The Five Worst Premier League Teams in History

Over the Premier League’s 21 year history, there’s been some pretty awful sides to compete in possibly the greatest league in the world.

When you think about teams such as the The Invincibles of Arsenal in the 2003-2004 season, the dominant, record breaking Chelsea side of the 2004-2005 campaign and of course, the Manchester United treble winning team of the 1998-1999 season, you know there have been some fantastic sides in the Premier League’s relatively short history.

5. Watford (1999-2000)
What’s interesting about this is the fact that experienced manager Graham Taylor looked initially like he would go against the odds and manage to keep the highly expected relegation candidates up.
Then reality kicked in
After they beat Chelsea on the 18th September, they would go on to win just three more games all season.
They only bought in one player all season and if you look at the team Taylor had at his disposal, it is no wonder they couldn’t survive.
Their top scorer only managed six goals and defensively they were poor too, conceding 77 goals and eventually finishing with 24 points, which was then a record low for the Premier League.
Still definitely not the worst side to play in the league though…
4. Ipswich Town (1994-1995)
4. Ipswich Town (1994-1995)
Both John Lyall and then George Burley managed the Tractor Boys that season, but neither manager had any success with the team and relegation looked likely as early as December when Lyall resigned.
In March they suffered possibly the most infamous game in their history when they lost a whopping 9-0 to Manchester United and eventually conceded an incredible 93 goals that season… ouch.
They recorded just seven wins all season as well and the ageing Ipswich squad showed they simply couldn’t compete in England’s top flight any more after a three year spell there.
Easily one of the worst teams to grace the Premier League and that 9-0 thrashing will probably be the focal point of an awful year in Ipswich’s history.
3. Sunderland (2002-2003)
3. Sunderland (2002-2003)
The Black Cats really do have a history of struggling in England’s top flight and one of their worst seasons was back in 2002-2003 when they finished with a dreadful 19 points.
The whole campaign though was awful from start to finish.
They had three different managers, starting with Peter Reid followed by Howard Wilkinson and finishing with Mick McCarthy.
But none of them could fix the problems that were rife at the Stadium of Light.
They won just four games all season and scored only 21 goals in what was a horrible season for Sunderland fans.
But their incredible 15 consecutive losses that season is still a record that nobody wants to beat, and the only side currently that looks like they might have that kind of run again is themselves this year.
Sunderland were just poor in 2002, and not even their hero Kevin Phillips could do anything to stop their rot.
But this, shockingly, still isn’t the worst they’ve been…
2. Sunderland (2005-2006)
2. Sunderland (2005-2006)
They thought 2002 was bad, well, it only got worse this year.
They suffered 29 losses that season, a record they hold along with the Ipswich Town team I previously mentioned.
At the time, their points total of 15, with just three wins, was a record low for the Premier League and the rather incredible statistic that Arsenal’s Thierry Henry scored more in the league that year than the entire Sunderland team just shows you how poor Mick McCarthy’s side were.
Again they had three managers that year, but once again it made no difference, they were rubbish.
None of their 14 signings proved any use whatsoever and in the end the Black Cats fans had to watch the humiliation of their side getting relegated with the lowest points total ever, surpassing their own record.
For whatever reason, Sunderland don’t seem to do well in England’s top division and although in recent years they’ve done better, it looks like Black Cats fans may have to gear up for another season like these two.
But there is still one team that has had an even more appalling season than the two Sunderland ones I just discussed.
1. Derby County (2007-2008)
1. Derby County (2007-2008)
Let me just rattle off some obvious statistics.
Joint record for most losses in a season, 29, lowest points total ever with 11, the first and so far only team to have ever been officially relegated in March – the list goes on as to why Derby were the worst.
They were so bad you have to give credit to Billy Davies for getting them promoted in the first place.
In the end, he knew when to leave and got out of there in November and was replaced by Paul Jewell, who has never fully recovered from the constant hammerings he would receive on a daily basis whilst manager of the Rams.
Kenny Miller was their top scorer that season, with four goals, with Derby managing just 20 goals all year (I’m glad I’m not a Derby fan).
They won a grand total of one game all season as well, in November against Newcastle United, (what were you doing Magpies?)
When you look at their team that season you can see why they struggled, not a Premier League talent among them really, and I remember trying to be them on Football Manager that year – impossible.
The real question remains how on earth they ever got promoted, and it’s no surprise Derby haven’t been seen in the Premier League since, as they are still to this day recovering from that season.

But along with the brilliant sides, there have been some truly awful ones.

This top five list looks at the worst teams to have ever played in the league, sides that have some of the lowest points tallies in history and just didn’t have a team that could ever compete in England’s top flight.

So, this is my five worst Premier League teams in history!

My first pick for this list has to be the Watford side of 1999-2000, when the newly promoted Hornets finished with a rather miserly 24 points.

Watford, like recent Premier League sides Norwich City and Southampton, had achieved back to back promotions to play in the English top flight, but their team really lacked the quality needed to stay in the division.

But with Taylor at the helm it looked like he might do the impossible, they looked good at the opening of the season and managed wins over the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

Back in the 1994-1995 season, there were 22 teams in the Premier League and 42 games to be played, so Ipswich Town’s 27 points from 42 games is pretty appalling.

With Sunderland currently sitting bottom of the Premier League with just one point to their name, Black Cats fans will be worried that their side is turning into the Premier League Sunderland of old.

And so we move onto another atrocious Premier League season for Sunderland, the 2005-2006 campaign.

This was a pretty easy choice and would be for most Premier League fans, as Derby County in the 2007-2008 season are the worst team to have ever played in the Premier League.