IF this was any other Premier League season, Blackburn Rovers fans could sit back and relax with the stats showing any relegation fears are already dead and buried.

No team in the history of the top flight since it was reduced to 20 teams back in 1995/96 have collapsed from 32 points after 17 games to be condemned to the drop, with their 11th place position surely enough to guarantee Premier League football next season.

This isn’t any other Premier League season. Records are already being beaten in the battle to beat the drop, and with more teams than ever still involved in the scrap to survive, Steve Kean and co won’t yet be breathing easy.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully expect Rovers to comfortably avoid any relegation battle come the end of the season, with their squad more than good enough to be challenging for a top 10 spot once more.

Last season, Rovers would already be safe and their 32 points haul from 27 games is a healthy tally at this stage of the season when you look at past Premier League campaigns.

Everything suggests the total points accumulated by the relegated sides this season though will be more than ever, with Wolves’ 24 points a Premier League high for the team sitting bottom at this stage.

Normally there is a no-hoper adrift at the bottom already planning for life in the Championship but this season everyone will believe preserving their top flight status is a realistic goal.

The five point gap between 18th placed Wigan and 11th placed Rovers is scarily tight and, with two consecutive away games up next, the situation could become worse before it gets better.

It is the tight nature of the league that could also work in Rovers’ favour though as the amount of teams below them in the league at the moment means it would take an extraordinary run of results for them all to pick up the points to overhaul them.

Some believe the traditional magic-40 point mark is obsolete this season and that teams are looking at needing more than this for safety for what would only be the second time since 1995/96.

Achieving a points tally in the mid 30’s has been enough to secure safety in five of the past nine seasons but you can’t help but feel more than that will be needed this time around.

All the evidence points to one of the most exciting finales in the history of the league with it’s unpredictable nature ensuring a roller coaster ride between now and the end of the season.

The likes of Manchester United and Arsenal continue to dominate but the gap has closed between the rest in the Premier League.

Whether teams like Everton and Aston Villa have got worse or the rest have got better is open to interpretation but it has certainly made for a thrilling climax.

A quick glance at the Premier League table would suggest any fears of Rovers becoming embroiled in a relegation dog fight with 11 games are pure madness.

By the end of the season I’m sure they will be. But the simple facts of the matter are the league has never been closer leaving Rovers still with some work to do.

Three wins from their last 11 games should be enough to beat the drop, a more than attainable target, but it shows the competitiveness of this season’ league that even that much is being asked for.

History suggests at least two of Wigan, West Ham and Wolves will go down as they currently sit in the bottom three but with just eight points separating the bottom 10, no one will be breathing easy.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride.