Football Food For Thought / Dan Fitch / 04 August 2009 /

Burnley are the red hot favourites to be relegated from the Premier League, but Dan 'The Betting Man' Fitch finds reason for the Clarets to be optimistic.

There are certain things that we should make the most of whilst we still can, such as watching Andrew Flintoff play test cricket, the remains of the ozone layer and the country not being run by Tories.

Another thing that we should perhaps appreciate, while we still have the opportunity, is watching Burnley in the Premier League. The Clarets are the [3.25] favourites to finish rock bottom and are just [1.67] to be relegated.

The Premier League is a tough place to ply your trade. Just count the wrinkles on Arsene Wenger's face if you want evidence. In recent years, it's been quite common for one of the promoted sides, to spectacularly fail to adapt to their more demanding surroundings.

Still hanging their heads in shame are Derby County, who in 2008 were relegated after their frankly rubbish first team picked up a point per player over the course of the season, giving them a total of just eleven.

Not much better were Sunderland in 2006, who finished the season with fifteen points. It's no wonder that the aim of most promoted clubs is to just hit double figures as quickly as they can.

I'm not quite sure why Burnley are such a favourites for the drop though, as there will be plenty of competition this season for the title of the league's most useless team.

Take Burnley's fellow newbies Birmingham and Wolves for instance. Both are perennial yoyo clubs, who can be relied upon to fly back down towards the Championship upon promotion, as if they were attached to the Football League by a length of elastic.

Birmingham are [8.2] to finish bottom and [2.14] to be relegated, with Wolves at [8.8] and [2.68]. Of the two, I'd expect Wolves to struggle more than Birmingham, who have made some decent signings in players such as Joe Hart and Barry Ferguson, but both sides are likely to spend the season scrapping in the bottom half of the table.

Then there's the mountain of existing Premier League teams that just aren't very good. Second favourites to be bottom are Hull at [4.7], who can be backed to be relegated at [1.92].

There's been a lot of talk of Hull signing high profile players, but the club haven't been able to attract anyone to a city still reeling from being named as the worst place to live in the UK, by Phil and Kirsty. Hull's tactic last season of playing well until Christmas and then downing tools to embark upon a five month sabbatical, could end in disaster this term.

I've also got a strong feeling that Portsmouth will go down. They've sold all their best players and have just seen their top target Nikola Kalinic join Blackburn, because Hajduk Split didn't want the fee to be paid in piecemeal instalments over twenty years, whilst their tedious takeover negotiations roll on with the only known Arab without any money. Pompey are [4.1] to go down and [9.6] to finish rock bottom.

So Burnley should have plenty of competition for the Premier League wooden spoon, but they will still find it tough. Their first five fixtures, includes games against Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool. The [2.2] for Burnley to be rock bottom at August is great value.

As is often the question with clubs coming up to the Premier League, you wonder who will score the goals. Martin Paterson scored nineteen last season and Steven Fletcher has been signed from Hibs, but both are unknown quantities at the top level.

Looking on the positive side of things, Burnley's manager Owen Coyle is one of the most highly rated young managers around, who last season masterminded a Carling Cup run, that saw them knock out Fulham, Chelsea and Arsenal, before coming within a whisker of eliminating Spurs in the semi-final.

How the pampered playboys of the Premier League will feel about a trip to Turf Moor on a wet Wednesday night is also up for question. Burnley's best hope for survival is to establish their home ground as something of a fortress, as Stoke City did so admirably this season.

Whatever else Burnley spend their newfound wealth upon this season, the one thing that they shouldn't be splashing out on is a lick of paint for their away dressing room.

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