Top five teams with the most defeats in a Premier League Season

What are the least points that a team can score in the Premier League?

What is the maximum amount of games that a team can actually lose in a 38-game season? 

These are the top questions that run into a mind when somebody thinks of one of the top leagues across the globe. The English Premier League is home to multiple records. From being the teams that have come close to 100 and yet lose the season to the more competitive opposition, whereas there have been a season where teams have been nothing but cautionary tales. In this article, we shall look at the top five teams with the most defeats in a Premier League season. 

Five teams with the most defeats in a Premier League Season:

1. Derby County - 2007/08 - 29 defeats 

The lowest number of points accumulated in the history of the English Premier League, Derby County had only 11 points in the 2007/08 season which saw them relegated and vanish from the Premier League. The Rams’ campaign was nothing but a nightmare for the manager Billy Davies too. Billy Davies had left the team to promotion but he was gone by November as the team slipped day by day. Paul Jewell failed to stop the rot and the losses became more humiliating. 

The team went on to face 29 defeats with 6-0 defeat against Aston Villa and 6-1 against Chelsea being their biggest defeats. Kenny Miller scored the goal against Newcastle United, which helped them win the game. The squad without the depth became synonymous with Premier League failure. 

2. Sunderland - 2005/06 - 29 defeats 

Sunderland’s 2005/06 season was nothing short of study in despair. Under Mick McCarthy, Sunderland started a season on a struggling note and the struggle became worse as the season progressed. The Black Cats started their season with five continuous defeats, setting poor standards for one of the most miserable starts to the season. 

Micky McCarthy built the season with a shoestring budget after promotion from the Championship which could not compete with the giants. McCarthy was sacked in March but failed to survive the drop. They had 29 defeats and 15 points in the league including defeats to their arch-rivals Newcastle United. No player managed to score more than three goals in the season. 

3. Sheffield United - 2020/21 - 29 defeats 

Sheffield United's 2020/21 campaign was a classic second-season syndrome. After an impressive first year back in the top flight, Chris Wilder's innovative tactics were figured out by opponents. Their unique overlapping center-backs system, once praised, became their undoing. 

The Blades lost their first eight games, the worst start in Premier League history. The absence of fans during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to hit them particularly hard, as they lost their famed Bramall Lane fortress mentality. Despite a brief resurgence with wins against Newcastle and Manchester United, they couldn't escape the drop, suffering 29 defeats in a season that saw the departure of beloved manager Wilder.

4. Ipswich Town - 1994/95 - 29 defeats 

A harsh awakening to the Premier League era happened to Ipswich Town in 1994/95 when the team went on to face 29 defeats in the league. The Tractor Boys were the force in English football but the new Premier League landscape was not kind enough to them. 

John Lyall’s side struggled to cope with the pace and power of the reformed English top flight. Their defensive frailties were exposed time and again as they shipped one of the highest goals of all time. They sold Chris Kiwomya in the previous season to Arsenal which cost them heavily. The stadium became a happy hunting ground for others, as they won only three home games.

5. Sheffield United - 2023/24 - 29 defeats 

Sheffield United’s season in 2023/24 is nothing but a tale of two halves. It was a brutal reminder for the fans and the teams about the Premier League’s unforgiving nature. Once a shining team in the league got relegated but immediately came back to the English top flight.

After promotion to the top flight, Paul Heckingbottom’s side struggled to adapt to the tactics of the league with Chris Wilder being the replacement for Heckingbottom. The Blades showed a fight but lacked quality in the crunch games. They shipped the goals at a significantly alarming rate, with a shattering 8-0 defeat at Newcastle United. Though they had wins against Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers, they finished at the bottom and bowed out of the league.