relegation

Undoubtedly, Sunderland – who won 2-1 at Chelsea on Saturday – have been the biggest surprise this term. Minutes away from a Championship play-off final defeat in May, they will end October fourth in the top flight.

With 17 points from nine matches, the Black Cats have equalled their best Premier League start, matching their tally from 1999-00.

Only five newly promoted sides have earned more points than Sunderland in the same number of matches. All five, including Sunderland themselves in 2000, managed to survive relegation.

“It’s an unbelievable start and one that’s been well earned,” former Watford captain Troy Deeney told Final Score.

“If you said that a couple of months ago, Sunderland fans would tell you, you’re crazy.”

Ex-Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick added on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Anyone who is honest enough will say that they never expected Sunderland to start this well, so full credit to them.

“The amount of points they have accumulated already has given them an unbelievable start and that’s something they will want to build on.”

These are troubling times for West Ham off the pitch too.

There were a large number of empty seats at London Stadium on Monday as some fans staged a boycott, staying away in protest against the running of the club.

While this was the first boycott, supporters have previously called for chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady, who have been at West Ham since 2010, to step down.

Thousands of fans demonstrated before last month’s defeat by Crystal Palace and in response the club issued a lengthy statement,, external saying they were continuing “to listen to fan feedback”, have made “significant investment into the football operation” and “continue to do everything we can to improve the matchday experience”.

Payne was one of the fans who stayed away from the game for what he said was the first and the last time he will do so.

“There was a boycott but fans are not the problem, we are the solution waiting to be heard,” he said.

“It was a deliberate boycott to send a message to the owners that something has got to change.”

Payne said fan protests are solely aimed at the club’s owners, rather than the manager or players.

But Nuno’s decision to start with inverted full-backs against Brentford did raise some eyebrows.

“It’s unfair on Nuno and it’s unfair on the players as well,” Payne added.

“Nuno is a fantastic bloke, but I think he got his selections a bit skew-whiff last night by playing a young left-back – who has never played anywhere else – as right-back. Ollie Scarles, I felt sorry for him really.”

CHARLTON’s new stopper Thomas Kaminski has opened up on his struggles following his father’s tragic death near the end of last season.

Kaminski, 32, joined the Addicks from Luton after a difficult time on and off the pitch, as the Hatters’ second consecutive relegation saw them tumble down the football pyramid.

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The double relegation from the Premier League to League One in consecutive seasons was put firmly into context by the sad passing of his dad Jacek, aged 65.

He died of a heart attack while out on a scooter back home in Belgium.

It came just days before the Hatters’ penultimate game last term against Coventry at Kenilworth Road.

After dashing back home to be with his family he still returned to play in the final two matches.

They beat the Sky Blues before losing 5-3 at West Brom, which saw Luton go down on goal difference.

Kaminski told SunSport: “It was a big disappointment to be relegated — but I had different things on my mind this summer because of my dad. He was the main man in my career and life so it was a tough time.

“I didn’t have time to process the relegation.

“When you reflect, yes, it’s disappointing — but it’s also only football.”
Kaminski is proud to have played in the Prem with the Hatters, which his dad was able to witness.

The Belgian played all of the Hatters’ 38 games in the top flight and said: “It was a good experience. It was always my dream to play in the Premier League.

“You come up against these players that can make the difference in any game. It was different to the Championship, it was less physical but quick.

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“It was all in and around the box — more cutbacks rather than crosses. It was quick and intense.

“And you know that you’re going to need to make at least a couple of good saves every game.

“I became a better keeper for the experience.”

That season in the Prem has given Kaminski a desire to get back there.

And he joined Charlton this summer believing the promoted side are on the up under manager Nathan Jones.

He said: “This is most definitely a team going places. We’ve some good players, young ones, and talented boys coming through the academy.

“And the manager is very intense.  He’s demanding on every aspect. And that’s how I work the best.”

Kaminski also looked forward to the Addicks’ match on Saturday, reassuring QPR No 1 Joe Walsh that he knows exactly how he feels after letting in SEVEN at Coventry last weekend.

The Belgian conceded just as many in a 7-0 thumping while playing for Blackburn against Fulham at Ewood Park almost four years ago.

But Kaminski insists the south-east Londoners should not treat their visit to Loftus Road as a lunchtime stroll in the park because the R’s and Walsh will be a wounded animal following that 7-1 loss.

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He said: “I’ve been exactly where Joe has been but we beat Sheffield United 3-1 in the next game.

“So I am certain that they’re going to be right up for this one — in front of their own fans in a London derby. So we’ll have to be at our best.

“I always have sympathy for other keepers. I hope Joe has a good game but we take the three points.

“From my own experience of coming off the pitch letting in seven, everything that could go wrong did.

“We had a man sent off but were only 2-0 down at half-time. We said in the dressing room, ‘Let’s not concede any more goals’.

“But Harry Wilson, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Rodrigo Muniz were on fire and we were well beaten. Against Sheffield United we went behind again after about 90 seconds so there was that feeling, ‘Oh no, not again’.

“But you learn from big defeats like that one to turn it into a positive.

“What I took from it was you have to move on quickly and learn from the goals you’ve conceded. It’s never nice to let in seven but it’s part of football.”

For as long as there’s been relegation, supporters have been trying to predict the minimum number of points needed to avoid it.

So what should Burnley, Leeds, Sunderland and others be aiming for?

Traditionally, 40 points are said to be enough for Premier League survival.

That’s because only three teams have ever reached the 40-point mark in a 38-game season and gone down.

They are: West Ham with 42 in 2002-03, Sunderland with 40 points in 1996-97 and Bolton with 40 points the following year.

But, given all three of those seasons were well over 20 years ago, is it time to set a lower benchmark?

Over the past 10 seasons, the average points collected by the team in 18th – a total you’d need to better in order to stay up – has been exactly 32.

Tottenham finished 17th last term with 38 points but, because of the weaknesses of the promoted trio, they would still have beaten the drop with just 26.

The season before, 17th-placed Nottingham Forest managed 32 points – a tally which included a four points deduction – but actually only needed 27 to stay up.

BBC Radio Leicester’s Foxes commentator Owynn Palmer-Atkin:

The agreement between Leicester City and Ruud van Nistelrooy to terminate his deal at the club should not come as a surprise to many.

This always felt like a case of when, not if.

Relegation from the Premier League, five wins from 27 games in all competitions and record runs without a goal at home – it doesn’t scream success for the Dutchman.

However, the timing and behaviour around the decision have to be questioned at the very highest level.

It’s been over a month since the end of the season and double that since relegation back to the Championship was confirmed. In every press conference, Van Nistelrooy told the media that no conversations about his future had started. I think he knew his fate.

But that does not make it acceptable.

Fans have a right to question the timing, too. Leicester City are clearly grappling with financial issues; they may well have been waiting for the new Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) financial year on July 1.

But the agreement underpinning this agreement can always have a date in July. Which begs the question, why was this decision not made earlier? The fans deserve an explanation for that.

This is another critical moment for the club. The search for a fourth manager in 12 months, the pre-season beginning on Monday and the Championship opener six weeks from this weekend.

They have to get the next appointment right.

The second leg of the Serie B relegation playoff between hosts Salernitana and Sampdoria was abandoned on Sunday after home fans threw smoke bombs and seats onto the pitch.

The former Serie A champions were leading 2-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate when players were ordered off the field after 65 minutes because of unrest from Salernitana supporters in the stands.

According to Italian media, Sampdoria are likely to be awarded a 3-0 win, which would secure a 5-0 aggregate victory and guarantee their escape from what had seemed certain relegation to the third tier.

Sampdoria, Italian champions in 1991, were initially relegated to Serie C for the first time in their 78-year history, only to be handed a lifeline after the season ended when Brescia were docked eight points, dropping them below Sampdoria and granting the Genoa club a place in the relegation playoff.

Anger began early on in the match when Gian Marco Ferrari thought he had given Salernitana the lead midway through the first half, only for his goal to be ruled out for handball.

Four minutes later Massimo Coda scored for Sampdoria before Giuseppe Sibilli made it 4-0 on aggregate just after the break.

The home fans in Salerno immediately turned on their team following the second goal, with relegation to Serie C looking all but certain.

Flares, firecrackers and chairs were thrown on to the field and the game was halted numerous times before the players were taken off the field with 65 minutes on the clock.

With players of both sides in the dressing room, riot police tried to restore order to the situation.

Referee Daniele Doveri attempted to get the game restarted 10 minutes later but objects began to rain down once again and the match was abandoned.

Salernitana only needed an aggregate draw to stay up because of their higher placing in the table.

The second leg of the play-off, which was originally scheduled for Friday, took place on Sunday following a severe food poisoning outbreak in the Salernitana camp.

A formal request to reschedule the match was accepted after 21 of their travelling party became ill following last week’s 2-0 first-leg defeat.