Fans have say on how Brighton, Hudds & Newcastle will fare

Ashley Colbourn

Newcastle: Now 11 points clear of Huddersfield

With the fixtures for the 2017/18 season announced, a fans poll has decided who from Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield will do best in the Premier League.

Being a member of England’s top football league is the ultimate ambition for any club and while the Premier League’s constantly revolving door has seen plenty of teams come and go Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town will now get their chance to cement their place among England’s best.

In our latest FanVoice poll we asked which of those three will have the best season in EPL this year and with a massive 122,000+ votes cast, 71% of fans unsurprisingly thought Newcastle will be the most successful this year.

Having spent just one season in the Championship the Magpies have instantly bounced back into the Premier League after pipping Brighton by one point at the top of table earning automatic promotion in process.

Keeping the majority of their relegated 2015/16 squad they already have a blooded top flight side and with a few good signings they can resume their place among England’s greats.

That experience, combined with the master mind of Rafa Benitez, the side has the potential to not only remain in the league but finish with a respectable table spot.

In a disheartening response for Brighton and Huddersfield the second most popular vote with 12% was ‘It doesn’t really matter as they’ll all go straight back down again!’.

More fans believe that all three sides will get relegated rather than either of these debut teams having a successful season in the EPL, but both have enjoyed long spells in the English top flight in the past.

While it is highly likely that Brighton will be facing a relegation battle after Christmas and Huddersfield will already be preparing for life back in the Championship, the Premier League has proven multiple times that anything can happen.

Brighton were narrowly more popular among voters gaining 9% which reflects their higher league finish and easier route to the Premier League having finished second and also securing automatic promotion.

They have however spent less time in the English top flight having a three year stint between 1979 and 1982 where they competed in the First Division before it was renamed the Championship after the introduction of the Premier League.

Which leaves underdogs Huddersfield with 8%. Its a fairly bleak outlook for the playoff champions having to face off against such a high calibre in the Premier League and after resulting to penalties in both playoff games to earn promotion it’s going to be a tough debut season.

The Terries are no strangers to the English top flight either having a long spell in the First Division between 1920 and 1951 before their place became more sporadic jumping between leagues and they haven’t featured at the top since the 1971/72 season.

Huddersfield will know the odds are stacked against them but they’ll just be pleased with ending the 45 year wait for the Premier League, and at 1500/1 they have better odds than the Foxes to win the league, they could be worth a £1 bet.

By Ryan Jones