Luton Town have started their Premier League campaign with four straight defeats. Only five teams have ever had a worse start, and two of them have survived.
To avoid equaling an unfavorable record, the Hatters must avoid defeats against Wolves (h), Everton (a), and Burnley (h). At the very least, it’s a friendlier timetable…
Fulham (4 defeats, 2020/21)
Who beat them?
Arsenal (0-3), Leeds (4-3), Aston Villa (0-3), Wolves (1-0)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 1-1 with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Where did they finish?
18th. Scott Parker came up against peak Sean Dyche at Burnley and stood absolutely no chance in that straight relegation shoot-out.
Sheffield United (4 defeats, 2020/21)
Who beat them?
Wolves (0-2), Aston Villa (1-0), Leeds (0-1), Arsenal (2-1)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 1-1 with Fulham at Bramall Lane.
Bottom. It was a very bad day. Chris Wilder quit in March after the Blades drew two and lost 15 of their first 17 games. They ultimately beat Newcastle at home before losing to league leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford in April. There were six games remaining at that point, and they won three of them with the burden off.
West Ham (4 defeats, 2018/19)
Who beat them?
Liverpool (4-0), Bournemouth (1-2), Arsenal (3-1), Wolves (0-1)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Everton 3-1 at Goodison Park. There were boos. Probably.
Where did they finish?
10th. Manuel Pellegrini turned things round neatly enough; the Hammers made up for it by winning four on the bounce in December, but David Moyes was on the horizon.
Bournemouth (4 defeats, 2017/18)
Who beat them?
West Brom (0-1), Watford (2-0), Manchester City (2-1), Arsenal (0-3)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Brighton 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
Where did they finish?
12th. After finally escaping the relegation zone in early November, the Cherries only returned for two more weeks in December before a seven-game unbeaten run inspired them to safety.
Southampton (4 defeats, 2012/13)
Who beat them?
Manchester City (2-3), Wigan (2-0), Manchester United (3-2), Arsenal (1-6)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Aston Villa 4-1 at St Mary’s.
Where did they finish?
14th. While everyone lost their collective mind as Proper Football Man Nigel Adkins was sacked in January, foreign sod Mauricio Pochettino quietly steered Saints away from trouble without speaking a word of English in public.
West Ham (4 defeats, 2010/11)
Who beat them?
Aston Villa (0-3), Bolton (3-1), Manchester United (0-3), Chelsea (3-1)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 1-1 with Stoke at the Britannia Stadium.
Where did they finish?
Bottom. They were mired in the relegation zone until they beat Wolves 2-0 on New Year’s Day, but losing 10 of their subsequent 17 games saw them slip back.
Middlesbrough (4 defeats, 2001/02)
Who beat them?
Arsenal (0-4), Bolton (1-0), Everton (2-0), Newcastle (1-4)
How did they stop their run?
By beating West Ham 2-1 at the Riverside Stadium.
Where did they finish?
12th. Just three of their players scored more than three Premier League goals all season, with Alen Boksic (8), Noel Whelan (7) and Szilard Nemeth (6) leading the march to mid-table. Curiously, they lost in both the FA Cup and League Cup to the respective eventual winners.
Aston Villa (4 defeats, 1997/98)
Who beat them?
Leicester (1-0), Blackburn (0-4), Newcastle (1-0), Tottenham (3-2)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Leeds 1-0 at Villa Park.
Where did they finish?
Seventh. “We have got to believe we’ll win a game soon – because we really need to,” said manager Brian Little after the defeat to Tottenham, having been in front. They promptly won their next three.
Swindon Town (4 defeats, 1993/94)
Who beat them?
Sheffield United (3-1), Oldham (0-1), Liverpool (5-0), Southampton (1-5)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 0-0 with Norwich at Carrow Road.
Where did they finish?
Bottom. It took until their 16th game for doomed Swindon to pick up their first Premier League win, and although theirs was a 42-game season, they still hold the record for most goals conceded in a single campaign (100).
Sunderland (5 defeats, 2005/06)
Who beat them?
Charlton (1-3), Liverpool (1-0), Manchester City (1-2), Wigan (1-0), Chelsea (2-0)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 1-1 with West Brom at the Stadium of Light.
Where did they finish?
Bottom, in one of the Premier League’s earliest relegations. The Black Cats spent one week outside the relegation zone all season, courtesy of a three-game run of draws with Wests Brom and Ham and a victory over Middlesbrough.
Southampton (5 defeats, 1998/99)
Who beat them?
Liverpool (1-2), Charlton (5-0), Nottingham Forest (1-2), Leeds (3-0), Newcastle (4-0)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 1-1 with Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Where did they finish?
17th. A false start left Dave Jones and his men with an awful lot of work to do, but two draws and three wins in their last five matches saw them cross the finish line just before Charlton, Blackburn and Nottingham Forest.
Norwich (6 defeats, 2021/22)
Who beat them?
Liverpool (0-3), Manchester City (5-0), Leicester (1-2), Arsenal (1-0), Watford (1-3), Everton (2-0)
How did they stop their run?
By drawing 0-0 with Burnley at Turf Moor. Then they drew 0-0 with Brighton, lost 7-0 to Chelsea and were beaten 2-1 by Leeds. What an awful way to end a losing run.
Where did they finish?
Bottom. As Norwich’s Premier League lore demands. Things were so bad that Daniel Farke was sacked straight after they actually won. Dean Smith did no better.
Who beat them?
Huddersfield (0-3), Liverpool (1-0), Swansea (0-2), Burnley (1-0), Southampton (0-1), Manchester City (5-0), Manchester United (4-0)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Chelsea 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
Where did they finish?
11th. Never forget just how ridiculous a job Roy Hodgson did. Frank de Boer left with the club in tatters after six games, and their pointless, goalless run continued into their seventh match. They were written off when he was appointed in early September, but finished 11 points clear of relegation in the end.
Portsmouth (7 defeats, 2009/10)
Who beat them?
Fulham (0-1), Birmingham (1-0), Arsenal (4-1), Manchester City (0-1), Bolton (2-3), Aston Villa (2-0), Everton (0-1)
How did they stop their run?
By beating Wolves 1-0 at Molineux.
Where did they finish?
Bottom. One manager has overseen two four-game losing runs at the start of a Premier League season, and Avram Grant was as helpless in guiding Portsmouth back from the brink in the 2009/10 season as he was with West Ham a year later.
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