The Best Premier League Teams Ever to Be Relegated—Ranked

These Premier League sides were simply too good to be relegated, yet still ended up going down.

Newcastle were somehow relegated in 2008-09. | Getty/AMA/Corbis

In most Premier League seasons, the teams that drop into the Championship are those who have struggled throughout the campaign, often lacking the depth, resources or consistency to survive.

However, relegation is not always that straightforward.

Over the years, some sides have gone down despite possessing real quality within their squads. Whether due to managerial upheaval, bad fortune or simply failing to get it together in the field, these teams were arguably too strong to be relegated—but went down nonetheless.

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at some of the best Premier League teams ever to suffer relegation.

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6. Blackpool (2010-11)

DJ Campbell scored 13 Premier League goals in 2010-11. | IMAGO

Could they defend? Absolutely not—but who cares? This Blackpool side were an absolute joy to watch.

In terms of individual quality, this squad is comfortably the weakest on the list. Many of these players were experiencing top-flight soccer for the first (and only) time, but what made the Tangerines so special was their fearless, attack-first approach.

Manager Ian Holloway was not widely associated with expansive soccer before taking charge at Bloomfield Road in 2009, but after watching Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side, the eccentric Bristolian embraced a more adventurous philosophy.

With a youthful Charlie Adam pulling the strings in midfield and DJ Campbell leading the line with support from Gary Taylor-Fletcher, the Seasiders came agonizingly close to survival, finishing on 39 points—just one short of safety.

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5. Newcastle United (2008-09)

Shearer couldn’t keep Newcastle up in 2009. | IMAGO/PA Images

By the end of the 2008-09 season, Newcastle United had managed just seven wins, gone through four managers and suffered relegation from the Premier League for the first time in their history.

Off the pitch, the Magpies were in total disarray. Kevin Keegan resigned in September after a dispute over transfer control, with Joe Kinnear brought in as his replacement. Kinnear’s tenure is perhaps best remembered for either an expletive-laden press conference or mistakenly referring to Charles N’Zogbia as “Insomnia.”

He was later replaced by Chris Hughton in February, before club legend Alan Shearer took over in April, tasked with keeping his boyhood club up. However, passion alone wasn’t enough, and Newcastle were ultimately relegated.

The collapse was all the more striking given the level of talent at their disposal, including Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins, Mark Viduka, Geremi Njitap, Damien Duff and Nicky Butt, among others.

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4. Blackburn Rovers (1998-99)

Blackburn won the Premier League just four years before being relegated. | Getty/Mark Leech

Just four years after lifting the Premier League title, Blackburn Rovers were relegated, collecting just 35 points during the 1998-99 season.

So how did it unravel so quickly?

Only a year earlier, Rovers had finished sixth, with many expecting another push toward the upper reaches of the table. Several members of their title-winning squad—including Chris Sutton, Jason Wilcox and Tim Flowers—were still at the club, while promising young talents such as Damien Duff were also beginning to emerge.

In the end, however, a lack of a consistent goalscorer proved decisive. Blackburn’s top league scorers were Kevin Gallacher and Ashley Ward, who managed just five goals apiece. The team won only five matches all season and ultimately dropped into the second tier.

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3. Middlesbrough (1996-97)

Juninho was far too good to be relegated. | Getty/Mark Leech

Juninho was a bona fide soccer genius, but even the little Brazilian magician could not do enough to keep Middlesbrough in the top flight during the 1996-97 campaign.

Alongside the fiery Fabrizio Ravanelli—who scored an impressive 31 goals in all competitions—Juninho and his teammates collected 39 points, finishing just two short of safety.

Boro could take some consolation from reaching both the FA Cup and League Cup finals, although the three-point deduction for failing to fulfil a fixture still remains a sore point for supporters at the Riverside to this day.

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2. Leeds United (2003-04)

Even Leeds’ own players couldn't believe it ... | IMAGO/Paul Marriott

Some soccer clubs are perceived as simply “too big” to ever drop out of the Premier League. Leeds United certainly saw themselves in that category—until May 2, 2004.

Leeds finished the season six points adrift of safety and also conceded a league-high 79 goals.

A financial crisis off the pitch led to uninspiring performances on it, with a string of top players sold to help reduce the club’s $134 million debt. Even so, they still had enough quality on paper to survive, with the likes of Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and David Batty remaining at Elland Road.

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1. West Ham United (2002-03)

West Ham simply should not have been relegated in 2003. | IMAGO/APL

During the 2017-18 Premier League season, West Ham collected 42 points and finished 13th. In contrast, during the 2002-03 campaign, the Hammers also amassed 42 points—but were still relegated.

That remains the highest points total ever recorded by a relegated team in Premier League history (in a 38-game season), and that West Ham side was undoubtedly strong enough to stay up.

The squad featured a number of well-known names, including Jermain Defoe, David James, Michael Carrick and Paolo Di Canio, among others.

Relegation proved hugely damaging for the club, with several key players departing soon after. Joe Cole and Glen Johnson left prior to the start of the following season, while James and Defoe also moved on during the winter transfer window.

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