Could Premier League founding members Aston Villa and Everton really go down this season?
Every so often a team gets dragged into the Premier League relegation battle that most football fans deem too big to go down, and yet come May, that same team have fallen through the trap door, and out of the big time.
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This season, both Everton and Aston Villa find themselves in real danger, and despite being members of the top flight since its inception in 1992, look like they are well in contention to finish in the bottom three come the end of this campaign.
Should they go down, they will join an ever expanding list of sides who shocked everyone by not collecting enough points to keep their heads above water. Here is the top five…
Nottingham Forest (1992/93)
It was the inaugural Premier League season, and Brian Clough’s last, when Forest were relegated. The two-time European Cup winners finished bottom of the table, and when asked to sum up the reasons for relegation, Clough eloquently suggested, “We’re not good enough.”
Blackburn Rovers (1998/99)
Kenny Dalglish had led Rovers to the 1994/95 Premier League title, making Blackburn the only club to break Manchester United’s dominance on the early years of the competition. But fast forward four years, and a team led by current England boss Roy Hodgson, and later Brian Kidd could only finish in 19th, in the process becoming the first Champions to be relegated.
West Ham United (2002/03)
West Ham were perhaps the unluckiest team to be relegated, as they became the first in the history of a 20-team top flight to be relegated with more than 40 points, finishing with sixteen more than 19th place West Brom.
Leeds United (2003/04)
The former Champions League semi-finallists ran out of money by the time they were relegated. The last champions before the formation of the Premier League have not been seen back in the top flight since their 19th place finish in 2004.
Newcastle United (2008/09)
At the start of the decade, Newcastle were battling to qualify for the Champions League under the guidance of Sir Bobby Robson, and led by Alan Shearer. But by 2008, Robson was no longer at the club, and new manager Joe Kinnear was struggling to name his first team squad. Shearer returned, but failed to inspire a turnaround as caretaker manager, overseeing just one win, and guiding the Magpies to an 18th place finish.