The Premiership season is almost upon us -so it's a great time to have a look at the Sporting Index relegation market. There's lots of value out there in the spread markets if you have take a view on this season's strugglers...

The Probables...

Blackpool (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) -.
Prediction : Going to finish rock bottom -but God loves a trier and Ian Holloway...

West Brom (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : Will their lovely enough football be enough to keep them up? Afraid not.

Newcastle (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : After a 'holiday' in the Championship, they should gather enough points to attain safety.

Birmingham (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : May not repeat last season's great show, but will do the business at home.

Wolves (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) -
Prediction : Will achieve safety with a couple of games to spare.

The Possibles...

Stoke (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) -
Prediction : They have transformed themselves into the Potteries version of Bolton. Just about safe this term.

Wigan (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : Could really struggle if they can't hang onto their best players.

Bolton (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : They are hoping for three worse teams in the division to spare them the dreaded drop!

The Unlikely Lads...

Blackburn (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : No change at Ewood Park -they will quietly about the business of finishing 12th.

Sunderland (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : A new era at the Stadium of Light will see them avoid any relegation issues.

Fulham (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : The new man will have a very difficult act to follow...

West Ham (1st Quote 0-0, New Quote 0-0) - .
Prediction : You never know what to expect from the Hammers -could be 8th or 18th!

The Field (Others) (1st Quote 1-3, New Quote 0-0) - There is always one team who starts so badly that they get drawn into the relgation fight -last season it was Everton, until David Moyes steadied the ship. This year it could be Liverpool if they don't have Torres from the start!
Prediction : Doesn't seem likely that there will be an unfamiliar face in there.

Well now you have seen a brief rundown of all the teams involved in the relegation shake-up, there are several questions to ask about each team when trying to assess their chances of surviving the drop...

How Good Is The Squad?
Does it have depth to it and will it be able to cope with the inevitable injuries that you pick up during the course of a 40+ game season? Having two or three star players may not be enough if they are on the treatment table for ten games or more. In the past few seasons the injury curse cost both Bobby Robson and Glen Roeder their jobs at Newcastle -where the patience of the league's most tolerant fans finally ran out.

Are They Up For A Fight?
One of the accusations levelled at the Middlesboro team (who two seasons ago experienced the drop) was that they just 'weren't up for it' -meaning that the players didn't seem prepared to battle for their Premiership lives.

Some clubs, such as Stoke and Chelsea have been labelled battling teams in certain areas of the media and it has been well-documented how an uncompromising Bolton side muscled a more talented but less physical Arsenal side out of several games over the last couple of seasons. Last season, Arsene Wenger accused Stoke of being in it just for a fight!

Is There A Talismanic Player That Will Inspire Them?
For nearly a decade, Southampton were kept in the top flight by the presence of one player -the mercurial Matthew Le Tissier. This was a player whose genius on the field would so inspire those around him that they would play above the level of their own expectations and ability. Most recently, Joey Barton and Carlos Tevez kept their respective teams, Manchester City and West Ham in the top division.

Having a truly great player in your team can also keep the fans on your side, as it gives them a chance to applaud and take some comfort from all those away defeats. Little consolation perhaps -but football fans will cling to anything when facing the prospect of away days the following season at Barnsley and Doncaster...

Will They Be Able To Spend Their Way Out Of Trouble?
Having deep pockets can be one method to avoid relegation. It used to be much easier before the transfer window came into operation back in 2002-03. A manager used to be able to simply 'pinch an in-form striker from the lower division for a couple of million and ten goals later you were back in mid-table safety.

Not so now, when a club has only the month of January to bolster thread-bare squad. On the face of it, spending five million to save yourself fifty seems like a good idea at the time -but take heed from the tale of Bradford City , who, back in 2000-01 decided to spend big in order to retain their top flight status. Players such as Benito Carbone, Neville Southall, Dean Saunders and Dean Windass were brought in at tremendous expense and enormous wages, but were unable to prevent Bradford from plunging into the first division. The financial strain was all too much and City ended up with debts in excess of £30m.

How Many Points Will They Need?
There appears to be so much competition this season that forty points may just be good enough to ensure survival -the only year in recent times that it hasn't was 2002-03 when a massive 43 points was required for safety. See our table further up the page -it shows what you would have needed over the last seven seasons.