Burnley are staring down a nightmare scenario. Sitting marooned in the Championship relegation zone, the Clarets could become the third team in three years to suffer the dreaded double drop from the Premier League — falling from the top flight all the way to League One in consecutive seasons.
Burnley (Credits: BBC Sport)
The Premier League Double Drop Is No Longer Rare
Fifteen years ago, successive relegations from the Premier League were almost unthinkable. In the league’s first 20 seasons it happened just once — to Swindon Town in 1994-95, and even that came amid special circumstances when divisions were being rebalanced.
But the numbers tell a shifting story: since Wolves suffered the first true double drop in 2011-13, it has happened four times in 14 seasons. After Sunderland went down in 2016-18, it has struck three times in just nine seasons — including Luton and Leicester in back-to-back campaigns.
What Went Wrong at Burnley, Leicester and Sunderland?
One day Leicester were playing Liverpool in the Premier League; within 15 months they were facing Notts County, Burton Albion and MK Dons in League One. Poor boardroom decisions and a six-point deduction for breaching profit and sustainability rules sealed the Foxes’ fate.
Sunderland went down with the ignominy of finishing bottom of both divisions, winning just 13 of 84 matches. Wolves, who once suffered a treble drop in the 1980s, burned through four managers and a string of bad transfers.
Burnley fans will see uncomfortable parallels. Head coach Nicky Hayen was sacked after a 4-1 defeat at Lincoln, Fabio Celestini has been installed as the new boss, and Diego Lopez has arrived as chief football officer. The question now: is the Championship simply more competitive than ever, or do relegated Premier League clubs keep imploding?
Also Read: Burnley Appoint Ex-Basel Boss Fabio Celestini as Head Coach After Nicky Hayen Sacking and Hayen Sacked by Burnley After Just 14 Games
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
