Topic: Biggest relegation you can remember?

[Elliemental]

Leeds United (2004) for me. All the more shocking in hindsight given how long it took them to come back up.

[hide5seek]

The Man Utd relegation. I was very young but remember the shock as they were such a massive football club.

[Oldmanmick]

Deffo United in 1974. They were the media glory boys after winning the European Cup in 1968. Us winning the FA Cup convincingly in 1974 really rubbed their noses in it, especially as it came just 12 months after we'd done a League & UEFA Cup double. What made it even sweeter was that Celtic's Lou Macari was set to sign for us in January 1973 (I think) but United gazumped us at the last minute & he was left to reflect on what might have been when his career came to an end. Or as Jim Bowen would say: "Lets see what you could have won" 

[hide5seek]

Didn't notice there were 3 selcetions.

Middlesbrough would also have got a vote from me. Remember listening to the first game of that season on the radio in Donegal. Bjornebye opening the scoring after about 4 mins and of course Ravanelli getting a hat trick. Not sure if they spent big or how they managed to get the likes of him, Juninho, Emerson and Branco (?), but at the start of the season I expected them to do pretty well with that squad.

I noticed there were 3 options but only picked 1 as the Man Utd relegation was by far the biggest relegation (imo) ever in our league.

[MrGrumpy]

I wish I was old enough to remember M** U going down.

[Iska]

Just remembered something from the 2008-09 Newcastle relegation.  I was on holiday in Japan and got up at some ungodly hour to watch the last set of fixtures.  It was between Newcastle and Hull, Newcastle were playing I think Villa, while Hull were at home to Man Utd.  I can’t remember the channel but it was showing Hull v Utd and there was not a single update from the Newcastle match during the entire game - no cutaways, no references to it, not even a scroll bar to show the relegation latest.

It wasn’t until I saw the Hull players celebrating their 0-1 defeat that I knew they’d survived and that Shearer had pulled it off.  Always felt like it said something about the depth of interest in that part of the world even with Utd and their 600 million fans or whatever.

[RedSince86]

West Ham for me, that squad should never have gone down, wasn't it the highest PL points total to go down.

Hopefully Everton will be the next big team to go down, plus the outlay on that team the last 5 years just adds to how massive it would be, it will be the biggest more enjoyable relegation to witness.

[Terry de Niro]

Man United 74 made a certain 14-year-old at that time piss his kecks laughing.

[rob1966]

Deffo United in 1974. They were the media glory boys after winning the European Cup in 1968. Us winning the FA Cup convincingly in 1974 really rubbed their noses in it, especially as it came just 12 months after we'd done a League & UEFA Cup double. What made it even sweeter was that Celtic's Lou Macari was set to sign for us in January 1973 (I think) but United gazumped us at the last minute & he was left to reflect on what might have been when his career came to an end. Or as Jim Bowen would say: "Lets see what you could have won" 

Probably just an urban myth, but I'd love it to be true that, when he asked for too much and threw the Manc interest in, Shanks gave him directions out of his office to the bus stop to get the bus to Limey and told him to fuck off.

I'm sure Macari consoled himself with his chippy by OT

[Armand9]

Define ‘big’ however you like - most shocking, most hilarious, most significant, the one that made you recoil the most, whatever.  I’ve allowed three votes each to take account of the different types of bigness.  Not going back beyond 1973-74 on the assumption that for anyone who was alive then, that will be the one.

was hilarious

and then some, so my vote

Leeds United (2004) for me. All the more shocking in hindsight given how long it took them to come back up.

but for club impact, has to be leeds, huge club literally went into the void and out of mind for near two decades

[KurtVerbose]

I wish I was old enough to remember M** U going down.

I was alive then but I don't remember it. I would've been 7.

Reverse order of hilarity in this video: -

5. Smoke bombs go off and the pitch is invaded. Just sooooo 70's.
4. They were relegated by a single cheeky back heal goal by Denis Law - an Old Trafford hero who scored 237 goals for Utd during an 11 year association with them.
3. The 70's hairstyles, players and fans.
2. The trousers of the fans invading the pitch. Seems every fan was dressed up like they were in either the Osmans or the Bay City Rollers.
1. Utd going down. Put to the sword by their own hero playing for their local rivals.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/YVPfd8UurkQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/YVPfd8UurkQ</a>

[Son of Spion]

^
The behaviour of the Bay City Rollers United fans is even worse than I remember it.

[Barneylfc∗]

Law's goal didn't relegate United. They'd have went down anyway.

[Terry de Niro]

Law's goal didn't relegate United. They'd have went down anyway.

Is correct.

[Son of Spion]

Law's goal didn't relegate United. They'd have went down anyway.

But it's more fun if we believe that a United legend relegated them. 

[Kenny's Jacket]

Not the biggest club on the list by any means, probably the smallest, but I went for Blackburn, they won the league four years previous

Leeds wasnt a surprise after their financial issues, Forest were on a long term decline, but how do you get relegated 4 years after winning the title

[Terry de Niro]

But it's more fun if we believe that a United legend relegated them. 

I remember watching a documentary on that relegation on BT Sports, Too Good to go down. A glorious watch.

[Fromola]

Has anyone ever feared we'd get relegated in a season (post-last promotion)?

92/93 was a bit hairy at some points of the season but then we'd string some results together.

If Hodgson had stayed a full season we'd have been in trouble, but you always knew he'd get binned before that happened.

[Fromola]

Not the biggest club on the list by any means, probably the smallest, but I went for Blackburn, they won the league four years previous

Leeds wasnt a surprise after their financial issues, Forest were on a long term decline, but how do you get relegated 4 years after winning the title

Leicester were set to go down as reigning champions before sacking Ranieri.

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

Has anyone ever feared we'd get relegated in a season (post-last promotion)?

92/93 was a bit hairy at some points of the season but then we'd string some results together.

If Hodgson had stayed a full season we'd have been in trouble, but you always knew he'd get binned before that happened.

Was convinced we were going down if Hodgson had stayed. This was after only two games.

[Son of Spion]

Not the biggest club on the list by any means, probably the smallest, but I went for Blackburn, they won the league four years previous

Leeds wasnt a surprise after their financial issues, Forest were on a long term decline, but how do you get relegated 4 years after winning the title

Similar to United, who were relegated just six years after being European Champions.

Maybe my memory is going, but I don't even remember Blackburn going down. I always saw them as a Jack Walker inspired flash in the pan anyway. You are right though, relegation just four years after being champions is some feat. Mind you, in 1938 the club formerly known as Manchester City were relegated the season after becoming champions. 

[Son of Spion]

I remember watching a documentary on that relegation on BT Sports, Too Good to go down. A glorious watch.

It's always vintage television watching them go down. 

[Iska]

Everything about that video is incredible.  Old Trafford looks great even, and Colin Bell looks like he must’ve been some player.  The backheel though, it beggars belief that that actually happened.

[Iska]

Maybe my memory is going, but I don't even remember Blackburn going down. I always saw them as a Jack Walker inspired flash in the pan anyway. You are right though, relegation just four years after being champions is some feat. Mind you, in 1938 the club formerly known as Manchester City were relegated the season after becoming champions. 

I didn’t remember it was only four years, but it definitely was a big deal.  They went down after a defeat to Utd (Brian Kidd had left Utd to take over midseason from, well) and Ferguson acted the supreme dick in the sky post-match interview, pretending he didn’t know he’d just relegated them.

[Oldmanmick]

Has anyone ever feared we'd get relegated in a season (post-last promotion)?

92/93 was a bit hairy at some points of the season but then we'd string some results together.

If Hodgson had stayed a full season we'd have been in trouble, but you always knew he'd get binned before that happened.

Amazing stat here is that since we were promoted from the old 2nd division back in 1962 we have never finished lower than 8th in the top flight. So that's 60 consecutive years without ever finishing outside of the top 8. Oh yeah, & we've won a few things too during that time.

[Terry de Niro]

Everything about that video is incredible.  Old Trafford looks great even, and Colin Bell looks like he must’ve been some player.  The backheel though, it beggars belief that that actually happened.

Colin Bell was my favourite non-Liverpool player. He was a Rolls-Royce of a player.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Similar to United, who were relegated just six years after being European Champions.

I didnt include anything from the 70s, its before my time, would have loved to live that season though

Maybe my memory is going, but I don't even remember Blackburn going down.

Did you not get suspicious when we just stopped playing them 

[rob1966]

Not the biggest club on the list by any means, probably the smallest, but I went for Blackburn, they won the league four years previous

Leeds wasnt a surprise after their financial issues, Forest were on a long term decline, but how do you get relegated 4 years after winning the title

Blackburn were just a flash in the pan, who got lucky that a man worth millions bought them, but it was never sustainable. After the PL win, Dalglish moved upstairs to a DOF role, they gave Ray Harford the managers job, Chris Sutton got injured, Shearer was sold to Newcastle in 96, Mike Newell also left,then after they dropped to bottom of the PL, they gave Tony Parkes the job for giving it to the Owl who, after leading them to a 6th place finish, was sacked with them bottom the next season and they got relegated.

Has anyone ever feared we'd get relegated in a season (post-last promotion)?

92/93 was a bit hairy at some points of the season but then we'd string some results together.

If Hodgson had stayed a full season we'd have been in trouble, but you always knew he'd get binned before that happened.

The Owl half season. If he hadn't have been sacked, we'd have gone.

[KurtVerbose]

Law's goal didn't relegate United. They'd have went down anyway.

Not true at all, in my imaginary world.

But it's more fun if we believe that a United legend relegated them. 

See. 

[Crosby Nick]

I didn’t remember it was only four years, but it definitely was a big deal.  They went down after a defeat to Utd (Brian Kidd had left Utd to take over midseason from, well) and Ferguson acted the supreme dick in the sky post-match interview, pretending he didn’t know he’d just relegated them.

Think it was a 0-0 so it relegated Blackburn but was a bad result for United too. Not that Ferguson was ever gracious.

We signed Henchoz from them that summer.

[Fromola]

Was convinced we were going down if Hodgson had stayed. This was after only two games.

Kenny took over and we lost to Blackpool in his first league game. Then the next game at Anfield we were 2-1 down to Everton late on with them chanting going down. That was a horrible 10 minutes or so when we were getting beat, I remember tte relief when we equalised

We hammered Wolves next game and then went on a roll.

[fredfrop]

Not the biggest, far from it.But Stoke finally getting flushed was one of the most satisfying.

[darragh85]

probably west ham in 02-03 considering some of the players they had.

[johnny74]

Not on the list but when Bournemouth went down again and Eddie Howe left given how he'd brought them up from where they were and taken them to the PL for the first time ever. And the type of football they tried to play. Very sad.

Other than that the Coventry one is the only one on that list that made an impact because they'd avoided it for so long.

[John_P]

Went with Blackburn, coming so soon after the title win.
Newcastle as they definitely fell into the whole too good to go down claim you'll occasionally hear.
Aston Villa, got the cup final the previous season then abject the following season.

Think with Leeds you knew it was coming 18+ months before it happened.

Middlesbrough, lost 2 Cup finals, and were relegated because they got docked 3 points by the FA for failing to fulfill a fixture due to injuries. In hindsight they could've played the under 18s lost 20-0 and still stayed up.

[Statto Red]

Villa's relegation in 87 was a bit of a shock, having won the European Cup, only 5 years earlier, were as Villa's relegation in 16 wasn't as much of a shock as they had been in decline for a few years before being finally flushed, Villa in 16, was similar to Sunderland's relegation in 17.


City's relegation in 83 was hilarious, they spent big money on players who turned out to be massive flops, City had a good young team but started selling the players & buying what turned out to be expensive flops, started a period were they regally yo-yo'ed between the top flight & second tier, ending up in the 3rd tier in 98/99, which was even funnier, in 98 i remember City being relegated at in spite of winning 5-2 at Stoke

[KurtVerbose]

I guess when Utd went down relegation didn't have so many financial implications. Most of their revenue was from gate receipts. TV money and sponsorship weren't big earners like they are now. Clubs had a lot more power over players with no Bosman rule, so bonus and relegation clauses were probably a lot stronger.

The financial aspects of relegation are now much more severe which is one reason it's so hard to bounce back up right away. The teams that do are generally ones that are well run and don't over spend in the Premier League.

[KurtVerbose]

City's relegation in 83 was hilarious, they spent big money on players who turned out to be massive flops, City had a good young team but started selling the players & buying what turned out to be expensive flops, started a period were they regally yo-yo'ed between the top flight & second tier, ending up in the 3rd tier in 98/99, which was even funnier, in 98 i remember City being relegated at in spite of winning 5-2 at Stoke

What I remember most about that period was their chairman, Peter Swales. Legend of a chairman hair style with a side parting seeming to start under his armpit. Endless changes of manager. Always in the media, if not about City then his 'prominent role in the FA'.

They eventually managed to get rid of him and got their hero Francis Lee in charge.

Then things got worse.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ddaXh4GJN6w" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ddaXh4GJN6w</a>

[Fromola]

City's relegation in 83 was hilarious, they spent big money on players who turned out to be massive flops, City had a good young team but started selling the players & buying what turned out to be expensive flops, started a period were they regally yo-yo'ed between the top flight & second tier, ending up in the 3rd tier in 98/99, which was even funnier, in 98 i remember City being relegated at in spite of winning 5-2 at Stoke

That's what makes me laugh when they go on about how we were able to spend in the 80s and be successful, when it was them breaking the British transfer record on Steve Daly (only to get relegated) when we signed Ian Rush from Chester.

[Linudden]

As for the 2010-11 Liverpool season, Hodgson's team got 25 points before Christmas even while being terrible so there's just no way he wouldn't have scraped by. Forget about a top six though.