WATFORD
Position: 20th

Points: 28

The youngest manager in the Premiership did his best, but ultimately, what critics and fans alike have been bemoaning of Watford this season—their lack of true quality players—led to a swift return back to the Championship.

The Horners were never really outclassed throughout the season, except against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, Aidy Boothroyd’s men fought hard, but sorely missed the presence of last season’s club top scorer Marlon King, leaving the team with the horribly inept Darius Henderson up front.

King’s injury in mid-Sep was undoubtedly a crucial factor in the Hornets’ one-season stay in the top flight. Before his injury against Arsenal at the Emirates, the Jamaican international had showed glimpses of his ability to prove his worth on a higher platform with a stunner against West Ham.

King’s injury, coupled with England Under-21 starlet Ashley Young’s sale to Aston Villa left the Hornets with a severe lack of clinical finishers for the second half of the season.

On hindsight, Boothroyd should have perhaps given Hungarian youngster Tamas Priskin more starts in the league. The 21-year-old showed the spark in attack that the Hornets had been missing from Henderson, who was very evidently playing above his level on more than one occasion this season. .

Reaching the FA Cup semi-final and the form of exciting Algerian youngster, 22-year-old Hameur Bouazza, has to be the highlight of what has otherwise been a disappointing season for Boothroyd and Co, who will look to bounce back to the Premiership immediately next season.

With the 36-year-old Boothroyd signing a new 3-year contract despite the Hornets’ premature stay in the top flight, anything is possible.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Position: 19th

Points: 34

Ask any Addicks fan, as Charlton are affectionately known, what caused their relegation this season and he/she will almost certainly point to the managerial musical chairs that Charlton played in season 2006-07.

When long-standing manager Alan Curbishley left the club at the end of last season after 15 years, Ian Dowie was brought in from Crystal Palace with glowing reviews. Unfortunately, he didn’t even last till Christmas, getting the axe in mid-Nov after just 12 Premiership games. He was replaced by assistant Les Reed (Les who, you ask?), who lasted even shorter, packing his bags on Christmas Eve and with Charlton in dire relegation trouble.

In turn, Reed was replaced by Alan Pardew, who incidentally had been sacked by West Ham—for being in relegation trouble (don’t they ever refer to recommendation letters at the Valley?).

A 4-0 thumping of fellow strugglers West Ham (oh, the irony) back in Feb looked set to pull the Addicks through to yet another season in the top flight, but a non-existent defence (the Addicks conceded 60 goals, the worst in the league alongside Fulham) and an absolutely horrendous away record (a single win and 5 draws) meant that it was nothing more than a false dawn.

Even Darren Bent’s one-man scoring heroics and on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson’s brave performances between the posts throughout the season couldn’t help the Addicks this time.

Pardew has to take the blame for failing to inspire former superstars like Dutch international Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Danish international Dennis Rommedahl and former Arsenal reject Jerome Thomas to produce their full potential.

One wonders if Pardew will even be around come Jul. Especially with Bent set for a possible move back to the Premiership, goals might prove to be hard to come by.The next highest scorer after Bent (14 goals in the EPL) was defensive midfielder Talal El-Karkouri with 3. ‘Nuff said.

SHEFFIELD UNITED
Position: 18th

Points: 38

They must be howling for a short, stocky Argentinian’s head down in Sheffield.

In the most thrilling of last-day finishes since 2004/05, Carlos Tevez slotted home past Van Der Sar at Old Trafford and sent Sheffield United down in the cruelest way possible, by a single goal margin on goal difference.

The debate over the Tevez-Mascherano saga looks to go on as the red half of Sheffield protest long and loud, but Neil Warnock’s men might really have just gritted their teeth and got down to matters on the pitch.

Despite fellow relegation strugglers Wigan being dealt the same hand, the Latics managed to muster enough blood and guts to go to Bramall Lane on the last day and win, with ten men, no less. A comprehensive 3-0 beating of fellow rivals West Ham in Apr had seemed to signal safety for another season, but a limp 1-1 draw with Charlton and a dreadful 0-3 loss to mid-table Aston Villa (who had absolutely nothing to play for) on the second last day of the season pulled them right back into the relegation mix.

Jon Stead, signed in desperation from Sunderland to salvage the Blades’ season, did score 5 in the league, but it wasn’t enough. When the fans and chairman calm down and stop moaning, they will realise that there is simply no excuse for their predicament (eight points away from Bramall Lane hardly helped their cause)—they have just not been good enough.

How they missed top striker Rob Hulse who was ruled out of the relegation run-in with a double fracture of his left leg back in Mar.