West Bromwich Albion.

Crystal Palace

Highest position: 9th
Lowest position: 18th
Final standing: 10th-13th

Some Christmas present Crystal Palace gave Neil Warnock: a sacking. However, for Palace fans, replacement Alan Pardew has been nothing short of a godsend. Guiding them swiftly out of the relegation zone with a win over Tottenham Hotspur in his first match in charge, Pardew has led the club to a comfortable, consistent mid-table position. Since Pardew’s third match in charge at Selhurst Park, Palace have only remained between thirteenth and eleventh, and The Eagles should be very content with anywhere from a tenth to thirteenth final standing.

West Bromwich Albion

Highest position: 10th
Lowest position: 17th
Final standing: 10th-13th

Alan Irvine was sacked and Tony Pulis hired midseason, with one obvious difference: consistency. With just one win in Irvine’s last nine matches in charge, West Brom slowly fell after an average start, but lost only once in Pulis’ first nine matches. For months they’ve been on course for a low-mid-table finish, and have sat in thirteenth for nine of the past eleven game-weeks. They could still jump above Crystal Palace into twelfth, which would be a bonus considering The Baggies haven’t been that high in the table since early November.

Leicester City

Highest position: 9th
Lowest position: 20th
Final standing: 14th-17th

For nineteen straight weeks, half of the Premier League season, Leicester City sat rock bottom. Following a fantastic start, with a 5-3 win over Manchester United in September obviously the climax, The Foxes slipped straight back down the table as they went winless in thirteen matches after beating United.

But the table also illustrates their incredible revival, beginning barely a month-and-half ago with a win against West Ham. They won four big matches in a row, and quickly vaulted out of the relegation zone. After a scoreless draw with Sunderland last weekend they went fourteenth, a level they’d not reached in twenty-nine game-weeks. Now safe from the drop whatever their result against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend, potentially seeing them drop all the way down to seventeenth, their close-season has been a success.

Sunderland

Highest position: 12th
Lowest position: 18th
Final standing: 14th-17th

Sunderland’s season slowly petered along, and The Black Cats should be grateful for maintaining enough steam to avoid the drop. During good runs with a few wins or draws, Dick Advocaat’s men (Advocaat took over for Gus Poyet in mid-March, though there was hardly any noticeable affect on Sunderland’s form) would hold fourteenth or fifteen position, but during bad streaks drop as low as the relegation zone. Late in April, they dropped down into the bottom three for the first time this season, hence Advocaat’s tears of relief when Sunderland finally clinched safety at Arsenal last weekend after a long, tough season.

Aston Villa

Highest position: 6th
Lowest position: 19th
Final standing: 14th-17th

Aston Villa began the season with three wins from four matches, promising much; but quickly, they hit a poor run of form and lost six straight matches in a run stretching into early November, tumbling down into low-mid-table. Paul Lambert, who saw his side struggle to score, went without a loss in five matches to save his job, but Villa eventually gave him the hook once another goal-drought hit and Villa lost seven straight matches.

The skies quickly cleared when Tim Sherwood took charge, however, steering Villa out of the relegation zone just in the nick of time. Last weekend, Villa reached as high as fourteenth in the table.

Newcastle United

Highest position: 5th
Lowest position: 19th
Final standing: 17th-18th

If Newcastle United stay up, they have one brief run of form to thank. From mid-October to late November they won five matches in a row, beating the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool (Chelsea in the cup, as well), leapfrogging from the relegation zone to fifth place. It’s only been downhill from there, though.

Off the field problems certainly took their issues to another level, but their form on the pitch didn’t help at all. Neither did Alan Pardew’s sacking, as Newcastle entered an even worse bout of form under John Carver. Losing eight in a row recently, a draw with West Bromwich Albion and Hull City’s woes may just keep them safe.

Hull City

Highest position: 8th
Lowest position: 19th
Final standing: 17th-18th

Following the early sorting of the table, it was clear that Hull City’s season wouldn’t be easy. They’ve not been higher than fifteenth since the first quarter of the season, and have been constantly fighting relegation. On three different occasions Steve Bruce’s men have fallen into the drop zone, and barring a win at the weekend (they’ve only had two of them in their past eleven matches) they’ll be going down.

Burnley FC

Highest position: 17th
Lowest position: 20th
Final standing: 19th

Burnley’s best Premier League memory will perhaps be one of their first: Scott Arfield’s early go-ahead goal in their season opener, against eventual Premier League winners Chelsea. Yet they went on to lose 3-1 and fall into the relegation zone. They’ve only jumped out of the relegation zone on rare occasions, and that won’t change next weekend.

Queens Park Rangers

Highest position: 15th
Lowest position: 20th
Final standing: 20th

Not once this season have Queens Park Rangers been in the top half of the table, and only briefly in December even picked up a run of form.  Quickly, however, they glint of hope was cut short when Harry Redknapp resigned following a disappointing transfer window.  Chris Ramsey took over, and QPR’s season came to a grinding halt, finishing dead last.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.