Blackpool is listed at odds of 1/5 by VictorChandler.com to be relegated back to the Championship after only one season in the English Premier League.
Monday 26th July 2010
With less than three weeks to go until the start of the 2010/11 English Premier League season, Blackpool is odds-on with nearly every major online bookmaker to have been relegated back to the Championship come May.
The Lancashire soccer side was promoted to the English Premier League only two months ago following a thrilling playoff victory over Cardiff City at London’s Wembley Stadium but is now listed at odds as long as 1/5 by VictorChandler.com to be relegated.
Manager Ian Holloway has promised fans that the team will continue to play ‘fearless’ football but the stiffer competition offered by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea has seen BetDaq.com offer Blackpool at odds of 21/100 to be sent back down after its first season in the top-flight since 1971.
StanJames.com, Betfair.com, Ladbrokes.com, ExtraBet.com and Bwin.com list the ‘Seasiders’ at odds of 1/4 to be relegated followed by SportingBet.com and Coral.co.uk with 5/18.
With an average home crowd of just 8,611 last term, Blackpool will be the smallest club ever to play in the English Premier League with ToteSport.com, SkyBet.com, 888Sport.com, Bet365.com, Bodog.com, BoyleSports.com, BetFred.com and BlueSq.com showing odds of 2/7 on relegation rounded off by PaddyPower.com and WilliamHill.com with 3/10.
Not far behind in the relegation race is fellow promoted Championship side West Bromwich Albion, which went up last season after finishing in second spot behind Newcastle United. The Midlands team has experienced either promotion to the English Premier League or relegation back to the second-tier seven times in the last nine seasons with Betfair.com offering odds as low as 37/50 on another drop come May.
Slightly longer, BetFred.com, bet365.com, SportingBet.com, ToteSport.com and Bwin.com have the ‘Baggies’ at odds of 4/5 to be relegated while Coral.co.uk, SkyBet.com and ExtraBet.com show 5/6.
West Bromwich begins the 2010/11 season away to champion Chelsea and will also travel to face Liverpool during the first month with BetDaq.com currently showing odds of 21/25 on relegation followed by PaddyPower.com, Bodog.com, BoyleSports.com, StanJames.com and VictorChandler.com with 10/11 and 888Sport.com, Ladbrokes.com, WilliamHill.com and BlueSq.com offering Evens.
After finishing 16th in the table last season, Wigan Athletic is one of the more established names tipped for relegation with BlueSq.com and 888Sport.com showing the Lancastrians at odds of 7/4 for the drop.
The team was only established in 1932 and earned promotion to the top-flight in 2005 after finishing second in the Championship. It has since battled to stay up with its best finish of tenth coming in its debut season.
Betfair.com has the small side at odds of 181/100 to be relegated at the end of this season while punters can get the slightly longer 187/100 from BetDaq.com and 2/1 at PaddyPower.com, BetFred.com, StanJames.com, ToteSport.com, Bodog.com, SportingBet.com, Coral.co.uk and WilliamHill.com.
At the far end of the spectrum is ExtraBet.com with odds of 11/5 on Wigan to be playing in the Championship for the 2011/12 season while Bet365.com, VictorChandler.com, SkyBet.com, BoyleSports.com, Ladbrokes.com and Bwin.com show 9/4.
