The Premier League has seen some incredibly tense and dramatic relegation battles in its rich history, including an unlikely number of revivals and final-day escapes.
As the 2024/25 season reaches its midway stage, Southampton look doomed, while Leicester City and their new head coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy, need to up their game to avoid returning to the Championship at the first time of asking.
Interestingly, this would be Southhampton’s fourth relegation from the EPL, making them one of the most obvious yo-yo clubs of the Premier League era. But which other sides have endured the most relegations from the top-flight since 1992?
#1. Norwich City (Six Relegations)
The Canaries are the ultimate yo-yo club, having been relegated from the Premier League six times. The first occurred in 1994/95, when they finished 20th in the EPL, having placed third in the inaugural Premier League season just two years previously.
They returned as Division One champions in 2004/05 but remained for just a single season as they finished 19th with just seven wins and 33 points. Having dropped into League 1, the third tier, they rebounded superbly with back-to-back promotions before spending three seasons in the top flight between 2011 and 2014.
However, they were relegated at the end of the 2013/14 campaign and again in 2015/16 after winning the Championship play-offs during the intervening season. Subsequent promotions and Championship title wins in 2018/19 and 2020/21 were immediately followed by relegation, although the team has since established itself as a mid-table second-tier outfit.
#2. West Bromwich Albion (Five Relegations)
WBA were responsible for one of the greatest escapes in EPL history, having survived on the final day of the 2004/05 campaign despite being bottom on Christmas Day. This was also despite a run of just one win in their last seven matches, although this did come crucially on the final day at home to Portsmouth.
Previously, the Baggies were relegated at the end of their first season in the Prem in 2002/03, while their aforementioned escape in 2005 didn’t stop them from going down at the end of the following campaign.
A third relegation in 2008/09 was followed by immediate promotion, after which Albion spent eight consecutive seasons in the top-flight. They even achieved an eighth-place finish in 2012/13 but placed 20th in 2017/18 and were relegated for a fourth time.
WBA’s last relegation came in the 2020/21 campaign, having accrued just 26 points from 38 matches and finished 19th in the table.
#3. Crystal Palace (Four Relegations)
While Crystal Palace are now an established Premier League team, they were the original yo-yo club at the beginning of the EPL era.
Despite finishing as high as third in the old First Division in 1990/91, they were relegated at the end of the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93. While they immediately bounced back, they were relegated again in 1994/95 before falling back into Division 1 after a difficult 1997/98 campaign and the ill-fated reign of Attilio Lombardo as player-manager.
They were last relegated at the end of the 2004/05 campaign, being one of the teams to suffer due to West Brom’s aforementioned and dramatic escape from the drop. While this preceded a period in the wilderness, the Eagles reclaimed their top-flight status in 2013 and have remained in the EPL ever since.
#4. Middlesbrough (Four Relegations)
North-east side Middlesbrough have also endured four relegations from the Premier League. Unlike Palace, however, they have remained outside the top-flight since 2016/17, although they remain a solid Championship side that continue to flirt with the play-offs.
Boro joined Palace as one of the teams to be relegated after the first Premier League season in 1992/93 before Bryan Robson led them to the Division 1 title just two years later. However, he also oversaw their subsequent relegation in 1996/97, which was mired in controversy following a three-point deduction for failing to fulfil a fixture with Blackburn on December 21st, 1996.
They bounced straight back in 1998 and then enjoyed 11 successive seasons in the top-flight, claiming a top finish of 7th and winning the EFL Cup 2003/04 (their first major honour). However, they were relegated in 2008/09 and have since spent just one of the next 14 seasons in the Premier League.
This came in 2016/17 after a second-place Championship finish during the previous campaign, but the side ultimately won just five matches on their top-flight return and finished 19th with a total of 28 points.
Who Will Be Relegated This Season?
Interestingly, Sunderland and Leicester have also endured EPL relegation four times, with the Foxes losing their top-flight status just seven years after winning their historic title (they also won the FA Cup in 2021).
et’s look at some of the most likely candidates for the drop at the end of the 2024/25 season:
1: Southampton (1/50*)
Southampton are as good as relegated and face a challenge to avoid the ignominy of ending the season as the worst-ever Premier League team.
At the time of writing, the Saints only have six points. Derby County were relegated in 2007-08 with just 11 points, so Southampton must find at least another six points from somewhere to avoid the ultimate embarrassment. New head coach Ivan Juric has made a far-from-impressive start, so the Saints have an uphill battle on their hands to prepare for next season, which will almost certainly be in the Championship.
2: Leicester (1/4*)
Since sacking Steve Cooper, the Foxes haven’t enjoyed the upturn in fortunes that they were expecting. Ruud van Nistelrooy has struggled to get a tune out of his misfiring Foxes, and he hasn’t been able to sure up the defence, either.
With 14 points, Leicester certainly aren’t doomed to relegation at this stage, but they need to find form in the New Year, or they will likely drop into English football’s second tier at the first time of asking.
3: Ipswich Town (8/11*)
The Tractor Boys have impressed in spells on their return to the Premier League, and they’re the most likely of the promoted three to retain their Premier League status.
Kieran McKenna’s side are capable of finding the back of the net, thanks to Liam Delap’s impressive performances so far this season, and on their day, they look capable of beating anyone. In the second half of the campaign, Ipswich need to focus on turning some of their draws into victories, and they might just have enough to beat the drop.
4: Wolves (13/8*)
Under Gary O’Neill, Wolves look doomed for the drop, but their new manager, Vitor Pereira, has transformed the club’s fortunes somewhat. Outside of the current bottom three, Wolves still look the most likely to drop into the relegation zone, but if Pereira continues picking up points and scoring goals, Wolves might just have enough to retain their Premier League status.
They will also look to draw Everton into the relegation battle, with the Toffees just one point above Wolves at the time of writing, having played one game more. You can back Everton to drop into the Championship at 11/4*.
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*Odds are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
