Just who are the worst teams to grace the Premiership? The teams that finished with the least points? Time to find out as the top five worst sides are revealed.
As Derby County are discovering this season, the Premiership can be an unforgiving place, especially for newly promoted sides. Yet are Derby on target to be one of the worst sides the Premiership has ever seen? Just how do they compare to some of the other sides who have made hard work of England’s top division? To find out, it’s time to name and shame the top five worst sides to grace the Premiership.
1. Sunderland 2005/2006
The Sunderland side that arrived in the Premiership in the 2005/2006 season slid back to the Championship with barely a whimper after only three wins and a massive 29 defeats. They left the league with a goal difference of minus 43 and with only a mere 15 points to their name – a Premiership record and one that still stands today.
2. Watford 1999/2000
Technically, second place belongs to the Sunderland team of 2002/2003 (with 19 points) but we felt it only fair to Sunderland fans to move swiftly on from their plight. No such luck for Watford though who finished the season seven points adrift with only 24 points and a massive 77 goals conceded. The fact they managed one nil wins over both Chelsea and Liverpool in the same season just goes to prove how wonderfully surprising the Premiership can still be. Honourable mention should also go to their last campaign (2006/2007) when they finished with 28 points.
3. Bradford City 2000/2001
Despite splashing out millions on players at the start of the season it was not enough to save Bradford as a mere 26 points from the season’s campaign left them 12 points adrift and heading back from whence they came. Perhaps unsurprisingly they haven’t ventured near the top division since.
4. Ipswich Town 1994/1995
Ipswich suffered in a season that saw them relegated with 27 points. Thrashed 9-0 by Manchester United they ended up 21 points from safety. The fact that goalkeeper Craig Forrest was named their player of their season tells the story of their ill-fated Premiership campaign.
5. Swindon Town 1993/1994
Swindon’s only ever season in the Premiership wasn’t their finest hour. In fact it will be remembered solely for the fact that they leaked 100 goals, a Premiership record that is yet to be bettered. Unbelievably things got much worse, as relegation from the Premiership was followed up by relegation from the Championship. Soccer can be a cruel game.
So, as Derby stand rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table, with their only points tally rising that being of goals against, it seems they still have a lot of work to do to be the worst team the Premiership has ever seen. However, for now they will still be fixated on that ‘magic’ 40 points barrier which most managers believe is where safety lies. Only time will tell …
