The Premier League relegation battle looks set to dominate the headlines next season as a wealth of top-flight clubs risk dropping down to the Championship, with the bookies taking bets for many clubs to go down. Last term eight teams remained under threat with only a handful of games to go and the league will witness the same this season unless clubs spend big this summer.

Some sides have already started their survival effort, with Cardiff City, Fulham and Aston Villa all splashing the cash before preseason training even begins. Malky Mackay, Martin Jol and Paul Lambert are all structuring their sides early. A couple of clubs are yet to splash the cash, however, and both Sunderland and Hull City must start strengthening their squads if they’re to survive the drop.

The best relegation betting tip is for one of these two east-coast sides to suffer the drop this season, while Cardiff may join the fray unless they part with £25-£30 million. Newcastle aren’t necessarily safe if they continue where they left off last spring and Norwich must keep their spending strong between now and September.

By spending this summer the smart clubs are providing themselves with an insurance policy for later in the season. This is a tactic many casino gamblers use while the Premier League enjoys its break, on games like “Game On!”. Rather than going headlong on one bet, online gamers strategically set out a system, take their time and develop their knowledge of a game before going for the jackpot. A football manager will do the same: developing his team around some key players and improving day after day. The tactic works very well in blackjack as well, where an understanding of the game’s intricacies is as important as reading the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s also a key factor to success in the slots, where focussing your energies on one payline reflects a manager instructing his team to play a certain way.

Often clubs fail when they don’t prepare properly and panic sets in. Just look at QPR, Portsmouth and Leeds United as perfect Premier League relegation examples over the years. Managers, like online gamers, need to be methodical in their approach and starting early is the best way to success.