Do you really need 40 points to avoid Premier League relegation?

With the Premier League coming to a close teams are looking at the magical 40 point mark that makes your top level football safe for another season. 

But do you really need to reach 40 points or will fewer points still mean you can stay in the Premier League. 

Looking back at the past 5 seasons it would suggest not:

Last season we lost Aston Villa 17 points, Norwich 34 points and Newcastle 37 points. In this season it was Sunderland who stayed up with just 39 points. 

Back in 2014/15 season we saw 3 clubs end on less than 40 points and stay in the league. Hull came 18th that season with just 35 points. 

In the 2013/14 campaign we saw the lowest point tally in the last 5 seasons. West Ham came 13th this season with 40 points and Norwich again were the unlucky ones with just 33 points and an 18th position. 

The season 2012/13 saw Sunderland end in 17th place with 39 points again, below them Wigan with 36 points and an FA Cup trophy to their name, but ultimately relegation. 

Finally all the way back in 2011/12 two more teams stayed in the Premier League with less than the magic 40 points, QPR and Aston Villa both remained a top flight side despite failing to get to 40 points with with Bolton going down with 36 points. 

This shows in most seasons you only need an average of 37 points to stay in the league. 

With this in mind: Crystal Palace only need 3 points for safety from 7 games. Hull 7 points from 6 games. Swansea 9 points from 6 games. Boro will need 13 points from 7 games and Sunderland would almost have to double their points tally, they need to rack up 17 points from 7 games. 

Calum Anderson