Aston Villa simply have to stay up this season.

It seems like an obvious thing to say, and, in some cases, it really is, but for Villa, there is an ominous trend hanging over their potential relegation.

The standings have them 19^th in the currently suspended Premier League, two points away from safety.

And of the last 18 teams to drop into the Championship, just four have bounced straight back up.

More ominously, the last time it happened came in the 2016-17 season, when Newcastle United won the title having dropped through the trap door the campaign prior.

Having crunched the numbers, the statistics for Dean Smith’s men are stark.

Of the last 18 teams to be relegated – stretching back to 2013/14 – just six have finished in the play-offs the following season.

And the average placing of teams to have dropped out of the top-flight the following season is 10^th in the Championship.

It is a bleak picture, and one Villa know all too well.

They were relegated in 2015-16, along with Newcastle and Norwich City; they only came back last term, through the play-offs, after sacking Steve Bruce midway through the campaign.

The teams to come straight back up are as follows: Norwich, Hull City, Burnley, and Newcastle.

Norwich were actually relegated again in 15-16, after bouncing back, as were Hull. Only Burnley and Newcastle have managed to keep themselves afloat.

Sunderland, by comparison, who dropped down in 16-17, are currently playing in League One, having suffered successive relegations.

It shows just how difficult the Championship can be, and how imperative it is that Premier League survival is secured.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right....

Of course, there are parachute payments that are meant to make life less difficult but few can imagine the likes of Jack Grealish and John McGinn sticking around to help them back up next season; their first-team squad could be gutted by those looking for a bargain buy in the summer.

It adds up to an anxiety-inducing picture for Smith and his men but the lesson, really, is clear: if they’re relegated, they'll likely face a lengthy fight to find themselves back at the top table again.

When the season resumes, Villa will have 10 games to save themselves.

They dare not fail.

Meanwhile, Villa must keep one man around even if they are relegated!