# Leicester & Chelsea, UK Premier League **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 16, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634 "2015-12-16T21:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/1 "2015-12-16T21:11:02Z")
At the start of the season the odds against Leicester winning the League were 5,000-1. Leicester are presently leading the league. The odds against Chelsea being relegated were 7,500-1. Chelsea are presently just one point above the relegation zone. A double on Leicester winning and Chelsea being relegated would have worked out to 37,500,000-1. I’ve just placed £10 on the above @ 500-1. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/2 "2015-12-16T22:16:04Z")
I think both of those things are far less likely to happen than not, but I’d be happy to take that bet (if I lived somewhere it was legal to do so, that is). Good luck! Especially about the Chelsea being relegated part 😃 BTW we do have a [dedicated thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=764026)for Premier League talk. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/3 "2015-12-16T23:06:47Z")
We have a premier league watching group among the residents and staff of my apartment building. The chief maintenance officer is a Chelsea fan and I’m paying him back for all the ribbing I got after Liverpool’s disgraceful defeat at the end of last season. A whole summer of hearing about that loss has been paid back in bad Chelsea karma ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/4 "2015-12-17T00:04:43Z")
Those initial odds seem remarkably generous, particularly the 7,500 to 1 on Chelsea getting relegated. While no champion has ever been relegated the very next season before, with 3 teams going down each year (out of 20 so roughly 7 to 1 odds if all teams were equal) there was always (an admittedly slight) possibility they could have been docked points for financial irregularities or the like. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/5 "2015-12-17T00:06:04Z")
I don’t think Chelsea are going down or Leicester are going to win the league, though both look more likely that anyone could’ve rationally have thought at the start of the season. If Chelsea, with the talent and resources they have, cannot at the very least rally enoguh over the space of just over half-a-season to produce a disappointing mid-table finish it would be an absolute disgrace. Leicester’s lead of 2 points at this stage in the season is still a long way from actually winning the title and I expect City, Arsenal or United (in order of probability) will actually win it. It will be an unprecedented achievement if Leicester could even get a CL place. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/6 "2015-12-17T06:35:06Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > I don’t think Chelsea are going down or Leicester are going to win the league, though both look more likely that anyone could’ve rationally have thought at the start of the season. > > If Chelsea, with the talent and resources they have, cannot at the very least rally enoguh over the space of just over half-a-season to produce a disappointing mid-table finish it would be an absolute disgrace. > > Leicester’s lead of 2 points at this stage in the season is still a long way from actually winning the title and I expect City, Arsenal or United (in order of probability) will actually win it. It will be an unprecedented achievement if Leicester could even get a CL place. Spain needs to take notice of what can happen when resources are divided equally. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/7 "2015-12-17T08:06:11Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Those initial odds seem remarkably generous, particularly the 7,500 to 1 on Chelsea getting relegated. While no champion has ever been relegated the very next season before, with 3 teams going down each year (out of 20 so roughly 7 to 1 odds if all teams were equal) there was always (an admittedly slight) possibility they could have been docked points for financial irregularities or the like. The last Champions to have been relegated were [Man Sheikhy; back in 1938.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937%E2%80%9338_in_English_football) ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/8 "2015-12-17T18:40:07Z")
So 7500-1 is a great price for somthing happening once in 125ish observations. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leicester-chelsea-uk-premier-league/740634/9 "2015-12-17T22:02:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The last Champions to have been relegated were [Man Sheikhy; back in 1938.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937%E2%80%9338_in_English_football) I didn’t think to look back to the pre-premiership era. Still just shows 7,500 to 1 were ridiculously generous odds.