The Masterful Art of ‘Staying Up’ in the Premier League: How its done and how to do it

By Tom Simmonds. Tony Pulis was sacked by Crystal Palace on the season’s eve due to divergences of opinion with chairman, Steve Parish. These dilemmas are not unfamiliar to clubs who avoid relegation from the Premier League. What roads are open to them post-escape?

Last week’s blog dealt with the artery leading to the pinnacle of English football being blocked by the financial dominance of the elite clubs. As well as being bad for the health of the game, what this also begets is a lack of bloodflow to the extremities, putting their existence as functioning body parts at grave risk.

A sense of ennui is a symptom of poor all-round health. The sense a club has hit the wall can foster this dissatisfaction in fans. Bolton Wanderers, a by-word for Premier League stability from 2001/02 until their relegation in 2012, saw a dip in average attendance during the middle of this period. Their sixth place finish in 2004/05 saw an average gate of 26,006. This fell to 20,901 in 2007/08, when they finished sixteenth. While this can be partially attributed to form, the drop to an average of 23,606 in 2006/07, when Bolton finished seventh, suggests a realisation among fans that the club had gone as far as it could by finishing sixth. Further confirmation is offered by Bolton’s attendances going up as they began to finish lower down the table, owing to them having something to play for. A season high of 23,670 in their relegation season of 2011/12 seems to confirm this.

Bolton’s example has a clear message for fans of clubs of similar stature, and it is a stark piece of expectation management: the eaves of a skyscraper are your limit, not the sky. While this is a bleak analysis, there’s no shortage of clubs seeking to emulate Bolton’s exploits. How can they realistically go about doing so?

Bolton and West Brom took the medicine of a relegation or two and used the Premier League parachute payments at Championship level, where that money provides a significant advantage. While this is a sensible approach, it is not fireproof, as Blackpool’s current plight illustrates. These clubs were shrewdly managed, and West Brom also ran a tight financial ship skilfully.

The case of Stoke City, a club who have stayed in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final since promotion in 2008, is a masterclass in gatecrashing. Closer examination of what underpins their progress shows similarities with Bolton and West Brom’s paths. Stoke have a committed chairman in Peter Coates and were superbly managed by Pulis in those crucial early years in the Premier League. Like Allardyce’s Bolton, they played a style of football that suited them in the face of criticism from those preferring a more telegenic style of play. Stoke also make maximum capital of a partisan crowd, average attendances have held steady at 26/27,000 throughout their top flight stay. Stoke’s pride in being unashamedly themselves, proud outsiders, might just be what sustains them at the level they are currently at and ensure that they do not fall prey to the fate that befell Bolton in 2012.

There are no secrets to progressing to the brink of the elite’s banquet, good management and good teams will always get their reward. Pulis knew this, and wanted to apply the methods that were so successful at Stoke to his Palace project. The shame is that, once the Boltons and West Broms of this world reach that level, the only way is down. Bolton’s Allardyce adventure always had an air of transience about it. When a club reaches that altitude, what can stop them feeling stuck is the club and fans feeling united in a comfort in their own skin and culture that allows them to celebrate themselves for what they are, in the way Stoke and Swansea do.

What do you think are the most important ingredients for surviving ‘second season syndrome’?

Read more from Tom Simmonds here!

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