17th: Aston Villa
Paul Lambert didn't have the best of starts, and things appear to be changing for the better in recent times, but I still can't help but feel like they will really have their work cut out. Lambert signed cheap players from lower leagues, and they will take time to gel and improve; perhaps time that Lambert doesn't have if the Villa board choose to wield the axe, as they have in previous seasons. Getting Darren Bent on side is also a must for me. He's a natural goal-scorer, a player that always seems to pop up in those 'poacher' positions, and after signing him for £24 million, the board would surely want him playing, rather than having to sell him for what would presumably be a massive loss in the January window. Villa fans surely can't be unhappy at the thought of an in-form Benteke and Bent partnership. Villa finished 16th last season, and I can't honestly say that they've improved since then. If they do manage to survive, Villa should be wary of stagnation.