I've lost the thread I did the last version of this on, so here seems the most appropriate place. New graph taking into account the most recent round of fixtures:
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So since last time, there's been some teams form improve, some teams lose form, and other stay the same.
Starting with ourselves, we seem to be stuck on 1.2 points a game. It's dramatically better than Christmas (when this graph starts), and for the last few weeks there's always been at least 3 teams in worse form than us, which is key. On paper, things look pretty good for us, 1.2 points per game predicts 43-44 points by the end of the season, which most would call safety. Also our fixtures, as others have pointed out, are kinder than many of the other relegation candidates.
Sunderland appear to have finally stopped their decline with a point today, but then it could hardly get much worse. 0.4 points per game predicts a final total of just 34-35 points, making them very much relegation fodder.
Reading also appear to be in free-fall, the benefits of sacking their manager yet to be realised. Dreadful form, and a prediction of just 27 points.
In other news,
Villa's recent revival has only lifted them to the same form that we're on, although they probably have more momentum. Their win against
QPR appears to have blunted QPR's rise.
Wigan and
Southampton are also on the rise, currently with the best form of the teams considered. Whilst most people would say
Newcastle have little chance of relegation, the honeymoon period with their January signings appears to have ended, and they could yet slip back into trouble.
Predicted final table on last 5 games form:
Norwich 43-44
Newcastle 42-43
Southampton 42
Wigan 39-40
Villa 39-40
Sunderland 34-35
QPR 29-30
Reading 27
Surprisingly, it's not even close for who gets relegated. By that prediction it's likely the bottom 3 would be decided before the final game of the season.