Southampton next? The Premier League’s six worst-ever teams…

Sarah Winterburn
Remi Garde, Aston Villa graphic
Remi Garde had a horrid time in charge of Aston Villa

Southampton are bottom of the Premier League table with just six points from 23 games; they need another six points to avoid the tag of the worst team in Premier League history.

Using points total as the measure, here are the six worst teams in Premier League history…

 

6) Sunderland 02/03 – 19 points

P38 WL27 DF21 A65 GD: -44
The only positive for the Black Cats: sh*te though it was, this wasn’t their worst season.

Sunderland went through three managers during the campaign, with Peter Reid giving way to Howard Wilkinson, who then stepped aside for Mick McCarthy. Reid was sacked after seven years in charge in October, with Wilko the surprise replacement having been out of club management for almost as long as Reid had been at the helm.

After first dropping into the relegation zone on matchday six, they bobbed around the safety mark until Boxing Day, after which they were rooted in the drop zone. The last of four wins came in mid-December, with Sunderland claiming just a single point – a 0-0 draw with Blackburn – and scoring only seven goals in the New Year.

The Black Cats lost all of their last 15 games, setting new Premier League lows for points earned and goals scored.

 

5) Aston Villa 15/16 – 17 points

P38 W3 L27 D8 F27 A76 GD: -49
Tactics Tim pulled off a great escape the season before but he was gone by October after eight defeats in their first 10 games, with the final six coming consecutively. Remi Garde replaced Sherwood and Villa immediately held leaders Man City to a goalless draw. The Frenchman earned 12 of Villa’s 17 points but never could he lift them off the foot of the table and another six consecutive defeats did for him too at the end of March.

Eric Black took caretaker charge but another six defeats in seven matches followed, with relegation confirmed in mid-April with four matches still remaining.

 

4) Huddersfield Town 18/19 – 16 points

P38 W3 L28 D7 F22 A76 GD: -54
Huddersfield were relegated even earlier, with Town’s demise confirmed with six games still remaining.

Had Wolves not taken pity on the Terriers, it might have been even earlier, with the Molineux men giving Town six of their 16 points. David Wagner’s side won only one other game against Fulham on Bonfire night.

Wagner departed in mid-January, with Wagner-lite Jan Siewert poached from Borussia Dortmund’s second team to replace him, but Town lost a dozen of his first 13 games in charge, before finishing with two draws to keep themselves out of a podium spot.

 

3) Sheffield United 23/24 – 16 points

P38 W3 L28 D7 F35 A104 GD: -69
Not mathematically relegated until the end of April but the writing was on the wall after 10 winless games at the start of a disastrous season that included an 8-0 thwacking to Newcastle United. That contributed to the Blades conceding the most Premier League goals in a Premier League season…by an absolute country mile.

There was relief when the Blades surpassed Derby’s 11-point total by beating Luton in February, by which point the hapless Paul Heckingbottom had been replaced by Chris Wilder, which had looked inevitable since the very first kick of the season.

 

2) Sunderland 05/06 – 15 points

P38 WL29 DF35 A104 GD: -43
Sunderland lost their opening five games of the season upon returning to the Premier League after losing their last 15 before slipping out of the top flight a couple of years before. It did not immediately set alarm bells ringing as the Black Cats had started slowly in the previous two seasons in the Championship before improving to third and first-place finishes. A three-match unbeaten run raised hopes that Sunderland were at it again – then they lost their next nine.

Five points in eight games between Boxing Day and Valentine’s Day cost McCarthy his job after three years in charge and Kevin Ball couldn’t stop Sunderland breaking Stoke’s 21-year-old record for the fewest points since three points for a win was introduced. At least they only had to wait a couple of years before this shower of sh*te turned up…

 

1) Derby County 07/08 – 11 points

P38 W1 L29 D8 F20 A89 GD: -69
The lowest points total (11) in a single Premier League season. The least wins in a single Premier League season (1). The joint-most defeats in a single Premier League season (29). The fewest goals scored (20) in a single Premier League season. The fewest clean sheets in a single Premier League season (3). The most consecutive Premier League matches without a win (32).

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