Middlesbrough were relegated after their midweek defeat to Chelsea; but the likes of Sheffield United, Birmingham City, Burnley, Reading and Cardiff also suffered relegation one season after promotion.
Middlesbrough’s Calum Chambers looks dejected after Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic (not pictured) scores their third goal
The inevitable inquest will begin at Middlesbrough to decipher why they were relegated not even a year after they were promoted, with the club’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea consigning them back to the Championship.
However, Middlesbrough aren’t the only side in England who’ve been relegated immediately after being promoted – in fact, it’s a fairly regular occurrence. Here are five teams who won automatic promotion like Boro, only to go down again the following season.
Sheffield United – 2006/07
Relegated in somewhat controversial fashion given the fact West Ham United stayed up due to the goals of Carlos Tevez, an ineligible player due to third party ownership, but Sheffield United are the first team on this list. Having been promoted from second place in the 2005/06 season from the Championship, the Blades – managed by Neil Warnock – returned to the Premier League for the first time since 1994, and gave it a real good go. United finished the season on 38 points – the same as 17th placed Wigan Athletic – but went down on goal difference, finishing 18th. However, due to Tevez’s ineligibility, West Ham – while spared a points deduction – had to pay a £5m fine to the Premier League while also forking out £18.1m to Sheffield United after being adjudicated to have broken the rules, as reports The Independent.
Alex McLeish – Rangers Manager
Birmingham City – 2007/08
Like Sheffield United, Birmingham also went down in harsh circumstances – though at least their plight was somewhat more legal. After finishing second in the 2006/07 season, Birmingham – managed by Alex McLeish – found themselves struggling in the Premier League, though they still managed to take their survival battle to the final day of the season. While the Blues held up their end of the bargain, defeating Blackburn Rovers 4-1, Fulham’s 1-0 defeat of Portsmouth and Reading’s 4-0 thumping of Derby County meant that the Whites stayed up on goal difference, while Birmingham and Reading both went down.
Reading – 2012/13
The 2012/13 season started with so much optimism for Reading, who had been promoted as champions the year before from the Championship. However, a suspect recruitment policy – which basically saw the club strengthen for the following year in the Championship – saw the club go down without a whimper. The Royals finished the season on 28 points – a whopping 11 points behind 17th placed Sunderland, who finished on 39 – and the club only won six out of their 38 matches, with only Queens Park Rangers performing worse.
Cardiff City’s Gary Medel (L) and Everton’s Steven Pienaar in action
Cardiff City – 2013/14
Similarly to Reading, Cardiff also went up to the Premier League as champions, though they put up much more of a fight than the Royals did. The Bluebirds – playing in red – were making their first appearance in the Premier League, and were an awkward side to face in a year where it was unusually tight at the bottom. Hated rivals Swansea City were defeated 1-0 in a season high, however the Bluebirds ultimately went down bottom of the league with 30 points. Given the state of play, they were only six points behind 17th placed West Bromwich Albion, and four teams all finished under 40 points, yet survived.
Burnley – 2014/15
After winning promotion in 2013/14, Burnley became a yo-yo club of sorts, with Sean Dyche’s side having an interesting few years. The 2014/15 season saw Burnley fight tooth and nail for every point they got, but ultimately the Clarets went down with 33 points – five behind 17th placed Aston Villa, and with a better goal difference to boot. However, undeterred, Burnley won the Championship in the 2015/16 season, and going by their progress in the Premier League this season – where they are on course for survival – it seems as if they’ve learnt from their previous experiences. Burnley were also relegated from the Premier League in the 2009/10 season despite being promoted in the 2008/09 campaign, though that was from the play-offs.
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