The worst groups in Premier League historical past

For a division typically hailed because the ‘finest on the planet’, the Premier League has boasted some really terrible sides over time.

There have been loads of golf equipment over time which were laughably unhealthy, competing in their very own mini-league of the worst sides to have ever taken to the Premier League stage. It is hardly a contest to be pleased with profitable, but it surely does assure notoriety for years to return.

After all, it is not all the time the fault of those dismal groups, lots of whom are unable to deal with the leap in high quality and monetary disparity between the Championship and the Premier League, however the English high flight generally is a cruel place.

Listed here are the worst groups in Premier League historical past – ranked by their microscopic factors tallies.

Bradford, having retained their Premier League standing by the barest of margins the earlier season, endured a depressing home marketing campaign at first of the millennium.

Their European journeys in the summertime will reside lengthy within the reminiscence as they reached the semi-finals of the now-defunct Intertoto Cup by way of journeys to FK Atlantas and RKC Waalwijk, however such travails cannot be blamed for his or her Premier League woes.

Paul Jewell’s departure doubtlessly hindered the Yorkshiremen, who ended 2000/01 because the division’s lowest scorers – netting simply 30 instances – and rock-bottom of the desk, 16 factors adrift of security.

Who you gonna name? BIG SAMMM!

Not even escape artist Sam Allardyce might save the Baggies after he was drafted in as supervisor following Slaven Bilic’s departure 13 video games into the 2020/21 season.

Allardyce struggled to supervise a notable resurgence inside a reasonably uninspiring West Brom squad highlighted by England worldwide Sam Johnstone, Chelsea skipper Conor Gallagher and artful playmaker Matheus Pereira.

The Baggies notched a memorable 5-2 win at Stamford Bridge to provide a mere glimmer of hope, however their return to the Championship was lengthy deemed inevitable. For Allardyce, who lasted till the top of the season, it was his first expertise of relegation.

There have been excessive expectations for this Fulham aspect having returned to the highest tier by way of the play-offs, with over £100m being spent in the summertime to make sure the Cottagers had been Premier League prepared.

They weren’t.

Regardless of their abundance of huge names, Fulham had been pitiful defensively – conceding 81 objectives – and solely Scott Parker was in a position to get a tune out of this squad within the last month of the season. They’d be a lot larger on this checklist if it wasn’t for Parker overseeing three consecutive victories in April.

QPR had been doing Nottingham Forest issues earlier than the Premier League was the monetary juggernaut it’s as we speak. Their 2012/13 squad was bonkers, but it surely did not get them wherever security.

The Rs introduced within the likes of Junior Hoilett, Jose Bosingwa, Julio Cesar, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Johnson and Rob Inexperienced on free transfers earlier than rejuvenating their ageing squad additional within the winter window.

Mark Hughes received the boot in November and his alternative, Harry Redknapp, splashed the money in January. In got here Christopher Samba and Loic Remy for a mixed £20m, however the newcomers did not make a discernible influence. QPR endured a nine-game winless run to finish the season backside of the pile with a measly 25 factors.

Ralph Hasenhuttl had finished a superb job at Southampton, however his spell had reached a pure conclusion by the point the 2022/23 season received underway. A 4-1 defeat at Tottenham on the opening day painted a reasonably bleak image, however issues would worsen as soon as Nathan Jones changed Hasenhuttl in November.

Jones’ tenure was nothing wanting a parody. The previous Luton City boss oversaw only one victory and lasted 95 days at St Mary’s in what must be thought to be one of many worst managerial spells in Premier League historical past.

There was no saving this Saints aspect, even when Ruben Selles did an admirable job to spherical off the season.

This actually wasn’t the fondest season in Wolves’ historical past but it began with back-to-back victories. 2011/12 would conclude with a winless supervisor and a drunken captain.

Terry Connor, who changed Mick McCarthy in February, did not oversee a single victory in the course of the backend of a dire season, with new membership captain Roger Johnson fined in March for exhibiting as much as coaching worse for put on.

This Wolves outfit had been all the time doomed after they made Jamie O’Hara their marquee summer time arrival.

There was as soon as a time when the Premier League featured 22 groups and thus, 42 video games had been performed. In consequence, a slight adjustment is required to make sure Ipswich City land in the proper spot.

The Tractor Boys recorded 27 factors from 42 video games in 1994/95, which means that, primarily based on their points-per-game common, they might’ve notched 24.4 in a 38-game season.

This was a marketing campaign which boasted the height of beating back-to-back champions Manchester United however the trough of a 9-0 mauling within the reverse fixture. These 9 at Outdated Trafford had been fewer than 10% of the 93 they conceded in the course of the 1994/95 season as they completed rock-bottom of the desk.

Huge Sam had labored his classic artistry to maintain Sunderland up in 2015/16, however his determination to take the England job meant the Black Cats wanted a supervisor heading into the brand new season.

David Moyes was eager to rebuild his status on English shores having seen his inventory plummet within the wake of his Man Utd catastrophe, however Moyes did not deliver a couple of change in public opinion following a depressing spell on Tyneside.

Jermain Defoe was Sunderland’s sole hero for his on-field and off-pitch exploits, however a Black Cats squad laden with Everton outcasts failed to offer the requisite assist they usually had been consigned to the drop in April.

There have been early brilliant sparks for this Watford aspect, one which loved back-to-back promotions beneath legendary coach Graham Taylor.

The Hornets recorded victories over Liverpool and Chelsea throughout the first two months of the season, and a mid-table end did not appear out of the unusual. Nonetheless, after their win over the Blues on Matchday 8, Watford gained simply three extra video games and struggled mightily for objectives regardless of their summer time purchases.

Taylor’s aspect scored lower than a aim a sport on common and completed the 1999/00 marketing campaign with what was then the bottom factors whole in Premier League historical past. Thankfully, there have been a number of poorer groups since, together with a later iteration of the Hornets…

22 years on from Taylor’s speedy ascenders, a chaotic season at Vicarage Highway culminated in a mere 23 factors.

Watford’s set off pleased house owners appointed three managers in 2021/22, ditching the primary, Xisco, barely two months into the season after a sub-par however hardly disastrous begin.

The Pozzos turned to compatriot Claudio Ranieri, however the Italian, regardless of overseeing thumping victories over Everton and Man Utd, did not final lengthy both. Roy Hodgson had little hope of protecting Watford up having arrived in January and oversaw simply two victories in the course of the second half of the season.

Remarkably, there was a group worse off.

Having completed a exceptional ninth on their return to the Premier League the season earlier than, Sheffield United had hopes of kicking on in the course of the 2020/21 marketing campaign and solidifying their standing as a top-flight membership. Nonetheless, issues did not go to plan.

Enjoying in entrance of an empty Bramall Lane – because of the coronavirus pandemic – did not assist their trigger, however little can excuse the Blades’ woeful shows. In truth, they did not declare a primary win within the league till early January, dropping 15 of their opening 17 matches.

They did ultimately safe six wins, together with a 2-1 victory away at Man Utd, however simply two attracts meant they completed with 24 factors – a whopping 16 factors from security.

Daniel Farke had guided Norwich Metropolis again to the Premier League after a dismal final stint with the Canaries within the high flight, however issues did not get a lot better second time round.

A tough begin to the season, with 3-0 and 5-0 defeats to Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis respectively of their opening two video games, meant Norwich had been left chasing shadows they usually completed the time period all-time low of the desk.

They scored simply 23 objectives of their 38 league matches, ending with a -61 aim distinction and 16 factors from security.

Following their return to the Premier League beneath Farke in 2019/20, Norwich Metropolis hoped that they may lastly discard their standing as a yo-yo membership. They had been remarkably unsuccessful in doing so.

The Canaries truly made a surprisingly constructive begin to the season, with dwelling victories in opposition to Newcastle United and champions Manchester Metropolis throughout their opening 5 matches.

Nonetheless, a sequence of slender defeats and attracts noticed the wheels slowly come unfastened, with their marketing campaign ending with ten consecutive losses. Throughout that dismal streak, Norwich conceded 24 instances and managed to attain simply as soon as.

Sunderland had simply averted relegation from the Premier League the earlier season, however they would not be so lucky on this event. The Black Cats received by means of three managers over the course of the 2002/03 marketing campaign, with Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson dismissed earlier than Mick McCarthy’s arrival.

Regardless of a robust begin to the marketing campaign, comparatively talking after all, Sunderland’s type fell off a cliff on the flip of the yr. They managed only one draw out of 17 Premier League matches in 2003, with McCarthy unable to get a single level on the board following his appointment in March.

They completed an eye-watering 25 factors off Bolton Wanderers in seventeenth.

This tally comes with an asterisk, with Portsmouth deducted 9 factors for getting into administration in the course of the 2009/10 marketing campaign. With out that punishment they might have claimed a extra respectable 28 factors, though they nonetheless would have completed all-time low of the desk.

Even with the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, David James and Kevin-Prince Boateng of their ranks, Pompey could not stave off relegation, regardless of additionally reaching – and dropping – the FA Cup last in the identical season.

Ultimately, their factors deduction and poor performances proved an excessive amount of to overturn, and the south coast aspect have not returned to the Premier League since.

The truth that Aston Villa completed 17 factors under Nineteenth-placed Norwich speaks volumes about simply how horrible they had been in the course of the 2015/16 season, with Remi Garde unable to assist the Midlands membership out of the difficulty that Tim Sherwood had positioned them in.

Villa managed to safe eight attracts over the course of the marketing campaign, however simply three victories meant they by no means stood an opportunity of survival. Their defence was the largest concern, conceding 76 objectives, however in addition they failed to attain three or extra in a single match over the season.

Whereas Villa at the moment are flying within the Premier League, it is price remembering the place they had been lower than a decade in the past.

Having secured unlikely promotion in 2017 by way of the play-offs, Huddersfield City had been anticipated to make a swift return to the Championship. Nonetheless, they completed sixteenth of their first ever Premier League marketing campaign courtesy of the sensible David Wagner on the touchline.

Nonetheless, second season syndrome does not come a lot worse than Huddersfield’s 2018/19 marketing campaign, which noticed them drop again into the second tier with only a 16-point tally.

A 6-1 defeat to Man Metropolis on the second day of the season set the tone, with the Terriers solely accumulating three wins over the course of the yr. They managed simply 22 objectives in 38 matches, whereas additionally conceding 76.

Sheffield United’s 2023/24 season additionally comes with an asterisk in the interim given the Blades nonetheless have matches to play within the Premier League. Nonetheless, they’ve already been relegated again to the Championship and have conceded a century of objectives within the high flight.

Chris Wilder was introduced again in to regular the ship midway by means of the season however has been unable to cease the rot, with an 8-0 defeat to Newcastle the standout results of a stunning yr. Having stated that, they’ve additionally conceded 5 or extra in seven completely different Premier League video games this season.

Having been unable to alter their fortunes on his arrival within the 2002/03 season, McCarthy was given one other shot on the high flight with Sunderland a number of years later. Nonetheless, the outcomes had been comparable.

The gruff supervisor was dismissed in February after simply two league wins, with caretaker boss Kevin Ball unable to alter the membership’s fortunes. That tally of two wins would solely rise to 3 by the top of the marketing campaign.

The perfect issues received for Sunderland supporters was a goalless draw at Outdated Trafford in what was a disastrous season, with simply 15 factors to boast on the finish of the time period.

Derby County’s notorious 2007/08 marketing campaign could by no means be overwhelmed. They managed a measly 11 factors throughout the season, profitable simply the one match – a 1-0 win over a somewhat embarrassed Newcastle aspect.

The Rams conceded six objectives in 4 separate matches and had been woeful in each packing containers, ending the season having scored simply 20 and conceded 89. Kenny Miller was the membership’s high scorer within the Premier League with simply 4 objectives.

A file low Premier League factors tally, Derby’s final season within the division was actually iconic.

*Factors adjusted for 38-game season
**Factors deduction (-9)
***Season nonetheless lively

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