Summary
A fate no team wants, there are always several teams that must suffer relegation at the end of each season.
The Premier League has seen a number of teams finish with tallies of under 20 points after 38 matches.
Only one entrant on this list placed 19th in the league the season they were relegated, the remaining nine finished in last place.
Relegation is the bleakest prospect for a team to face in football. Not limited to just the British Isles, in divisions across the globe a number of teams, generally between two and four, will end the campaign by dropping into the league below them. Though no supporter wishes to watch their team be relegated, there must always be some unfortunate sides.
At the time of writing, the 2024/25 Premier League season is about halfway through its lifespan. Southampton are rooted to the bottom of the table, with just one win and six points from their opening 20 games after sealing an immediate promotion back to the top flight in 2024.
Though still in the early days of January, many feel that Southampton have already been condemned to relegation, the points distance between the Saints and safety now being in double figures. It is seemingly an inevitable fate for the coastal side, with many pondering whether they will become the worst Premier League team, by points total, in history.
With that being said, it is worth asking the question: which 10 Premier League sides have recorded the lowest point tallies in league history?
Related
Ranking the 7 Best Managers to Have Been Relegated in Football History
Some of football’s greatest managers have tasted the bitter disappointment of relegation.
10 Teams with the Lowest Points in Premier League History
Rank
Team
Season
Points
League Position
1.
Derby County
2007/2008
11
20th
2.
Sunderland
2005/2006
15
20th
3.
Sheffield United
2023/2024
16
20th
4.
Huddersfield Town
2018/2019
16
20th
5.
Aston Villa
2015/2016
17
20th
6.
Sunderland
2002/2003
19
20th
7.
Portsmouth
2009/2010
19*
20th
8.
Norwich City
2019/2020
21
20th
9.
Norwich City
2021/2022
22
20th
10.
Watford
2021/2022
23
19th
(* indicates a nine-point deduction)
10
Watford – 2021/2022
23 points
In 2021, Watford secured a return to the Premier League at their first attempt after suffering relegation to the Championship in 2021. Xisco Munoz was the man that oversaw their promotion, the Spaniard having replaced Vladimir Ivic after about half of the previous season had been played out.
Xisco, though, would manage just seven Premier League matches before being sacked by Watford who, under the ownership of the Pozzo family, have become synonymous with quick managerial dismissals. He was replaced by former Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri, but the Italian could never find his feet at Vicarage Road and was himself sacked in January.
Ranieri’s successor was veteran Roy Hodgson, Watford’s third manager of the campaign. Despite his experience, the Englishman could only oversee two wins from January until the end of the season, with the Hornets placing 19th after accumulating just 23 points.
9
Norwich City – 2021/2022
22 points
2021 marked the final year of Daniel Farke’s tenure as Norwich City manager, a position he had held since 2017. The German was successful in returning to the Premier League at the first attempt in 2021, having suffered relegation the previous term. Ahead of the season’s opening, key playmaker Emi Buendia joined Aston Villa.
Norwich were long known for operating on a small budget and never adequately replaced Buendia, which was quickly noticeable. The Canaries struggled for form, so much so that Farke was dismissed in November and replaced by Dean Smith, who formerly managed Brentford and Aston Villa.
Despite hopes that Smith may have been able to turn things around for the club, their lack of transfer ambition and early poor showings had impacted the team. City managed to win just five games in 38 Premier League matches, conceding 84 goals and recording just 22 points as they finished the campaign at the very bottom of the Premier League.
Related
Norwich City Quiz: How well do you really know Carrow Road?
Test your knowledge
8
Norwich City – 2019/2020
21 points
Norwich City’s second season in the Premier League under Daniel Farke was bad, but their maiden campaign under the German’s management was worse. 2019 saw Farke earn his first promotion from the Championship, guiding the Canaries to the Championship title.
Ambitions were high at first, with Norwich winning two of their opening five Premier League games against Newcastle United and Manchester City. From beating the latter of those two sides, however, Norwich would win only three further games in the Premier League that season, hampered by their lack of investment in the team.
The Canaries ended the season with five wins and 21 points, a tally that was poor enough to finish at the bottom of the league. With their demotion, Norwich became the first team to have suffered five relegations from the Premier League, an unfortunate title for the club to bear.
7
Portsmouth – 2009/2010
19 points
2010 is the latest year in which Portsmouth have been counted amongst Premier League teams. The 2009/10 campaign was a memorable one for Pompey in more ways than one. The team travelled to Wembley towards the end of the season for the FA Cup final. Despite losing, it was an impressive feat to have reached that match in the first place.
Predominantly, the term is remembered for the financial issues that hamstrung Portsmouth throughout its tenure. The south coast club were bottom of the league from the second week of games in the Premier League and later in the season were placed into administration, resulting in a nine-point deduction.
Despite the best efforts of manager Avram Grant, who replaced Paul Hart in November 2009, Portsmouth were unable to avoid the drop after their deduction. Administration would tear away at Pompey for many years thereafter, though at the time of writing, they are once more a Championship club.
Related
I Starred for Portsmouth in the Premier League – Now I’m a Police Detective
Most footballers head into punditry, management or simply kick back and relax after retiring – but Arjan de Zeeuw did quite the opposite in 2009.
6
Sunderland – 2002/2003
19 points
Peter Reid spent seven years with Sunderland as manager, overseeing their move from Roker Park to the Stadium of Light. The former defensive midfielder enjoyed a largely successful stint in charge of the club, though their form started to falter somewhat in 2002. The Black Cats stuck with their manager as much as they could, but after no real improvements by the opening stages of the 2002/03 term, Reid was dismissed.
Despite former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy being linked to the job, Sunderland opted to appoint Howard Wilkinson as manager. Despite being a former top flight title-winning manager with Leeds United, the decision was a shock, as Wilkinson had not managed a club for six years.
The Black Cats went on an abhorrent run of form under Wilkinson, despite a fairly promising start. McCarthy would finally be drafted in as Sunderland manager in March 2003, but by then, the damage had been dealt. Sunderland ended the season with a run of 15 straight losses and their tally was, at the time, the lowest in Premier League history.
5
Aston Villa – 2015/2016
17 points
At the turn of 2025, Aston Villa are now known as a European competitor once more, entirely through the astounding work that Unai Emery has done as manager. The Villans are in the Champions League after a four-decade absence and last season, reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
Not even a decade ago, however, things were much bleaker for the Villa Park side. Including interim managers, Villa had four bosses across the 2015/16 season. Tim Sherwood was dismissed early in the campaign and was replaced by Remi Garde on a permanent basis, though the Frenchman could never find his feet.
Villa were 20th when Garde took over and 20th when he departed the club just four months later. Eric Black took the reins on an interim basis, but could not prevent Villa from suffering their first relegation since 1987 and their first-ever demotion from the Premier League.
Related
Ranking the 11 Biggest Teams to be Relegated
Leeds United, West Ham and Rangers are among some of the biggest clubs to suffer relegation in their history.
4
Huddersfield Town – 2018/2019
16 points
Huddersfield Town ascended to the Premier League for the first time in 2017 after winning the Championship play-offs, despite the team not scoring a goal in open play. In their first Premier League season, Huddersfield defied all odds by avoiding relegation, something that essentially every spectator had marked them for.
Much of Town’s success can be attributed to David Wagner, their manager at the time who has since gone on to manage Schalke, Young Boys and Norwich City. The German, who represented the United States as a player, created a tight-knit bond within the players at his disposal.
The following campaign, however, saw struggles for the Terriers. They won just three matches across the season and two of those were against Wolverhampton Wanderers. With 16 points, Huddersfield finished at the foot of the table, condemned to relegation.
3
Sheffield United – 2023/2024
16 points
Under the guidance of Paul Heckingbottom, Sheffield United returned to the Premier League in 2023, the manager having been appointed on a permanent basis in November 2021 and guiding the club to the play-offs in his first season in charge. Though he succeeded in earning promotion, Heckingbottom struggled to adapt to the Premier League, winning just one game in 14 before being sacked.
His replacement was former manager Chris Wilder, brought back for his second stint in charge of the club. At the time of writing, Wilder is overseeing a promotion charge for the Blades but was unable to keep the club in the Premier League. Sheffield finished rock bottom of the league in 2024 with a whopping -69 goal differential.
The season was a miserable one for numerous reasons. As well as relegation, the Blades became holders of some unfortunate records. Their 104 goals conceded is the most ever in a Premier League season, the 57 they shipped at Bramall Lane is the most any team has conceded at home and their goal difference was joint-worst in Premier League history.
Related
Paul Heckingbottom makes ‘astonishing claim’ about officials in rant after Spurs loss
Paul Heckingbottom was furious after his side’s defeat and didn’t hold back
2
Sunderland – 2005/2006
15 points
Mick McCarthy did not have an ideal start to life in the North East. When he took over Sunderland, they were a club bound for relegation, having struggled immensely under the guidance of Howard Wilkinson. McCarthy remained with the club in the Championship, reaching the play-offs in his first season.
McCarthy’s team could not overcome Crystal Palace in the play-offs, but the following season, led by the strike force of Anthony Le Tallec and Jon Stead, Sunderland returned to the Premier League in 2005 as champions. Despite their strong form in the Championship, the Black Cats were unable to transfer any of that to the English top flight. Sunderland amassed just 15 points from 38 games in a season for which they were rock bottom of the table for the most part.
1
Derby County – 2007/2008
11 points
As it stands, the worst team to have ever competed in the Premier League. Much has been said in the past of Derby County and their efforts in the top division of English football, with their ill-fated 2007/08 campaign being their most recent involvement in the Premier League at the time of writing.
By March, the Rams had been relegated, the earliest point in time at which any team has been mathematically confirmed to finish in the bottom three. Derby won just one game in 38, with Paul Jewell completing the season as manager after he was hired to replace his predecessor Billy Davies.
Jewell was unable to win a Premier League game as manager, with Derby’s sole victory that year having come during Davies’ tenure. Kenny Miller’s four goals that season saw him finish the campaign as County’s highest scorer, a damning indication as to just how bad they were.
Related
The Last Time Every Premier League Club was Relegated (2024/25)
No top-flight team has been spared the cruel blow of relegation.
