History shows there is still hope for Wolves – how the other sides to make the worst starts to a Premier League season fared | OneFootball

Wolves lost their fifth game in a row on Saturday as they were beaten at home by Leeds United.

It means they now rank on an unwanted list of the worst Premier League starts in history – and it could yet get worse for them.

But history tells us not all hope is lost. Here are some of the other teams who had the worst starts to Premier League seasons, and how they ended up faring come the end of the campaign…

Sunderland – 2005/06

Mick McCarthy in charge of Sunerland in 2005 (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The Black Cats matched Wolves’ five defeats in a row to start the 2005/06 campaign.

They were beaten by Charlton Athletic, Liverpool, Manchester City, Wigan Athletic and Chelsea, before that run ended with a 1-1 draw against West Brom.

It would be the start of a disastrous campaign for Mick McCarthy’s side, who were relegated with a woeful 15 points that season.

Southampton – 1998/99

Southampton’s Matt Le Tissier (Mandatory Credit: Phil Cole /Allsport)

The Saints also lost their opening five games in the 1998/99 season, conceding 16 goals across that spell too, and were defeated in seven of their opening eight.

Despite that, they managed to secure a great escape and secure survival that season against the odds, finishing 17th.

Norwich City – 2021/22

Daniel Farke with his Norwich City players (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

The Canaries endured a dreadful start to the 2021/22 campaign when they were beaten in each of their opening six games and did not win any of their first 10.

Although they had a tough start, facing Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in three of those six opening ties, their awful beginning to the season spelled the end for Daniel Farke and they would eventually be relegated by finishing rock bottom.

Portsmouth – 2009/10

Kevin Prince-Boateng at Portsmouth (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Financial troubles plagued Portsmouth in the 2009/10 season and their off-field problems were reflected on the pitch too as they lost their opening seven games.

Having lost several key players, Pompey massively struggled and ended up finishing bottom of the table.

Crystal Palace – 2017/18

Former Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

Palace, however, easily take the title for the worst Premier League start, not just losing their first seven games but also failing to score a goal in any of them.

Remarkably, a managerial change in the appointment of Roy Hodgson, who replaced Frank de Boer, would see them dramatically improve and they finished 11th that season.