Lowest Premier League Points: The Worst Seasons in EPL History

The Premier League is essentially the deep end of football – and it has become very easy to sink.

Teams are thrown straight in against the big guns, with players who are of world class calibre and have the most prestigious footballing medals around their necks.

As football grows as a sport, the Premier League is getting tougher and ever more competitive. This has set the league’s standard so high that many teams have failed to reach it over the years.

With newly promoted sides especially, they must adapt to top tier life straight away so that the sharp influx of matches does not catch up with them. Momentum is vital, without it we have seen teams be trampled over week in, week out, dumping them in the notorious history books of the worst Premier League teams ever.

Overall, it is the points that everyone remembers. Three teams get relegated each year – that is nothing new. But if a team were to go down without a fight and build up a measly points tally along the way - that is the embarrassment that sticks with most.

With this in mind, Football Park delves straight into the worst Premier League seasons of all time – looking at which teams in particular have picked up the fewest Premier League points in a season and finding out what went so horribly wrong for them.

The Lowest Premier Points Total Ever

In the Premier League’s 33 years since forming, it is Derby County who have the record for the lowest Premier League points in a season. Their catastrophe came in the 2007/08 season as the Rams picked up just 11 points in 38 games!

11 - Derby finished the season with just one win, 11 points, 20 goals scored and a goal difference of -69; all record lows for a team in a single Premier League campaign. Woe. #OptaPLSeasons pic.twitter.com/67ygJzQMbZ

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 13, 2020

The 2007/08 season was the first – and only – season that Derby County have featured in the Premier League since 2002, and it was not a year that they have very fond memories of.

Despite both Birmingham City and Reading joining them in relegation that season, the Rams finished rock bottom by a whopping 24 points – making their scanty 11-point record one that may never be broken.

Their relegation was confirmed on the 29th of March that campaign, making it the first ever time a first division side had been relegated before April. With regard to this, Derby still had six matches left to play in the Premier League once their fate was sealed, in which they still went on to lose all of them.

Derby County only managed to win one game in the 2007/08 league season, adjoined by eight draws and a staggering 29 losses. Ironically, their only win came within the first six games of the season, as they defeated Newcastle United at Pride Park on the 17th of September 2007 – debutant Kenny Miller with the only goal of the 1-0 affair. With Derby’s only high coming so early in the season, what followed was a journey through hell.

ON THIS DAY 2007: Derby County beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Pride Park. It was Derby's only win that season #DCFC pic.twitter.com/El63QUBYeh

— FootballAwaydays (@Awaydays23) September 17, 2020

The Rams occupied 20th spot from late October all the way through to the very final kick of the season, showing absolutely no kickback with their extremely limited goal tally. They scored just 20 goals all season in the Premier League, averaging out at nearly one goal every two games. Furthermore, their top scorer in the league that season was familiar name Kenny Miller, who had bagged just four goals in his 30 appearances.

Whilst pinning down what exactly went wrong for Derby, it was certainly not their investment into players. The newly promoted outfit made a handful of key signings across the season, including Robbie Savage from Blackburn Rovers, Kenny Miller from Celtic, Robert Earnshaw from Norwich City, Claude Davis from Sheffield United and Alan Stubbs from Everton.

Overall, Derby spent approximately £20 million on transfers that season, which was a hefty amount considering the British transfer record for a player was only £30 million at the time (Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea).

#OnThisDay in 2006, Andriy Shevchenko joined @ChelseaFC for an English record fee pic.twitter.com/Uhu4iVmclN

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) May 31, 2016

The main reason why everything went horribly wrong for the Rams was their losing mentality. After switching from their promotion winning manager Billy Davies to a new leader in Paul Jewell in the late November, Derby started getting closer to grabbing points but just could not get them over the line.

Around the Christmas period, Jewell’s men continuously fumbled points late on in games due to last minute winners/equalisers from the other team. This gave the club far less belief and hope, as Paul Jewell has even expressed himself, insinuating that the team had thrown the towel in.

Complete List: Lowest Premier League Points Totals

With Derby County topping the list, here are the top 15 worst seasons in Premier League History:

1. Derby County (11 Points) – 2007/08

• Finished in 20th spot in the table, 24 points behind 19th.
• Relegated by March 29th 2008, with six games remaining.
• Only scored 20 league goals throughout the season, with just 1 win and 29 losses.

2. Southampton (12 points) – 2024/25

• The most recent occurrence on this list, with them finishing 20th.
• Won just two matches all season, with 30 losses and 26 goals.
• Relegated alongside two other newly promoted sides (Ipswich and Leicester).

Southampton have become the first team in Premier League history to lose 30 games in a single season, overtaking Derby County's 29 defeats during their 2007–08 season 😬 pic.twitter.com/aJUKbEhJJI

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) May 25, 2025

3. Sunderland (15 points) – 2005/06

• Finished 20th place, 23 points away from safety.
• Won only 3 games, lost 29 and scored just 26 goals.
• Were a newly promoted team, after winning the Championship the season prior.

4. Sheffield United (16 points) – 2023/24

• Finished 20th and relegated alongside two other newly promoted teams (Luton and Burnley).
• Won only 3 games, with 28 losses and 35 goals scored.
• Broke the record for the most goals conceded in a Premier League season, with 104!

5. Huddersfield Town (16 points) – 2018/19)

• Finished 20th, whilst 20 points away from safety.
• Won just 3 games, lost 28 and scored only 22 goals.
• Have not reached the Premier League again since.

6. Aston Villa (17 points) – 2015/16

• Finished 20th, 22 points from safety.
• Won only 3 games, lost 27 and scored 27 goals.
• Had four different managers throughout the season, including two interims.

Tim Sherwood has been sacked as manager of Aston Villa. More to follow...https://t.co/raSq4aANaB pic.twitter.com/MAeKT6L9kB

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 25, 2015

7. Sunderland (19 points) – 2002/03

• Finished 20th, whilst 25 points away from safety.
• Won four matches all season, with 27 losses and only 21 goals scored.
• Ended the season with 15 consecutive defeats and only picked up 1 point from Christmas onwards.

8. Portsmouth (19 points) - 2009/10

• Finished 20th, 16 points from safety.
• Received a 9-point deduction, due to administration. However, they still would have been relegated regardless.
• Won 7 matches, lost 24 and scored 34 goals.

9. Norwich City (21) points – 2019/20

• Finished 20th, being 14 points behind 17th spot.
• Won 5 matches, lost 27 and scored just 26 goals.
• Top scorer Teemu Pukku grabbed 11 league goals that season.

10. Ipswich Town (22 points) – 2024/25

• Finished 19th in the league, one place above 12-point Southampton.
• Won just 4 games, lost 24 and conceded 82 goals.
• Was their first season back in the Premier League in 22 years.

Ipswich Town have been relegated - having dropped a record 27 points from winning positions in the Premier League. pic.twitter.com/qbKxVqIEVp

— Lewis Deighton (@LewisDeighton17) April 26, 2025

11. Norwich City (22 points) – 2021/22

• Finished in 20th place, for a second consecutive time.
• Won 5 games all season, with 26 losses, 23 goals scored and 84 conceded!
• Lost all of the first six games of the league season.

12. Watford (23 points) – 2021/22

• Finished 19th in the league, 1 point above 22-point Norwich.
• Won 6 matches, lost 27 and conceded 77 goals.
• Had 3 different managers across the season.

13. Sheffield United (23 points) – 2020/21

• Finished 20th, after coming 9th the previous season.
• Won 7 matches, lost 29 and scored only 20 goals.
• Did not win a single game in the league until the 12th of January.

14. Sunderland (24 points) – 2016/17

• Finished 20th place, after 10 consecutive seasons in the top flight.
• Won 6 games, lost 26 and scored only 29 goals.
• Dropped all the way down to League One the year after, following back-to-back relegations.

OFFICIAL: Sunderland are relegated from the Premier League! pic.twitter.com/torPIG1uZI

— SPORF (@Sporf) April 29, 2017

15. Watford (24 points) – 1999/00

• Finished 20th position, 12 points from safety.
• Won 6 matches, lost 26 and scored 35 goals.
• Reached the Premier League after back-to back promotions, taking them all the way from League One.

Teams That Survived Despite Low Points

As we have seen, some Premier League seasons are much more competitive than others. There are some teams that have managed to stay up despite finishing on less points than the average relegated side in previous seasons. Here are a couple of them:

Nottingham Forest (32 points, 17th) – 2023/24

In the 2023/24 season, Nottingham Forest managed to upkeep their spot in the Premier League despite only finishing on 32 points. This is the lowest points tally a team has finished on to stay up in the competition, despite its 33-year rich history.

As it stands, Nottingham Forest will survive on a maximum of 32 points, potentially as low as 29 points

A new Premier League record pic.twitter.com/u0BzjSxGOh

— Rory Talks Football (@Rory_Talks_Ball) May 11, 2024

There have been multiple seasons where 32 points would have put them bottom of the table, so to confirm safety in the 2023/24 campaign spoke levels as to the league’s bottom half quality that season.

The three teams that faced the drop were three newly promoted teams in Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United. The trio calculated a combined total of 66 points for the season, with 26 points being the threshold to stay up.

West Bromwich Albion (34 points, 17th) – 2004/05

West Brom stayed up by the skin of their teeth in 2005, as they tallied up just 34 points to confirm their safety in the league. The Baggies stayed up by one point, as 18th place Crystal Palace only managed to total 33 points.

The relegation battle was extremely tight that season, as Southampton in 20th finished with 32 points, and Norwich and Crystal Palace in 19th and 18th both finished with 33.

Despite finishing on the joint-lowest number of wins in the league (6), it was West Brom’s 16 draws which ultimately kept them up.

Other low points survivors consist of:

Aston Villa (35 points, 17th) – 2019/20

West Ham United (35 points, 17th) – 2009/10

Hull City (35 points, 17th) – 2008/09

Each of these three teams managed to survive their respective campaigns with just 35 points to their name.

Aston Villa’s being the more recent, as Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich found themselves relegated whilst all being on 34 points or less. As for West Ham and Hull, their survival seasons came consecutive of each other.

"For the despair of Watford, you contrast that with the joy of #AVFC..." 🔥

The Aston Villa players are still on the London Stadium pitch but they know they've pulled it off - they stay in the Premier League! ⬆ pic.twitter.com/R177LpjRLE

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 26, 2020

Hull City managed to stay up by one point, whereas West Ham stayed up by five points. This shows the sheer importance of how other teams playing poorly can change the whole dynamic of the league, serving up safety easier to some.

What Causes Such Low Points Totals?

There are many factors that have led to seriously low points totals, it is impossible to label one specific reason.

Investment can be a key problem as many teams on the lists above have lost their star players heading into seasons yet not replaced them well enough. This is the simplest explanation, as losing a valuable asset would hinder any team.

However, sometimes there is more to it; in Derby’s case, the club invested well throughout the season but still tallied up the lowest ever points record. Ultimately, momentum played a large role in this, similarly to many relegated teams.

Paul Jewell after Derby finished with the lowest points tally in Premier League history. pic.twitter.com/T3N8y4YkbT

— Sky Sports Retro (@SkySportsRetro) September 22, 2021

Losing most weeks makes it extremely difficult to lift team spirits and carry on fighting, leaving teams no choice but to give up and accept defeat. Furthermore, frequent change in management can interrupt any possible momentum, as players struggle to shift between philosophies.

Of course, in one special case, a points deduction also caused a low total – as seen from Portsmouth’s 2009/10 season.

Modern Era vs Early Premier League

There is a clear outcome we can develop from the lists above. As the Premier League has grown as a division and aged since its formation, the relegated sides are finishing with lower points totals now than when it started.

Disregarding Derby County’s catastrophic season, a lot of the top 15 lowest totals are from the last decade. Even more scarily – the last three or four seasons. Especially the last two in particular; all six relegated sides have been the teams that were only just promoted and as a collective have racked up ridiculously low points combinations.

Last season, Leicester Ipswich and Southampton calculated just 59 points between them – becoming the lowest points total from a relegated trio ever. The record prior to that was 66 points – remarkably set the year before, in the 2023/24 season, by Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United.

For the second season in a row, all 3 promoted sides have now been RELEGATED from the Premier League 📉 pic.twitter.com/MHsz0h8SlT

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 26, 2025

This comes as a slight surprise, as not only have parachute payments increased so that relegated teams receive almost £50 million upon relegation, but Premier League teams’ financial income has significantly increased, with an influx of money through television deals and broadcasting revenues. This means that each club is more able to splash out on signings, player wages and club facilities – attracting more talent.

However, the finances throughout the Premier League are exponential, with the top clubs breaking record upon record when it comes to transfer expenditure. This is slowly creating more of a gap between both ends of the table.

Betting on Relegation and Low Points Totals

The Premier League is one of the most popular betting events in sport. However, with it being a lengthy 38-game season, odds can fluctuate immensely, as nobody really knows what will unfold.

Of course, the bookmakers set many odds prior to the league’s commencement; generally regarding league placement, top goal-scorers, player of the season, and the outright winners. But then the markets shift as the league opens up, giving us more of a clear view of how teams are performing.

As the pattern of newly relegated teams facing the drop has become a frequent trend in recent years, this has boosted the betting patterns for struggling teams. Bookies create odds so that you can predict all three relegated teams as a combined bet – or you can predict on just one certain team to be relegated.

They will likely offer greater odds prior to the season starting, as there is more risk. But then as teams struggle or lose players through injury or sale, the odds open up as some teams become more probable to face the drop. Make sure to check out Football Park’s vast number of betting tips and predictions here.

Summary

To summarise, Premier League struggles can be very subjective on the season. Teams may fall below safety belt through misfortune depending on the league’s calibre that season – and vice-versa.

Survival could all be about right place, right time. However, the current scope of the top tier clearly does not favour newly promoted sides, as we have seen the last two seasons. The teams to come up from the Championship continue to struggle more and more, changing the league’s landscape. However, nobody knows what is around the corner.