Capital One Cup: Sunderland and West Ham risk relegation for final

The Premier League's bottom two West Ham and Sunderland are 2.68/5 and 1.794/5 to be relegated, but staying up isn't their sole 2013/14 target. The Black Cats are 3.052/1 to reach the Capital One Cup final after their 2-1 first-leg victory over Man United, with West Ham a much meatier 8.615/2 ahead of their trip to Man City. Is a cup distraction a help or a hindrance when fighting for survival though? Let's see how the last six top-tier strugglers to contest a domestic cup final fared...

Wigan - FA Cup 2013 - Relegated
The rubbish scheduling that frequently saw the FA Cup final played before Premier League matchday 38 in recent years created the cruel situation of Wigan being relegated at Arsenal three days after devouring Man City at Wembley. To his credit, Roberto Martinez insists that the FA Cup had more of a positive impact on the safety bid than negative, but they had dug a way out of similar holes before.

Birmingham - League Cup 2011 - Relegated
The Blues are the most valid example of a side whose cup exploits appeared to hasten their Premier League demise. Alex McLeish's men finished a superb ninth in 2009/10 and lost just eight of the 26 league matches before their memorable win over Arsenal, yet were felled in seven of their final 12 outings, slipping into the drop zone at the death having been there after only three prior matchdays.

Portsmouth - FA Cup 2010 - Relegated
Of all the relegated teams on this register, Pompey are the ones least likely to blame cup exertions. Their relegation was inevitable in a trademark season of turmoil that commenced with seven losses, saw them last at Christmas and sandbagged as they gained momentum by a nine-point deduction. The cup journey was instead a welcome burst of light, though Chelsea denied them a happy ending.

Tottenham - League Cup 2009 - Survived
Spurs aren't great flag-bearers for prospering in the cup and staying up as their relegation battle was artificial. They started the season with top-four aspirations and finished it eighth, but were plunged into trouble by two points from their first eight games, and sat 18th midway through their semi-final with Burnley. They lost the final to Man United on penalties, yet were already rising up the league.

Blackburn - League Cup 2002 - Survived
Rovers are this list's only other example of survivors, and their story isn't the most uplifting either. The evidence suggests that this League Cup run triggered their league problems to start with, 10 losses in 12 from the start of December causing a nosedive from 18th to tenth. The final triumph over Spurs clearly raised spirits though, as a strong finish saw them claw their way back into the top half.

Middlesbrough - FA Cup and League Cup 1997 - Relegated
Boro were the unluckiest cup finalists of the lot, falling at the final hurdle in both cups and suffering demotion due to a controversial three-point penalty for failing to face Blackburn after their squad was struck down by a virus. While that was ultimately their downfall, it is arguable that they only depended on those points because of an autumn-to-winter sequence of two wins in 20 perhaps influenced by the fixture overload.

Conclusion
The proof that cup progress accelerates relegation isn't conclusive, but is certainly more compelling than the case for it assisting its prevention. However, given their aptitude for getting back up after going down (The Chumbawamba Effect), some West Ham and Sunderland fans - this writer belongs to the former camp - will judge a trophy and European adventure to be worth the price of Championship admission, even if their chairmen disagree.