Southampton became the first team in Premier League history to be relegated with seven games remaining following their defeat by Tottenham on Sunday.
Their demotion resulted in manager Ivan Juric being sacked on Monday.
Derby are statistically the worst team the top flight has ever seen, recording just 11 points as they went straight back down to the Championship in the 2007-08 season.
But even if Southampton – who have 10 points with seven matches remaining – manage to surpass that tally in their remaining matches, is there an argument to suggest they have already taken Derby’s unwanted Premier League baton?
Here Telegraph Sport’s football writers put forward the worst teams they have ever witnessed in the Premier League. You can vote for your worst team at the bottom and join the debate below in the comments section.
Aston Villa 2015-16: When Garde decided to drop Grealish
Derby County were the worst ever team in the Premier League. But Villa have a claim and not least because they limply lost their status as one of only seven ever-present members of the league with a disastrous campaign highlighted by the fact that the hapless Remi Garde, who replaced the inexperienced Tim Sherwood in October, actually thought it was a good idea to drop Jack Grealish. Garde only lasted until March and, by then, it was too late. They finished bottom with 17 points and just three wins which was damning for a club of Villa’s stature.
Southampton 2024-25: The death of idealism
They came up with an idealistic plan. Their manager was adamant they would stick to the idealistic plan. They kept losing. Their manager was sacked, his replacement was worse, and the fans were left wondering whether it would have been better longer-term to stick to the original plan. What a mess.
Sunderland 2005-06: McCarthyism finally runs its course
Mick McCarthy was a good manager for Sunderland, winning promotion back to the Premier League the previous year, but there was little money to spend and minimal investment in the team, with McCarthy shopping mainly in the lower divisions for bargains. Sunderland set the tone for a miserable campaign with five successive defeats to start the season. They only spent a couple of weeks outside of the bottom three and McCarthy was sacked in March by which time relegation was all but assured.
