At the start of December, Watford fast appeared to be in danger of being cut adrift with the decision to remove Quique Sanchez Flores after just 14 games a brutal but understandable one in the context of their currentposition. West Ham, in contrast, have three points from the same December period, albeit having played a game less. After holding off for so long, the club finally gave Manuel Pellegrini his marching orders on Saturday with another manager in David Moyes making his return. The owners will be hoping for the same managerial bounce produced not only at Watford, but also at Everton, who now sit in the comparatively lofty position of tenth, with a seven-point gap to the relegation spaces allowing them to breathe a little more easily. At the time of sacking Marco Silva in the first week of December following the heavy Merseyside defeat, Everton sat in the relegation zone, two points behind West Ham. Consistency is a thorn in the side for many (Burnley and Bournemouth fans know all about that of late) and if that is not forthcoming, then steadily accumulating points must be the name of the game (step forward Crystal Palace and Brighton). The magical 40-point mark is often mentioned by players and managers but history shows avoiding relegation takes less than that, with the average points required since the league was cut to 20 teams in 1995/96 in fact much lower. They finished it third from bottom, having managed 13 points from their final 22 games. Performances on and off the field by Chris Wilder and his team so far suggest a repeat of the biggest fall from grace to relegation is not likely.
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