With the 2022/23 Premier League campaign recently drawing to a dramatic close, particularly at the bottom of the table, The Woodwork looks back on some of the worst sides to make the drop from the top division:
Derby County 2007/08 (11 points)
The Premiership has played host to some terrible teams in its time, but none have come close to the Derby County outfit which picked up just eleven points in the 2007/08 campaign. Making their return to the Premier League after a five-year exodus, the Summer of 2007 appeared prosperous for the Pride Park faithful. The Rams had not long defeated West Brom at the recently refurbished Wembley Stadium, a feat which brought clarity to the claim made by Billy Davies that he could build a promotion winning side in three seasons. However, Derby’s stellar summer would not reflect what proved to be an ultimately embarrassing season. The Rams went on to pick up just one league win all season, defeating Newcastle United in September, before confirming the inevitable at the end of March by failing to beat relegation rivals Fulham. Derby County ended the campaign with a depressing goal difference of -69, one of several records broken by the Rams in the club’s worst season to date.
Sunderland 2005/06 (15 points)
With Derby County accumulating an embarrassing tally of eleven points in the 2007/08 campaign, Sunderland fans could breathe a sigh of relief. The Black cats had previously held the record for the lowest number of points in a Premiership season, securing just fifteen points in a miserable season under the leadership of Mick McCarthy. In similar fashion to Derby County, Sunderland began the season on the back of a stellar summer. The North- East outfit had recently secured their return to the top-flight after two seasons in the second tier, ending the 2004/05 campaign as winners of the Championship. However, Sunderland’s second tier form would not be replicated on their return to the Premier League. The Black cats secured just three victories in what proved to be a far cry from their Championship winning campaign a year prior, in turn ending Mick McCarthy’s tenure as manager less than a year after he guided Sunderland to the title. Ironically, Sunderland would end the season with their biggest defeat only being by three goals, a mere consolation in an otherwise underwhelming campaign.
Huddersfield Town 2018/19 (16 points)
Just over a decade after the likes of Sunderland and Derby County depicted themselves as the worst teams to grace the top- flight, Huddersfield Town would have their turn at creating an unwanted piece of history. Unlike the two sides mentioned above, the Terriers had spent the previous season in the Premier League, having been promoted from the second tier in 2017. The campaign in question would see Huddersfield secure safety with relative ease, finishing four points above the drop in what appeared to be a successful season for David Wagner’s side. Given the evident success in avoiding the drop in the 2017/18 campaign, it was somewhat expected that Huddersfield could build upon such success and perhaps go on to truly establish themselves as a Premier League outfit. Unfortunately for Huddersfield, the work done towards such a goal in their first Premiership season would soon be undone. The Terriers managed just three league wins in what proved to be their second and final Premier League campaign, shipping seventy-six goals in a season which saw Huddersfield lose eight on the bounce on two separate occasions. Despite appearing so poor defensively, Huddersfield Town did manage to secure a double over high-flying Wolverhampton Wanderers, a surprising factor given how hopeless they appeared against almost every other side.
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