Can a team survive after being winless after 10 games?

Its hard to believe we are ten games into the season already.

It seemed like only yesterday the season was kicking off in the August sun. Now the days are getting shorter, the air is getting colder and the barrage of holiday music is about to hit shops. There have been many twists and turns throughout the first ten games already in the league.

Making a positive start to the league can boost the survival odds for struggling teams however this isn’t always the case. If a team starts slow then they can be playing catch up for more games than that are left.

This could be the case for two teams this season that have had slow starts.

After ten games both Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town have zero wins, three draws and seven losses. All is not lost for the two teams though; the teams aren’t that far away from the rest of the pack. Dependent on other results a win for either team could take them out of the relegation places. If the teams get into some form over a few games, then they can climb up to 13th.

It will be a hard task for the teams to improve their position, but this isn’t the first-time teams have had the dreaded zero wins after ten games. Since the beginning of the Premier League in 1992 there are nine teams that have been winless at the same point. Of those nine teams, only three have survived relegation. Here is a list of the three that have survived.

Everton (1994/95)

This particular example is the best for Newcastle and Huddersfield fans have.

After ten games Everton were on the same amount of points as them with three draws and seven losses. However, the Toffees had an advantage because there were two more teams and four more games played in this early adaptation of the league.

The Merseyside team went on a seven-game unbeaten run towards the end of the season which helped them acquire survival for another season in the Premier League. The team are still in the Premier League to this day, one of only six teams to be involved with the league every year since the inauguration. As well as securing Premier League safety the team went on and won the FA Cup that year.

Blackburn Rovers (1996/97)

Not long after winning the Premier League title in the 1994/95 season, Blackburn Rovers had an awful start to the 1996/97 season with four draws and six losses. The team was coping with the loss of then star striker Alan Shearer who was sold to Newcastle for a then world record £15 million. Much of the rest of the squad was the same as the title winning squad with the likes of Tim Sherwood, Colin Hendry and Chris Sutton included.

Without the striking prowess of Shearer, Rovers struggled to find goals. A manager change gave the Lancashire side a boost and they ended up finishing 13th, the highest of the three teams confirming their safety with a game to go. The team survived a further season in the Premier League until first getting relegated in the 1998/99 season.

Derby County (2000/01)

The last time a team survived after the first ten games without a win was Derby County back in the 2000/01 season. County who after the first ten games had more points than Newcastle and Huddersfield with five, ended up finishing the season in 17th and survived relegation with a game to spare at the expense of – if you can believe it – Manchester City, Coventry City and Bradford City. This was the only time all three teams have been relegated with city in their names.

The win that clinched the Rams’ survival was an unlikely away win against champions Manchester United with a goal from forward Malcolm Christie. With that win Derby survived the Premier League for another season, only to be relegated the following season.

Is there hope?

Although only one third of the teams that have survived the zero wins after ten games, these examples give hope to both teams that are in the current situation.

There are many factors that can influence a good or bad start to the season, whether it’s when players hit form or when teams play the stronger European placed sides. A striker could hit form at the right time and give the rest of the team confidence or for the same reason a goalkeeper could save penalty to help.

There is still a lot of football to be played until the end of the season and still a maximum of 84 points to be won. With the consensus that 40 points is the magic number for survival then there is still a lot of opportunity to stay in the league.

So, don’t worry Newcastle and Huddersfield fans, it may not be the start you wanted but there’s hope.