Six most shocking relegations and how Tottenham’s would be the biggest disaster yet | Football | Sport
Tottenham will be desperate to avoid an unthinkable relegation to the Championship (Image: Getty)
Tottenham are in serious danger of being relegated to the Championship in what would be an unthinkable scenario for one of England’s biggest clubs. Less than a year after winning the Europa League, the north Londoners are fighting to secure their Premier League status after a disastrous campaign to date. If they go down, it would arguably be the most shocking relegation of all time.
Spurs haven’t been relegated since 1977, when times were very different. Now, they are part of the established ‘big six’ and rake in far more money than most other Premier League clubs. They also have one of the best stadiums in world football and it would be a crying shame, if not slightly funny, to see it hosting the likes of QPR, Bristol City and Preston North End next season.
Express Sport looks at the six most shocking relegations to have ever taken place, with Tottenham desperate to avoid joining that unwanted club…
Man Utd (1974)
The Red Devils were relegated to the second tier more than 50 years ago in a development that stunned English football. They deserved it, too.
They were among the division’s worst-performing sides despite being one of the country’s biggest clubs and were sent down with a whimper, taking just 32 points from their 42 league fixtures.
It came just two decades after the Busby Babes era that saw United establish themselves as a European powerhouse. They went on to secure an immediate top-flight return, winning the Second Division at the first time of asking.
Juventus (2006)
Juventus weren’t relegated because of their results on the pitch, but rather as part of one of the biggest scandals to have ever rocked European football.
They was implicated in the infamous Calciopoli saga, a major investigation into alleged sporting fraud involving several Italian clubs.
As a result, Juventus were relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history and stripped of their Serie A title in 2004/05. The unusual sight of world-class players like Pavel Nedved and Giorgio Chiellini appearing in the second division became a bizarre reality.
Newcastle (2009)
The Magpies dropped out of the Premier League for the first time in 20 years in what was one of the most shocking relegations in recent history.
Their chaotic campaign was marked by managerial turmoil with Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear and Chris Hughton trying and failing to keep them clear of the drop zone.
Alan Shearer was drafted in with eight games to go in a desperate roll of the dice, but the former England striker couldn’t save them and they were relegated to the Championship.
Spurs going down would be the most shocking relegation of all time (Image: Getty)
River Plate (2011)
The unusual format of Argentina’s top flight saw River Plate, one of the country’s biggest clubs alongside Boca Juniors, relegated in 2011.
They were forced to face a relegation play-off, a fixture determined by a points average over the three previous campaigns.
River Plate were ultimately beaten by Belgrano over two legs, condemning them to the second tier for the first time in their 110-year history.
Villarreal (2012)
It’s not often that you see a club competing in the Champions League go down in the same season, but that is exactly what happened to Villarreal back in 2012.
They finished fourth in La Liga the previous year but suffered a dramatic collapse, with three different managers failing to keep them up.
Villarreal were sent down in dramatic style on the final day of the season, with a late winner from Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao sealing their fate.
Schalke (2023)
Schalke, one of Germany’s biggest and best-supported teams, sleepwalked towards relegation for several seasons but that didn’t make their eventual demise any less shocking.
They failed to win any of their first 14 games and the club went through five different managers before dropping out of the Bundesliga for the first time in three decades.
Schalke still haven’t found their way back up and finished 14th out of 18 teams in Germany’s second division last season. They are, however, currently top of the league and could finally return to the Bundesliga in 2026/27.
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