3. Reading
Championship winners Reading have returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2008, having managed a two year spell in the top flight and will be looking to emulate their 2007 season which saw them finish an amazing 8th place in the league. Having been away from the Premiership for the past 4 years, Reading have always been there or thereabouts when it has come to promotion, and didnt suffer further relegations that has affected other sides who have fallen from the top division. The Royals kick the season off to Stoke City and will be looking to put points on the board early as early as possible in order to try and put themselves in good stead going into the bulk of the season. Brain McDermotts men are favourite for the chop, despite topping the table last season and thus will be playing with limited expectations one may assume in the coming campaign. Having signed Pavel Pogbrenyak it is unlikely that if the Royals are to go down, they will go down quietly, with the big Russian, familiar to Premier League viewers having turned out for Fulham last season on loan. Can they survive? It is always dangerous to try and predict the performance of a team coming into a new league. Take Swansea and Norwich for example last season, nobody would have had either of these sides to stay up but with some solid performances they managed to ease to safety and push for the top half of the table. Meanwhile, many promoted sides havent cut the mustard; Derby County and Burnley are extreme examples that spring to mind. Personally I would like to see Reading go on and have a season like 2007, but then again someone has to finish in the relegation zone...
Safety/Relegation Verdict: RELEGATION