Manchester United is having their worst Premier League season ever, with fewer points than some truly awful teams in the competition’s history.
Even if United wins the Europa League final later this month, their record of 39 points from 36 games should not be forgotten.
We went through the archives and found some terrible teams, including those that were relegated, that scored the same or more points as Ruben Amorim’s men.
Chelsea (2022–23)
Before United and Tottenham redefined the genre this year, Chelsea’s season from two years ago set the standard for how low a modern superclub could go.
The Blues began the season with Thomas Tuchel and a slew of big-name signings, but the German was fired in September after earning 10 points in the first six games.
An ill-fated stint with Graham Potter saw the Blues drop to the bottom half, and re-appointing Frank Lampard as interim manager, unsurprisingly, did not improve matters.
Chelsea finished the season in 12th place with 44 points and 38 goals, despite spending £500 million on transfers. Yikes.
Manchester City (2006–2007)
Pre-takeover City were frequently in the bottom half of the table, but Stuart Pearce’s 2006-07 team was both offensively boring and unthreateningly mediocre.
City finished 14th with 42 points, scoring only 10 league goals at home and none since New Year’s Day.
Their 29 goals, both at home and away, were only matched by bottom-place Watford, and City had to wait until the final month of the season to secure their Premier League status.
Everton (2003-2004)
There was a reason Wayne Rooney was so eager to leave Everton for Old Trafford in 2004: the Toffees were in disarray, aging, and were only saved from relegation by the lack of teams below them.
Several big clubs struggled in 2003-04, with Tottenham and Manchester City both on the verge of relegation, but David Moyes’ team finished behind both after winning only nine games all season.
After a 5-1 defeat at City on the final day, the Toffees were left in 17th place with 39 points.
Only a year after selling Rooney, they qualified for the Champions League. Maybe 2025 United can get some inspiration…
Newcastle (2012-13, 2014-15)
Far from the Saudi-backed awakening giant of today, Newcastle were twice forced to scramble for safety in the years preceding their eventual relegation in 2016.
After finishing fifth in 2011-12, Alan Pardew’s side dropped to 16th the following season, requiring a late victory over relegated QPR to reach 41 points and safety in 16th.
Lessons were not learned two years later, when Newcastle won three of their first 19 league games and suffered eight consecutive defeats in the spring under caretaker John Carver.
A last-day victory over West Ham, with cancer survivor Jonas Gutierrez scoring a life-changing goal, secured their survival with 39 points.
West Ham (2002–2003)
Getting relegated with 42 points seems impossible today, when the bottom three are lucky to reach 30, but West Ham’s 2003 season dropped with a slew of stars on their roster.
The Hammers had Paolo Di Canio, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, David James, Jermain Defoe, and others, but were pushed out of the top flight by Sam Allardyce’s Bolton.
However, a late-season rally obscured a slew of sins, including failing to win a home game until the end of January and earning six points from 12 games in a bleak mid-winter.
United won the title in 2002-03, and they need at least one victory to match the total set by the 18th-placed team that season 22 years later.
Blackpool (2010-2011)
Ian Holloway’s side, which was bolstered by free transfers and Football League journeymen, scored the same number of points as Manchester United’s 2024-25 squad.
Nobody expected Blackpool to survive the 2010-11 season, but a strong start raised hopes of avoiding relegation.
Unfortunately, gravity took its toll after Christmas, and the Seasiders were relegated on the final day of the season following a 4-2 loss at title-winning United.
Fourteen years later, the relegated sides’ extreme poverty has denied neutrals the most delicious of relegation battles.
Birmingham (2010-2011)
Forget Birmingham’s unlikely League Cup victory in 2011, and their 2010-11 squad was unforgivably bad.
With Alex McLeish in charge, Birmingham prioritized defense over attack, scoring only 38 goals and winning eight league games all season.
Relegation was confirmed with a defeat at Tottenham on the final day, as McLeish’s side joined Blackpool on 39 points.
Sunderland (2001–02)
Despite scoring 29 Premier League goals and featuring Kevin Phillips and Niall Quinn, Sunderland finished 17th and were knocked out of both domestic cups at the first opportunity, but still accumulated 40 points.
