The Worst Team in Premier League History Since 1902! Who Else Was This Bad, And Where Are They Now?
Historically speaking — only a miracle can save Wolves now. Just 2 points after 18 Premier League matchdays!
Wolves have had an absolutely terrible season so far. After 18 Premier League games, they’ve earned only 2 points. Their 2 draws came against Tottenham and Brighton — with 16 losses. The odds of Wolves being relegated to the Championship as per Opta are 99.83%. No team in the 21st century has had a worse record by Match Day 19 in the top flight in England.
Wolves have also become the first top-tier English league side in 123 years to begin a season without winning a single game after 18 matches. We will now take a look at some of the worst opening days in Premier League history, and we will compare those to top-5 leagues around Europe. Spoiler alert: almost nobody has ever avoided relegation after much worse starts.
Sheffield United, 2020/2021 Season (5 points after 19 games)
Sheffield United, 2020/2021 – sufc.co.uk
Of the 25 seasons Sheffield United played in the modern Premier League since 1992, only 1 season was relatively successful. Sheffield United ended the 2019/2020 season in 9th place. However, the next year — which would be their 2020/2021 season — would turn out to be a complete disaster. Sheffield United used nearly the same starting lineup — with Chris Wilder remaining in charge — and it simply didn’t matter what they tried.
Sheffield United’s first victory wouldn’t occur until Match Day 18. Following that first win, Sheffield United would manage to earn 6 additional victories, however, the damage had already been done. By the end of the season, Sheffield United would finish in last place (20th) — 16 points behind safety.
Southampton, 2024/2025 Season (6 points after 23 games)
Southampton, 2024/2025 – southamptonfc.com
Southampton, 2024/2025 Season (6 points after 23 games)
Just like last season, Southampton also had a clear candidate for “dead man walking.” Southampton spent 11 consecutive years in the top flight (2012–2023), were relegated for one season, and immediately returned to the top flight — however, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Southampton started the year with Russell Martin — who was fired after game 16 — followed by Ivan Jurić — a former student of Gasperini — who was brought in to save the team.
Unfortunately, Jurić couldn’t help them either. With Martin, Southampton earned 4 fewer points; with Jurić, they earned 8 fewer points. As a result, Southampton were relegated with a staggering 26-point deficit to 17th place. Southampton finished with a 1-point improvement over the all-time lowest points tally in the Premier League — 11 points by Derby County in the 2007/2008 season.
Sunderland, 2005/2006 Season (6 points after 22 games)
Sunderland, 2005/2006 – joga2imports.com.br
After rising up from the Championship, Sunderland’s return to the Premier League was abysmal. In fact, Sunderland only earned 3 wins during the entire 2005/06 season, finishing 20th in the standings. By the end of Match Day 18 — 6 points (1 win and 3 draws) — things only continued to worsen for the Black Cats, and they eventually fell back down to the Championship. Although they did rebound in the following season, and then proceeded to stay in the Premier League for 10 consecutive seasons.
Derby County, 2007/2008 Season (7 points after 23 games)
This is exactly where Wolves currently sit in the standings. During the 2007/08 season, Derby County earned only 11 points throughout the entire campaign. At the end of Match Day 18, Derby County sat 7 points from safety (in contrast to Southampton’s current 16-point gap). While there was still hope… there ultimately wasn’t. No more wins were scored for Derby County; only 4 additional draws occurred, and 16 consecutive losses ensued. Derby County were subsequently relegated, and have not returned to the Premier League since.
Other examples from top European leagues:
Almería, 2023/2024 Season (6 points after 23 games)
Almería, 2023/2024 – espn.com
The Almería players were forced to flee the stadium due to the angry fans after the team suffered relegation. The last time Schalke 04 were relegated to the 2nd Division was 1988. Although they returned for one season, Schalke 04 quickly found themselves back in the 2nd Division, and have remained there to this day.
Fiorentina, 2025/2026 Season (9 points after 17 games)
Fiorentina, 2025/2026 – sofascore.com
This season has developed into perhaps the strangest scenario in all of football history. Fiorentina experienced great success in recent years under both Italiano and Palladino (6th place + 2 Conference League Finals), yet have imploded completely this season. Currently sitting at the bottom of the table, Fiorentina have earned only 9 points through 17 games. Additionally, Fiorentina are only 5 points above the relegation zone (and 8 points if you factor in games in hand). Paulo Vanoli (ex-Spartak) is attempting to salvage the season after taking over for Pioli in November. A 5:1 victory over Udinese has provided the team’s first win, and there remain 21 matches on the schedule — plenty of time for the team to improve its standing.
