It's an exciting prospect, but a daunting one nonetheless. Making the move from the Championship to the Premier League means the chance to pit your wits against some of the best clubs in world football, with the most talented players, most dynamic managers and arguably the most passionate supporters. The money that comes with the top-flight gives clubs the chance to make fantastic new signings and an opportunity to take part in some truly mouth-watering football to boot.

But let's face it, staying up isn't easy. Last season, promoted play-off winners Derby County recorded just a single win in the entire 38-match season, and went down in history as the first Premier League team to be relegated in March, finishing the season with 11 points, the lowest ever points total.

Yet all is not lost for this season's new faces. Championship title winners West Bromwich Albion are currently preparing for their fourth season in the Premier League, and along with them enter debutantes Stoke City and Hull City. And although touted by many as among the most likely to find themselves in the bottom three come May, the trio can be somewhat hopeful of maintaining their Barclays Premier League status beyond a single season.

In 2001/02, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers made Premier League history as all three newly promoted clubs managed to avoid the drop for the first time. Moreover, in the 15 years since the birth of the Premier League, from the 47 teams promoted, more than half (24) have avoided relegation. Only once, in the 1997/98 season, have all three promoted teams been relegated, when Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace came up only to go straight back down again.

So how can Messieurs Phil Brown, Tony Pulis and Tony Mowbray best guard against a quick return to the second tier?

Perhaps the most obvious suggestion is spending vast amounts of money on new players. In their debut season in the Premier League, Fulham manager Jean Tigana went on a £30million spending spree in 2001, securing a 13th place finish. Meanwhile, last season Roy Keane splashed out £40million to enhance his Sunderland squad and his new signings helped the club reach 15th place. Among them was talented former Southampton striker Kenwyne Jones, who scored seven goals and created many more, and ex-Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson, who has had plenty of experience in keeping promoted teams in the top flight, having scored the winning goal in West Brom's all important relegation decider back in 2005.

But you don't necessarily have to spend big to stay up. Experienced players signed on free transfers or loan deals can bolster your chances no end. In the 2003/04 season Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce signed World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry midway through the season. The veteran had an enormous impact on the squad and his performances steered the club to safety in quite spectacular fashion. Portsmouth did the same the following season, when Harry Redknapp secured the services of Teddy Sheringham on a free transfer. He linked up brilliantly with loan signings Yakubu and later in the season, Lomana LuaLua, and the trio's goals pushed the club away from the drop zone. Two years later, with his boyhood club West Ham United, Sheringham had a similar effect, when he helped the club to a ninth place finish.

Another essential component for a club hoping to avoid relegation is a manager with clever tactics. Hull's Brown has already suggested that former Bolton and Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce will be first on his speed-dial should he find himself in hot water in 2008/09, and with Allardyce's record it's easy to see why. Shrewd moves in the transfer market, such as the signings of Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha and Fernando Hierro, coupled with the frequent use of the 4-5-1 formation and so-called negative tactics helped to keep Bolton not only in the league but also qualify for the UEFA Cup. His style of football at Bolton also earned Big Sam some significant admirers:

"[Jose] Mourinho started using our tactics in the Champions League," he claimed in 2005. "They started playing straight off [Didier] Drogba. Did they copy us? Well, I certainly didn't copy him. I was doing it before he was doing it. I think he [hit] on 4-5-1 because of his injuries at the time. He started last season with 4-4-2."

Another case of exemplary tactics from a newly promoted manager is that of former Ipswich Town man George Burley. Ipswich defied everybody's expectations in the 2000/01 season when not only did they avoid the drop, they finished fifth in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup, and were unlucky to miss out on Champions League qualification. Their attacking style of play saw them win 20 matches and earned Burley the FA Carling Premiership Manager of the Year award, the only time the award has been given to a manager who has not won the Premier League title.

And what of the club that joins the Premier League through the play-offs? Many say the club is at an immediate disadvantage having lost precious weeks in which to prepare for their top-flight campaign. But all is not lost for Hull manager Brown. The last play-off winning side to avoid relegation the following year was West Ham in 2005/06, with a brilliant term that saw them finish ninth with 16 wins and make the FA Cup final. The Tigers will hope to replicate that sort of mentality as they strive for top-flight success.

And finally, if in doubt, score. The more times you hit the net the more likely you are to win and it is this methodology that saw Sunderland finish seventh in 1999/00 when Kevin Phillips scored an outstanding 30 league goals. Ipswich's Marcus Stewart did the same in their extraordinary Premier League debut season, grabbing 19. A prolific goalscorer can be priceless.

Next season will be tough for the Baggies, the Potters and the Tigers, but no doubt they will put up a fight when the campaign starts on 16th August. If in need of inspiration, they would do well to look at the success stories of others.

Premierleague.com looks at the prospects of each of the promoted clubs. Click on the team names below to read the articles.

Hull City

Stoke City

West Bromwich Albion