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Early Signs Positive for Promoted Trio
England: Early signs positive for promoted trio
Marc Fox
An intriguing report by Sporting Intelligence has calculated that Newcastle United, West Brom and Blackpool are the best performing promoted trio since the Premier League's inaugural season 18 years ago.
Statistics compiled by the respected website prove that the threesome have together collected the most points (21 from five matches) since Blackburn (11 points), Ipswich (seven) and Middlesbrough (five) accumulated 25 points after being promoted into the newly former Premier League in 1992/93.
According to its figures, no other group of promoted clubs had amassed more than 20 points at the same stage until this year.
The three sides have each collected seven points from their five outings with Newcastle (sixth), Blackpool (ninth) and West Brom (10th) to the amazement of many all standing in the top half of the table after a month in the upper echelons.
Without wishing to diminish the achievements of all three, especially Blackpool's Ian Holloway given the seasiders' well-documented financial restrictions, few could blame the clubs' supporters for already checking the lowest number of points previously needed to remain in the Premiership (34 by West Brom in 2004/05).
Holloway's attack-minded team, despite hammerings by Chelsea and Arsenal, have already won twice away from Bloomfield Road - including at St. James' Park - to lay a fine platform for a widely unpredicted avoidance of relegation at the first attempt.
Captain Charlie Adam, the former Rangers midfielder who's quickly made a name for himself in the top flight, said this week that the side had "always believed" they had a strong enough squad to challenge teams in the Premier League and stay up.
While Premier League newcomers Blackpool's chances remain to be decided, critics have suggested that it's difficult to see in which areas Newcastle and West Brom are substantially better than two seasons when they were both relegated.
Newcastle endured a torrid time then with multiple managerial changes because of a combination of boardroom unrest and illness, which certainly didn't help their cause.
And despite having lost the likes of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins from that relegated squad, the rise to prominence of English striker Andy Carroll and the arrival of Frenchman Hatem Ben Arfa, plus the quiet confidence of manager Chris Hughton, has given the majority of those on Tyneside reason to hope.
West Brom are stronger defensively under Roberto di Matteo than they were under football purist Tony Mowbray and in Graham Dorrans have one of the better passing midfielders in the division, despite him not quite yet capturing his Championship form of last season.
New striker Peter Odemwingie has also set the Hawthorns alight after scoring his second goal for Albion in the derby win over Birmingham at the weekend.
The Baggies host Manchester City in the league cup on Wednesday evening before a trip to the Emirates on Saturday in the league, but their confidence is also notably stronger than two years before under the ineffective Mowbray.
"Seven points after five games is pretty good and we'll go to the Emirates and try and get something out of that game," central defender Jonas Olsson said this week.
"It will be difficult but we feel, like we did at Anfield (when West Brom lost 1-0 in August), that on a good day we can get something out of any game.
"We'll go there with confidence."
© Marc Fox & Soccerphile.com
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