Just like Old Yeller
The fans of Aston Villa were finally put out of their misery after the game at Old Trafford.
It’s been a long long season for Aston Villa supporters. Their 28th consecutive appearance in football’s top flight has ended with their exit from it. Alongside a massive parachute payment of almost £100m, here are five teams that were worse than this Villa side have been in relegation.
Derby County (2007-08 Premier League)
We know we’re starting obvious but it’s hard not to when you realise just how crap Derby County were. There are a few of their ‘records’ that Villa are safe from. Only 11 points, 3 clean sheets, a -69 goal difference, 8 away goals and just 20 overall. Villa have only had one away win all season which came on the opening day. That’s still more than Derby in 2007-8. And of course, we all remember what happened their captain Robbie Savage. Had results gone against Villa last week, it would’ve been the second earliest relegation in Premier League history.
FK Dainava ( 2014 A Lyga, Lithanua)
Villa fans may curse Tim Sherwood/Remi Garde/Eric Black/Joleon Lesoctt’s pocket for their relegation but at least their defence has been somewhat sturdy. 143 goals in 36 games. which is on average four a game. That was the defensive record of FK Dainava in the 2014 season of Lithuania’s A Lyga. A brace of 2-0 wins were the highlight of a dismal season which saw them concede 5 or more in a game 15 times, including a 12-1 hammering from the lost city of Atlantas. A loss to Sunderland I’m sure you’ll all agree is better than that.
Galway United (2011 League of Ireland)
The League of Ireland is not the greatest standard in the world. While Dundalk have been bringing it up a bit recently, it was in 2011 that Galway United were forced into a relegation playoff after winning just one time in 36 games. They let 115 goals in in the process and went down in a blaze of misery by losing a playoff against a team from the second tier. Maybe there’s a thing about claret and blue and relegation.
Sunderland (2005-06 Premier League)
The contrasts between Villa’s plight and that of Sunderland a decade ago is eerie. Villa will have spent 28 weeks rooted to the bottom of the table if they finish 20th, Sunderland had 30. At this stage in 2006, Sunderland had only scored 23 goals. The same number as Villa have. Sunderland’s win in gameweek 37 against Fulham was completley pointless, which is essentially what a victory for Eric Black will be now. But at least the midland side will be closer to safety than the 23 point gap between Niall Quinn’s Black Cats and Portsmouth in 17th. Does Black have Disco Pants?
FC Conegliano German (2006-07 Bulgarian A Group)
Zero wins. One point from a solitary draw and 127 goals conceded in 30 games. By far the worst team this writer has ever seen (and I’m a Reading fan!). That’s what happened FC Conegliano German in the 2006-7 Bulgarian top division. The side were only able to muster up eight goals in 2,700 minutes of football. To put that into a little bit of perspective, that’s on average a goal every four games.
Your top scorer may be Jordan Ayew, and you may be heading for the Championship, but just imagine being so bad that you don’t even win a game!