You spend a lifetime dreaming of seeing your heroes go toe-to-toe with football’s elite, stepping out on centre court at Old Trafford or Anfield, and beaming with pride as Gary Lineker sings their praises on Match of the Day.
And then the season starts. Week after week, you sit through humiliation upon humiliation, Your previously worshipped manager gets the sack, and you fall asleep before you even get to watch your team get pummelled in the final game on MOTD.
Probably for the best to miss it, at any rate. It’s safe to say, that for some clubs, the Premier League just ain’t what it’s all cracked up to be.
And to make matters even worse, for some brave little souls who find themselves in the top flight for an incredibly brief season, their stay is remembered for all the wrong reasons.
So, in honour of Norwich City’s now-confirmed relegation back to the second tier, 90min takes a look at some of the worst teams to have graced the Premier League over the years.
Harry Redknapp. Mark Hughes. Julio Cesar. Jose Bosingwa. Esteban Granero. Bobby Zamora. How did this not work?!
Resembling a social experiment that had got seriously out of hand, QPR’s band of rejects and over-the-hill stars in search of a final pay day, got what was coming to them.
25 points, minus 30 goal difference, and a big old wage bill of which they’re still suffering the consequences to this day. Spend responsibly, kids.
When David Moyes announced that the Black Cats were in a relegation battle within the first five games of the 2016/17 season, it dawned on us all that they’d used up the last of their nine lives.
And so it came to pass, as Sunderland finished stone-dead last, crawled to 24 points, and ended with the campaign a 5-1 drubbing at Chelsea on the final day.
Since that moment, things have only got worse, too.
The new kids on the block. There was so much hope and promise surrounding this Norwich side upon their promotion, and after beating champions Manchester City early on in the campaign, they seemed ready to go the distance.
But it’s been a nightmare year for Daniel Farke and co., and despite the exciting attacking qualities of Emi Buendia and Todd Cantwell, the Canaries have looked terribly toothless up top.
There was the odd moment to cherish for Norwich supporters, but overall, it’s been a dismal season.
